It is with great sadness that PCC lost two of its members, Naomi Lieberman, PsyD, FIPA and Yvonne Hansen, PhD, FIPA.

Training and Supervising Analyst, Diane Garcia, PhD, FIPA, remembers PCC Training and Supervising Analyst Yvonne Hansen, PhD, FIPA with the following:

Dr. Yvonne Hansen died peacefully in her sleep on January 11, 2022. Her daughter Natalie and son Mark were by her side.

Dr. Hansen was a founding member of the Psychoanalytic Center of California (PCC). She was known for her integrity and for maintaining high standards of practice, however, she recognized the importance of flexibility when it was needed. She led Infant Observation seminars for over thirty years at the Institute. She was monumental in obtaining Tavistock Accreditation for the Infant Observation program, serving as its chair for over thirty years. Dr. Hansen also led I.O. seminars in northern California. In addition, Dr. Hansen was chair of the first Child Analytic Program at PCC. She was also one of the first Deans of PCC and served on the Faculty Committee until weeks before her death.

The IPA Congress recognized Dr. Hansen in 2019 as a notable female psychoanalyst for her significant contributions to Infant Observation. Her passion for the development of the mind was initially ignited by her work with Piaget in Switzerland.

Dr. Hansen was influenced by Bion, Klein and Winnicott, however she was not constrained by any one theory. She was an analyst in the best sense. She felt it was essential to remain open to the gradual unfolding of the unconscious, which is an essential part of observing infants and learning about their primitive states of mind and relationships. I admired her sensitivity, intuitiveness and capacity for containment.

My experience with Dr. Hansen began early in my training, as she was the supervisor on my first child analytic case. Later as a member of PCC, I co-taught with her in the Infant Observation Seminar. I am indebted to her for her unwavering support throughout the years. We eventually became friends, had long walks, talks, lunches and dinners sometimes with her husband, Howard, a child psychiatrist who was also a member of PCC. It was during these times that I truly learned the depth of her warmth, compassion, generosity, resilience, as well as her wit and humor.

In addition to her professional life, Dr. Hansen was interested in the arts, culture, politics and most importantly her beloved family.

While we do not know the future of Infant Observation as we have traditionally practiced it, what I do know is that PCC and the larger psychoanalytic community are better for her presence, as am I.

I miss her dearly.
—Diane Garcia