IPSO President
Erika Lepiavka was born and raised in Mexico City. She is a licensed Clinical Psychologist who holds a Specialty Degree in Psychoanalysis as well as a Master’s degree in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. Erika is a Psychoanalyst-in-training at Sociedad Psicoanalítica de México.
Some of her background as a fieldwork Psychologist includes treatment of Hospital Syndrome with children and infants at the burns unit of Hospital Pediátrico de Tacubaya. Erika has worked at detainment facilities, providing psychoanalytically oriented spaces for convicted men considered unimpeachable, due to severe mental illness. She created workshops that aim to promote mental health for indigenous children in Chiapas.
Erika has been a University Professor, teaching subjects such as Psychoanalytic Concepts, Theory of the Neuroses, Theory of the Psychoses, Child Development, Clinical Interview Methods, and Projective Testing.
She has been a local and internationally selected speaker on topics such as Suicide Prevention, Time Notion and its Psychic Placements, Gender Construction in Mexican Culture, and Poetry as a Psychic Wrapping. Erika is fluent in Spanish, English, and French. She is the author of the poetry book titled Videotape.
Erika works full-time in her consulting room with patients from different backgrounds and levels of psychic functioning. She is committed to the development of Psychoanalysis, its adaptation into hypermodern times, and its potent capability to transform human pain.
IPSO-President@ipso-candidates.org.uk
IPSO President Elect
Chrysanthy (Chrissy) Wallace is a psychotherapist and advanced candidate at the Psychoanalytic Training Institute of the Contemporary Freudian Society in Washington, DC. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Psychology and Music, and a Bachelor of Music Education from the University of Maryland, College Park. In private practice in Washington, DC, Chrissy currently works with adults and adolescents, and has previously gained experience in community mental health and college counseling centers. She has presented her clinical work and writing nationally and internationally and is as Assistant Clinical Professor in the George Washington University’s Professional Psychology Program, where she supervises doctoral candidates’ clinical work. With a background in music and theatre, Chrissy is particularly interested in the intersection of psychoanalysis, creativity, and the arts. She participates in a study group that integrates music and psychoanalytic listening.
In leadership, Chrissy serves on the IPA Committee on Women and Psychoanalysis as the North American IPSO Representative, the NAPsaC Board (North American Psychoanalytic Confederation), and the CIPS Board (Confederation of Independent Psychoanalytic Societies). She is a former Vice President of the Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work. For her institute, Chrissy holds the positions of IPSO Representative and Candidate Organization Representative. She is also the Chair of her IPSO Cross-Regional Study Group, and has a special interest in psychoanalysis as a method of inquiry into leadership and organizational dynamics.
Chrissy has had the opportunity to live and teach in Alsace, France, intern at an NGO in Kolkata, India, and study at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi, Finland. She is passionate about the role of IPSO and cross-cultural exchange in the development and growth of analysts-in-training.
IPSO-PresidentElect@ipso-candidates.org.uk
IPSO Vice President For Europe
Johanna Velt is an analyst in training at the Paris Psychoanalytic Society. She works and lives in Nice, France, and works in private practice as a Psychiatrist, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and an Analyst. She has been working previously for several years in a children’s hospital with children, adolescents, mothers and babies. Her interest in analysis lies in classical cures with adults but also in therapies with children and adolescents. She is interested in many ongoing topics including language, transgenderism, online therapy and the non-verbal in the session. She enjoys working with colleagues in several settings: Clinical discussion groups and various committees such as the website team of her society and the IPA podcast team in order to explore different psychoanalytic perspectives. She is also interested in the field of culture and its relationships with psychoanalysis. She is currently the IPSO rep in the IPA in the culture committee. As Vice-President Elect for Europe, Johanna wishes to continue to enlarge her commitment to international exchanges and help her peers by promoting group work, for instance with the Meet the Analyst webinars, and the Visiting Candidate Program and also by contributing to the dialogue between IPSO and IPA.
