Paul Graves Myerson Award

Presented by Frances Lang on 5/31/2025

I am very happy to celebrate Linda Gelda as the recipient of the 2025 Paul Myerson award.

The Myerson award is meant to recognize “forthright and unstinting commitment to MIP… intellectual contributions to the field of psychoanalysis… Courage, vision, openness to ideas and plainspoken voice.” As Mary McDonald, one of two MIP members who nominated Linda for this award, wrote: “Linda epitomizes these qualifies.”

Linda has filled so many roles at MIP! Having recently moved from New York to Boston with a very young family, she became a candidate in MIP’s second ever class, beginning in 1989. Upon graduation, she founded the MIP Newsletter entitled “Free Associations.” She also began serving on committees – many committees. First, Ethics, and then, Curriculum. She then became co-chair of the Training Committee and was President of MIP from 2012 to 2014. She served again on the Ethics Committee and on the Finance Committee and on a number of task forces including one on supervision and, most recently, one focused on racial equity and anti Black racism. She has been a member of the MIP Reads Planning Committee and the Town Hall Planning Committee. She has served on the Board as a committee co-chair and is now a voting faculty member.

Her MIP teaching history is extensive. In the four year program, she has taught clinical courses and the self psychology course. She also taught the year long Contemporary Theory course as well as a sequence in the Development course. In the Post Graduate Fellowship Program, she has taught a mini semester course on psychoanalytic approaches to eating disorder treatment. Currently, she facilitates the Ethics Seminar for candidates and co-teaches the second year PGFP class.

As Mary mentions, she brings sorely needed knowledge of group relations to our institute. .) She is a member of the Center for the Study of Groups and Social Systems and is a group relations consultant for the A.K.Rice Institute for the Study of Social Systems. (For those unfamiliar with AK Rice, this is an institute whose work draws on that of Bion to study, train and run group relations conferences on leadership, organizational structure and the unconscious processes which give rise to non-rational behavior in individuals and groups.)

But these are just facts about Linda’s history at MIP. Larry Chud, who also nominated Linda, begins to bring her contributions to life in his remarks: “Hard to think of anyone who has given more to MIP. Tireless teacher, supervisor, mentor, committee member and co-chair; past president who navigated MIP through one of its most challenging periods. Embodies the comparative spirit – has taught everything from self psychology to post Bionian field theory. Has always been willing to step up and fill in when there’s been a need.” Larry also observed what others echoed, that the recognition accorded Linda by this award is long overdue.

Here are a few other remarks from those who have worked with her at MIP:

“Linda is a wonderful person, a wonderful listener and incredibly thoughtful in putting out her ideas, always mindful of what’s going on in the group as a whole. Linda has brought her knowledge of group relations to MIP – it’s been a crucial part of her contribution.” This last observation was echoed by several others.

“I see her wisdom, warmth, openness, humor, dedication, humbleess and calm presence.”

“In the years I was actively involved at MIP, Linda was one o the hardest working people I knew in the organization, but beyond that, she is thoughtful, kind and deeply reflective a leader open to new directions and welcoming of new thinking.”

“Linda is thoughtful, kind, warm and welcoming. She listens to and considers multiple perspectives, reflects on her own learning and missteps, offers thoughtful feedback and always keeps an eye on the group process. She is not hung up on hierarchy and always made me feel included in MIP even though I am not an analyst.”

Finally, a comment by a supervisee of Linda’s: “ I received supervision from Linda on a case involving a highly activated negative countertransference of mine toward the partner of a patient. Linda enabled me to offer my patient an analysis rather than a rescue attempt.”

It is impossible for me to include all the glowing remarks made about Linda by her MIP colleagues. I can only add that, when I became president, Linda reached out to me. We took a walk around the Chestnut Hill reservoir and she gave me such good suggestions about how I might usefully approach my role. Throughout the last year and a half, she has continued to provide generous support and advice. I am forever grateful to her for this.

I almost forgot to add: from the time Linda was 16 years old, she has been a potter. I bid on a beautiful piece of hers at last Fall’s MIP Art auction. Someone placed a higher bid – and I was dumb enough not to go higher. In any case, Linda is a wonderful potter – showing that she is versatile in her use of her mind as well as her big heart.