In Honor of Dr. Stefan de Schill on the 20th Anniversary of His Death
by Evander Lomke on
Director of Research of The American Mental Health Foundation from 1948 to 2005, Dr. Stefan de Schill died February 9: 20 years ago. In 2005 that date was Ash Wednesday.
Dr. de Schill was one of the pioneers of group psychotherapy in North America. He accepted the position of director of research offered by Hermann Broch, then chairman of this foundation while at Princeton University and one of the lights of 20th-century Austrian literature.
AMHF keeps de Schill’s memory vital via its mission and publishing program, which offers Crucial Choices—Crucial Changes for sale, and his earlier works, classics in the field, edited and written, are all accessible on this Web site, free of charge.
There have been two Stefan de Schill Awards bestowed on outstanding organizations, to support and continue their work in the spirit of Dr. de Schill and to end the stigma associated with emotional distress: Astor Services and Suicide Prevention Initiatives. (AMHF then continued its association with Astor via a significant two-year study on early identification and palliative care for psychotic disorders in children.)
There have been several seminars held at the FDR Library and Estate in Hyde Park, New York, also in de Schill’s name.
Difficult to believe today, February 9, 2025, is 20 years since the death of this groundbreaking psychoanalyst. Rest in Peace.
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