IPSO-Europe@ipso-candidates.org.uk
IPSO Vice President Elect For Europe
Paola Solano was born and raised in Genova, Italy. She is psychiatrist, psychotherapist and is an analyst- in- training at the Institute of the Italian Psychoanalytic Society (SPI) in Milan.
She completed a European Doctorate in Clinical and Experimental Neurosciences working in Genova/ UCL London where she did a Post Doc project focusing on psychoanalytic aspects in the suffering of multiple suicide attempters. She is member of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) and trained with the Aeschi Group in Bern and Boston. During her doctorate program she did a research internship period at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel and at the Kyoto University. She was Subject Expert in Psychosis at La Sapienza University, Rome, and at the University of Genova, Genova. Paola did a Master in Psychopharmacology of Psychosis at the King’s College, London and is member of the British Association of Psychopharmacology. She did a Master in Scientific Writing and residential scholarship at the Aalborg University, Denmark. She attended two years of high school in Germany. Paola worked several years in a public service for the psychotherapy of adolescents at the University Hospital of the University of Genova. In her psychoanalytic education she had long term supervisions with Italian, British, American and Israeli psychoanalysts.
Her interest, work and research focus on the psychoanalysis of psychosis and unrepresented mental states. She works analytically also with traumatized adolescents and adults in private practice. Paola is interested in cross- cultural psychoanalysis and in developing cross- cultural dialogues between colleagues to promote the flourishing of deeper human and scientific understanding to become emotionally richer people working together.
Paola speaks English, French and German together with some Spanish and Japanese.
IPSO Vice President For Latin America
Susana Maldonado has a bachelor´s degree in psychology at Universidad Anáhuac México Norte. She performed her social service at “Hospital Español” in Mexico City in the psychology department of the psychiatric area, conducting a theoretical review of intelligence, projective and neuropsychological tests, qualification and interpretation of those tests and supervision of rehabilitation workshops. She has a master´s degree in psychoanalytic research at AMPIEP A.C. (Institute of the Mexican Association for Psychoanalytic Practice, Training & Research A.C.) and right now she is about to finish her training as psychoanalyst also at AMPIEP A.C. Susana has been an IPSO representative at her institute for 3 years, encouraging new students to participate and become more involved in the IPSO activities. In 2017, she participated with AMPIEP in the emotional support project with crisis intervention groups after the devastating earthquake that took place in Mexico City, as well as participating in brief therapy groups aimed for parents who have children with Turner Syndrome. She is coordinator at a private psychological clinic and has her private psychoanalytic practice with children, adolescents and adults. She has also participated in national and international congresses organized mostly by IPSO and OCAL. In addition, she has a publication in the Latin American magazine of Psychoanalysis “Calibán”. Finally, she is a trilingual woman who speaks Spanish, English and French, which helps her to communicate more assertively with colleagues around the world.
IPSO-LatinAmerica@ipso-candidates.org.uk
IPSO Vice President Elect For Latin America
María Lucila Lusnich is a psychologist, graduated from the Universidad del Salvador in 2012 with honors. She began her professional experience in psychoanalysis in private practice with adults patients. My training in Psychoanalysis started at Centro Dos (Civil Association for the Assistance and Teaching of Psychoanalysis) graduating as “Adults Clinic Specialist in Psychoanalysis” in December 2014. Until 2017 she integrated the Theoretical Research and Clinical Training Device.
In the meantime, from 2013 to 2020 she participated as an intern at the Bernardino Rivadavia Hospital (BsAs) within the Eating Disorders Team (Dr. Alejando Ferreira Service – Coordinator Lic. Andrea Pierri). She was one of the psychoanalytic therapists in the Obesity therapeutic group. At the same time, she worked as a teaching Assistant in the seminar “Tutored Professional Clinical Practice” at Universidad del Salvador. During these years she participated in various national and international congresses presenting the work in the public hospital setting. She also worked as an integrative teacher in two educational institutions. Maria Lucila also completed the Rorschach Psychodiagnostic Diploma at the University of Belgrano (2018-Bs. As) and conducted psychodiagnoses and job interviews. In 2021, she trained in Psychosomatic Clinic at the Fernando Ulloa Center (Buenos Aires).
