In 2007, then APsaA president Lynn Moritz gathered a search committee for a Task Force on Research and Science. The committee included Sid Blatt, Peter Fonagy, Eric Nuetzel, Glenn Gabbard, and Wilma Bucci. They nominated a group of individuals to help reorganize, coordinate and integrate the research and scientific efforts of APsaA. Original members included Stuart Hauser and Linda Mayes as Co-Chairs, with Stuart Ablon, Jacques Barber, John Clarkin, Bert Cohler, Brad Peterson, David Reiss, Steven Roose as regular members, and Allan Compton and Eric Nuetzel as consultants. There was an initial telephone conference in the fall of 2007, a meeting in January 2008, and a retreat in the Spring of 2008. During the discussions of this task force, the conclusion was reached that the only way to properly facilitate psychoanalytic research while being inclusive of all researchers was to form a separate organization. However, in the spirit of trying to be as collegial and open as possible and to work with Lynn and subsequently Prudy Gourguechon (the next president of APsaA who was similarly supportive of the task force), the task force proposed a separate but affiliated organization. Affiliation was basically to encourage members of APsaA to belong to PPRS and to address APsaA’s concerns that PPRS would siphon off all its psychoanalytic researchers. After much discussion (two years), APsaA agreed to provide a loan of start up funds to allow PPRS to be incorporated as a non-profit organization. APsaA also agreed to support meeting space until PPRS got sufficient funds to support our own meeting organization and space.
In the fall of 2008, an implementation task force was formed. Membership included Linda Mayes, Chair, John Clarkin, Co-chair, Glen Gabbard, Eric Nuetzel, J. Stuart Ablon, Colleen Carney, Andrew Gerber, Steven Roose, Beth Seelig with consultants, Prudence Gourguechon and Steven Levy. The PPRS was approved by APsaA in June of 2009, with the promise of the loan, and was incorporated as a separate organization with its own set of bylaws in October 2009. An initial set of board members was appointed to serve until elections could be held.
Because the PPRS developed out of the work of a Task Force of APsaA, the corporate structure of the PPRS developed as a not-for-profit corporation sponsored by APsaA (technically, under NY State not-for-profit law this is called a Corporation with a Sole Member – the sole member being APsaA). This gives PPRS control of its own bylaws, membership, dues, meetings, officers and Board of Directors. APsaA retains the right to dismiss and replace the PPRS Officers and Board of Directors if the Officers and Board of Directors of the PPRS are guilty of malfeasance. Otherwise, the PPRS functions independently, with pro forma approval of its Officers and Board of Directors by APsaA’s Board of Directors. In this way the PPRS functions much as JAPA does and has, except the PPRS has formal legal safeguards. This corporate arrangement for the PPRS was necessary in order to have the money to incorporate, draft bylaws, have meeting space, set up a website and begin work. The membership of the PPRS could negotiate a new corporate arrangement without sponsorship from APsaA should that prove wise.