Honoring Sheila Hafter Gray, MD: Advancing Psychoanalytic Education and Research

Sheila Hafter Gray, MD, was a pioneering psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and mentor whose influence helped shape the modern landscape of psychoanalytic education. Known for her fierce intellect, inclusive leadership, and deep commitment to teaching, Gray dedicated her career to bridging divisions within the psychoanalytic community and elevating educational standards across organizations.

At the turn of the 21st century, Gray played an instrumental role in bringing together historically divided psychoanalytic groups to form the Accreditation Council for Psychoanalytic Education(ACPEinc)—a remarkable accomplishment in a field once defined by fragmentation. Her diplomatic leadership, paired with her insistence on research-based standards, helped foster a new era of collaboration, inclusivity, and rigor in psychoanalytic training.

“Sheila was fearless,” recalled Jane Tillman, PhD, Director of the Erikson Institute of the Austen Riggs Center. “She worked tirelessly to unite organizations, elevate standards, and bring research into the heart of psychoanalytic education.”

To honor Gray’s extraordinary contributions, ACPEinc has made a $20,000 donation to the Erikson Institute of the Austen Riggs Center. This gift is designated to fund public programs exploring the intersection of psychoanalytic education and research. To that end, the Erikson Institute has developed the Sheila Hafter Gray Memorial Lecture Series.

The initiative reflects Gray’s lifelong belief that psychoanalytic theory must engage with research to remain vital and relevant. As Tillman noted, “Sheila insisted that psychoanalysis had to validate its concepts empirically and connect meaningfully with the broader scientific community.”

The first event in the Sheila Hafter Gray Memorial Lecture Series will take place virtually on December 5, 2025, featuring Brin Grenyer, PhD, an internationally recognized psychoanalytic researcher from Australia who currently serves as President of the International Society for the Study of Personality Disorders (ISSPD) and Director of Project Air. Through the development of Project Air(a whole-of-service stepped care treatment approach for individuals diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder), Grenyer has demonstrated both the value and feasibility of integrating psychoanalytic treatment principles into nationally scalable community intervention models. Such efforts to expand the accessibility of psychoanalytically-informed treatments represent a crucial step towards ensuring both the relevance and impact of psychoanalysis in today’s contemporary healthcare landscape. His lecture, “Sun, Soil and Rain: Research on Patient Growth in Psychotherapy,” will explore the conditions that foster meaningful therapeutic change, echoing Gray’s dedication to empirical inquiry and the evolution of psychoanalytic understanding.

To learn more and register, visit: Education.AustenRiggs.org/BrinGrenyer-FNGL

Under the leadership of the Erikson Institute at the Austen Riggs Center and coordinated by Director of Research Katie Lewis, PhD, this memorial series will span five years, offering an annual lecture that carries forward Gray’s vision for psychoanalytic education rooted in curiosity, inclusivity, and evidence. Lewis remarked, “In keeping with Dr. Gray’s values as a champion of integration between psychoanalysis and empirical scholarship, our hope with this series is to elevate the voices and work of individuals who have utilized research to expand the influence and reach of psychoanalysis across disciplines and across the globe. Dr. Grenyer’s active participation in both clinical interventions, empirical outcomes research, and national healthcare policy development represent an ideal example of this integrative impact and power – I can think of no better individual to partner with us for launching this series and honoring Dr. Gray’s legacy.” 

Even as ACPEinc sunsets as an organization, its impact—and Gray’s—continues to shape psychoanalytic training across the United States. As Tillman reflected, “Sheila gave the last years of her life, heart and soul, to strengthening psychoanalytic education. This lecture series ensures her voice and values will continue to guide generations to come.”

Sheila Hafter Gray, MD, (1930–2021) was a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and former parliamentarian for the American Psychoanalytic Association. She was celebrated for her sharp understanding of parliamentary process, her mentorship of younger clinicians, and her fearless advocacy for rigorous educational standards. Through her leadership at ACPEinc, she helped shape national accreditation processes that continue to influence psychoanalytic training today.

Her life’s work embodied the principles of inclusion, mentorship, and intellectual courage—values that the Austen Riggs Center and the Erikson Institute are proud to honor through this new lecture series.