Dear members and affiliates organisations
The last weekend, in Zurich, Switzerland, we had two important events for IAGP: the celebration of IAGP 50th Anniversary and the IAGP Board meeting. It was a great honor to have one of the Founders, Grete Leutz; some of the IAGP Past Presidents, Grete Leutz, Earl Hopper, Jorge Burmeister and Richard Beck, and participants from 30 countries: England, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Lithuania, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil, Georgia, Somalia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Greece, Japan, China, India, Belgium, USA, Switzerland, Australia, Slovenia , Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Israel, Iran & Kenya.
The celebration not only honored the achievements of the founders, past IAGP Presidents, all the Boards, but also invited us to envision the future of group psychotherapy and group processes on an international level.
I want to thank Deniz Altinay, the chair of the Task Force for this Celebration, Jorge Burmeister, Former IAGP President and chair of the Local Organization, our Swiss colleagues, from the birthplace of our organization; Simon Mclellan for the extensive technical support and logistic before and during the celebration and Board meeting; Stylianos Lagarakis and Ursula Hauser for the great work at the welcome desk; and all those who collaborated on creating this opportunity to be together celebrating the IAGP 50th Anniversary. IAGP was presented as a space for cross-cultural dialogue, knowledge exchange, container of difficult feelings, and openness to review its own history.
For half a century, IAGP has been at the forefront of promoting, advancing, and advocating for the transformative power of groups. IAGP has served as a beacon of unity, bridging cultures, disciplines, and methodologies. One of the most striking achievements of the IAGP has been its commitment to fostering an international community. IAGP has been instrumental in fostering the international development of group interventions in clinical practice, consultancy, education, research, and socio-cultural settings.
We will have a 1-year virtual celebration and we are looking forward to the participation of all our individual and organizational members.
Please, send your suggestions to [email protected].
Concerning the Board meeting, we had two very productive days with many motions, most of them with unanimous approval, expressing the cooperative spirit of the group to look for the best decision on behalf of IAGP.
The meeting started with a brief President welcoming message, with my vision of IAGP – to be the leading global organization driving the advancement of group psychotherapy and group processes, promoting diversity, equity, inclusivity, collaboration, and research across diverse theoretical approaches, cultural, and professional contexts. – and an invitation to create a Board vision, reflecting the group involvement with the two next year of this administration.
Based on IAGP mission statement, the purpose of the organization described in IAGP Bylaws, I presented the main points for next year:
1. Stabilize the IAGP website and automatize the information system and communication with IAGP members and potential members;
2. Strengthen the New Leaders program and the identification of potential leaders for the next administration;
3. Strengthen the leadership of IAGP Sections, Committees and Task Force Chairs and the integration of actions in the Board, and
4. Strengthen the Fundraising project to allow funds for professionalization of services and new projects.
The Board applied group interventions to enhance the role of Section, Committees and Task Forces chairs, to look for opportunities for integration among the Committees, and to bring ideas for the IAGP Strategic Plan, including proposals from the Sociodrama on the Celebration.
Among many decisions regarding structural and functional upgrades, the Board approved the Nominating Committee for the election process for 2025-2028 IAGP administration, chaired by Maite Pi, composed by the members: Maurizio Gasseau (Italy), Pedro Torres (Chile), Noha Sabry (Egypt), and Reiko Tanaka (Japan).
The Board also approved the members of the Congress Organizing Committee (COC) for the 22nd IAGP International Congress in 2025, in Sapporo, Japan: President of the Congress – Heloisa Fleury; Treasurer – Bruno Chevolet; Local Organizing Committee (LOC) chair – Jun Maeda; Scientific Program Committee (SPC) co-chairs – Kaoru Nishimura & Roberta Mineo; consultant to the Treasurer for the contractual and financial matters and in charge of local structure related matters – Yoshie Ohashi.
The third Board meeting of this administration was a milestone for the Board. We could offer our support to the Sections, Committees and Task Forces chairs to take their role on a more emotional dimension, the Board had a better view of IAGP organizational structure and functionality, as well new possibilities of integration of our efforts for continuity and innovation.
Please, send your comments and suggestions to [email protected]
Warm regards,
Heloisa Fleury,
IAGP President