Subsequently she undertook the Psychoanalytic Training at the IUSAM (University Institute of Mental Health) of APDEBA (Asociación psicoanalítica de Buenos Aires). She was the IPSO Representative in APdeBa and a member of the Analysts in training Staff. She presented in the APDEBA SIMPOSIUM in 2022 and in the IPSO-OCAL-ABC meeting. Maria Lucila works with adolescents, adults and older adults. She speaks Spanish, English and basic Portuguese (intermediate comprehension).
IPSO Vice President For North America
Konstantinos Taliouridis, Ph.D., Psy.D., Ed.M., MBA, Psya.D(c), is a licensed clinical psychologist and certified psychoanalytic psychotherapist with an experience more than 25 years. He hold two doctoral degrees. A Ph.D. in Psychoanalysis and Clinical Psychopathology and a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology (minor child & adolescent). Also, he holds of different certificates and diplomas of advanced graduate studies in Psychoanalysis, Clinical Psychopathology and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. He obtained several masters degrees for USA and Europe. He has been trained extensively in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in USA and Europe. Currently, he is Candidate at the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute (child and adult program) and he is the President-Elect of the Candidates Association and he serves in different committees. He works in private practice with children, adolescents and adults. In addition, he supervises psychoanalytic psychotherapist in training and he is teaching different seminars. He worked for many years in different hospitals and outpatient clinics affiliated with Harvard Medical School where he was chief Chief Psychologist and Senior research/clinical fellow. Konstantinos also is APsA’s Candidates Council(CC) President-Elect (2023-2025) and he is going to be APsA’s CC President 2025-2027. Also, he works with refuges who arrive in EU countries and US. In addition to this work, he created a program for Ukrainian children and their families in Europe and in USA. He offers community psychoanalytic psychotherapy, psychoanalysis in the community and consultation to a team of 30 people in the helping profession. Konstantinos is trilingual English, French and Greek.
ipso-northAmerica@ipso-candidates.org.uk
IPSO Vice President Elect For North America
Mary Sacco is a candidate at the Northwestern Psychoanalytic Society and
Institute in Seattle, Washington. She holds a Masters degree in Existential
Phenomenological Psychology from Seattle University and a Masters in Liberal
Studies from St. John’s College in Santa Fe, NM. Her pre-licensure experience
includes work as a home-based specialist with families and children, a
behavioral management specialist in a residential treatment center for violent
adolescents, and counselor of seriously mentally disturbed adults in an inpatient
psychiatric hospital. She now has a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy practice in
Seattle. She serves on the Art Salon Committee and is an honorary faculty
member of the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. For the past two
years she has enjoyed being the IPSO representative for her institute.
Growing up in rural Maryland inspired an interest in art and nature. She enjoys
painting landscapes in her free time and appreciates the welcoming space
psychoanalysis provides for creativity to flourish and primitive mental states to
be understood. Her connection to nature has also lead to an interest in the
impact climate change has on the psyche and on one’s ability to feel at home in
the world.
ipso-northAmerica@ipso-candidates.org.uk
IPSO Treasurer
Liliana Castro (MD, M.Sc., Ph.D.) is a psychiatrist and candidate at the Institute of Porto (IFTP) part of the Portuguese Society of Psychoanalysis. She graduated in Medicine from Oporto University, completed a Master in Affective Neurosciences from Maastricht University and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in Minho University. During her specialization in Psychiatry she did a training scholarship at the Maudsley Hospital/Kings College London in the Department of Eating Disorders. She has been working at a public specialized psychiatric hospital for the last 10 years and also in her outpatient private practice as psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Liliana also collaborates giving psychiatric and psychotherapeutic consultation to Oporto university students. Additionally, she teaches psychiatry to pre-graduated medical students, supervises phD and Master thesis and collaborates in the training of psychiatry residents. Liliana is currently IPSO representative in Oporto collaborating in several IPSO initiatives. She participates in the study group on women and psychoanalysis of the Portuguese Society of Psychoanalysis. Her main study and research interests are psychiatric and psychanalytic training/education, psychoanalysis and literature, women and psychoanalysis, eating disorders and personality disorders.
IPSO-Treasurer@ipso-candidates.org.uk
IPSO Treasurer Elect
Luz Cárdenas is a clinical psychologist and candidate at the Psychoanalytic Institute Berlin (IfP) of the German Psychoanalytic Society (DPG). After graduating in Psychology from the Humboldt University in Berlin, she completed a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at the Medical School Berlin. During her psychiatric year, she worked mainly with affective disorders (bipolar disorder) and patients with substance abuse. After working for several years in a rehabilitation clinic with patients from the former East Germany, she now has her private practice in Berlin. Luz is currently the IPSO representative of her society and organizes, with other candidates at her institute, events with supervisors from other regions and participates in several IPSO initiatives. Her areas of study and research include linguistics in conjunction with psychoanalysis, sign language, gender studies, migration, and literature.
IPSO-Treasurer@ipso-candidates.org.uk
IPSO Editor
Dr Valerie Curen (MA Law Austria, MSc, MA, D Ch Psych Psych) grew up in Vienna and completed a Master’s Degree in Law. She has lived in the UK since 1994 and trained as an adult psychotherapist, a child and adolescent psychotherapist and a parent-infant psychotherapist. She is currently a candidate at the British Psychoanalytical Society in London. Valerie has worked for 25 years in the National Health Service and NGOs with children, adolescents and adults with complex presentations. As a child and adolescent psychotherapist in training, Valerie worked at the Cassel Hospital and adolescent and young adult service at the Tavistock Clinic. Valerie’s doctoral thesis focused on clinical decision-making when assessing adolescents and young adults for intensive treatment. Valerie has taught at the Institute of Psychiatry, the Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies at Essex University and at the Anna Freud Centre. Valerie was the co-editor of the ACP bulletin for 3 years. The last 5 years Valerie specialised in expert witness assessments of children and parents at the Anna Freud Centre and Great Ormond Street Hospital. This includes working with patients who are severely dysfunctional for example in cases of fabricated and induced illness, homicide, maltreatment and neglect, and parental alienation. She also works with children and their parents who experienced medical trauma. Valerie’s psychoanalytic interests lie in intergenerational processes, psychoanalytic technique, theories about the death drive, and psychoanalysis in the political arena including the climate crisis.
IPSO-Editor@ipso-candidates.org.uk
IPSO Editor Elect
Manuel Ortega is a licensed clinical psychologist, and holds a master’s degree on Chinese Art. He is also a psychoanalyst in training at the Freudian Society of Mexico City where he’s been an IPSO representative for a year. Always interested in the social and cultural aspects and how they reflect on the subject’s psyche, this has guided his trajectory which encompasses work in a wide range of communities and private and public institutions. He participated in a programme to ease the process of inmates being reintegrated in society and later worked in the Mexican Secretariat of Public Security as supervisor of groups dedicated to assessing psychological risks in the police force. He helped develop an instrument to measure resilience in the Mexican population, created a workshop for preventing discrimination based on sexual orientation in university and collaborated in the creation of a psychological assistance line in an insurance company. Manuel has also been part of the organizing committees of international and regional psychological congresses and events. Some of his interests pertaining psychoanalysis are the interaction between culture, gender and subjectivity; the history and development of psychoanalysis in Asia Pacific and the representation of space in the psyche. He currently lives in Mexico City, fully dedicated to his private practice, working with adolescents and adults.
IPSO-Editor@ipso-candidates.org.uk
