A Community for the Reading and Study of Psychoanalysis
For more than 26 years, GRASP has brought together psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, social workers and clinicians-in-training to read, study and think psychoanalytically in a community built on intellectual curiosity, collegiality and sustained learning.
Independent of formal training institutions, GRASP offers a space where clinicians can engage deeply with psychoanalytic ideas, learn alongside peers, and continue developing their clinical thinking throughout their careers.
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YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
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CLINICIANS
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SESSIONS
More Than Just Another Reading Group
GRASP (Groups for the Reading and Study of Psychoanalysis) is an independent community of clinicians committed to the thoughtful study of psychoanalytic theory and practice.
Founded by the late Coralie Trotter in 1999, GRASP was created to provide something that many clinicians struggled to find elsewhere: an ongoing space to read primary psychoanalytic texts, think together with colleagues, and develop clinically without the hierarchy or competitive pressure often associated with formal training environments.
Today, the community brings together psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors, social workers and psychoanalytically-oriented clinicians from across South Africa and internationally. Members meet regularly in small, facilitated reading groups where ideas are explored with depth, curiosity and respect.
For many members, GRASP becomes more than a place to study—it becomes a professional community that continues to shape their thinking throughout their careers.
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PERSON COMMUNITY
Led by Michael Benn. Connected to a Global Psychoanalytic Community.
GRASP is chaired and convened by Michael Benn, a Clinical Psychologist and IPA-registered Psychoanalyst with more than three decades of clinical experience.
Alongside facilitating GRASP's reading groups, Michael is the founder of Psychoanalytic Thinking - a global educational community connecting more than 250,000 people through interviews, discussions, events, and digital learning.
Together, GRASP and Psychoanalytic Thinking create a unique ecosystem that supports both the serious study of psychoanalysis and broader public engagement with psychoanalytic ideas.
A Trusted Learning Community
Become part of a close-knit community of clinicians who meet consistently over time, building lasting professional relationships through shared study and thoughtful discussion.
A Connected Learning Ecosystem
Membership extends beyond the reading groups, connecting you to workshops, international speakers, PEP-Web, CPD opportunities and the wider Psychoanalytic Thinking community.
Built for Clinicians Who Want to Keep Thinking
Early-Career Clinicians
Build confidence, deepen your theoretical foundations and become part of a supportive professional community as you establish your clinical identity.
Experienced Practitioners
Continue exploring complex psychoanalytic ideas while engaging with colleagues who bring decades of clinical experience and thoughtful discussion.
Clinicians-in-Training
For psychologists, psychiatrists, counsellors and psychoanalytic trainees seeking a deeper engagement with psychoanalytic theory alongside experienced practitioners.
A Community Built on Fit
Membership is carefully considered to ensure each reading group remains cohesive, respectful and intellectually enriching. This is about creating the right learning environment—not gatekeeping.
A Different Way to Learn
At the heart of GRASP are ten small, closed reading groups where clinicians meet each month to explore psychoanalytic theory together. Rather than lectures or formal teaching, the groups are built around the careful reading of primary texts and thoughtful discussion among peers.
Each group meets once a month over ten months of the year and remains intentionally small to encourage continuity, trust and meaningful conversation. Members stay within the same group over time, allowing ideas—and professional relationships—to develop naturally.
The groups explore a wide range of psychoanalytic traditions, including Freud, Klein, Bion, Winnicott, Lacan, relational psychoanalysis and contemporary psychoanalytic thought. Reading lists are curated by the facilitators and evolve throughout the year.
There are no presentations to prepare, no examinations to pass and no hierarchy of who has read the most. As Coralie Trotter envisioned when founding GRASP, learning happens through curiosity, conversation and the shared desire to think more deeply.
Membership That Extends Beyond the Reading Room
Joining GRASP means becoming part of a professional community committed to lifelong psychoanalytic learning. Alongside your monthly reading group, membership provides access to resources, events and relationships that support your ongoing clinical development.
PEP-Web Access
Access the world's leading psychoanalytic literature archive through GRASP's discounted member subscription, supporting your study long after each reading group ends.
HPCSA-Accredited CPD
Earn HPCSA-accredited CPD points through eligible reading groups, workshops and educational events while continuing your professional development.
Workshops & Events
Attend specialist workshops, memorial lectures and presentations featuring respected local and international psychoanalytic thinkers throughout the year.
International Perspectives
Connect with leading psychoanalytic thinkers and a worldwide community through GRASP and the broader Psychoanalytic Thinking ecosystem.
For many members, the greatest benefit isn't a single resource or event—it's belonging to a community that continues to challenge, support and enrich their thinking year after year.
Learning Happens Throughout the Year
Beyond the monthly reading groups, GRASP hosts workshops, memorial lectures and educational events that bring together clinicians and internationally recognised psychoanalytic thinkers. Whether you're a member or exploring GRASP for the first time, these events offer opportunities to deepen your engagement with psychoanalytic thinking.
Reading groups meet once a month over ten months of the year. As groups are intentionally closed, new places become available only when existing members leave. If you're interested in joining, we encourage you to enquire and we'll contact you when a suitable place becomes available.
Psychoanalytic Thinking Beyond the Consulting Room
GRASP has always believed that psychoanalytic thinking has an important place not only in clinical practice, but also in responding to the wider challenges facing society.
In 2017, following the Life Esidimeni tragedy, the late Coralie Trotter led a team of nineteen clinicians - many of them members of the GRASP community - in supporting 141 families affected by one of South Africa's most significant mental health and human rights crises.
Their work culminated in the Brick Mother Report, an expert contribution that helped bring language to experiences of trauma, grief and loss, and informed the landmark arbitration proceedings that followed.
Rather than being remembered as a professional achievement, this work reflects the values that continue to shape GRASP today: thoughtful engagement, ethical responsibility and the belief that psychoanalytic understanding can contribute meaningfully beyond the consulting room. The judgment was the first in South Africa, and reportedly the first globally, to award constitutional damages on the basis that the inherent value of human life requires no proof of functional capacity.
Key figures:
141 families consulted
19 registered clinicians in the expert testimony team
First constitutional damages awarded on the principle of inherent human worth
Hear From the GRASP Community
For more than two decades, clinicians at every stage of their careers have found a professional home within GRASP.
Hear how sustained reading, thoughtful discussion and a supportive community have influenced their clinical practice, professional development and way of thinking.
Continue the Conversation
Whether you're taking your first steps into psychoanalytic thinking or have spent years in clinical practice...
GRASP offers a place to continue learning alongside colleagues who value thoughtful discussion, intellectual curiosity and the slow development of clinical understanding.
If you'd like to explore joining a reading group, attending a workshop or simply learning more about the community, we'd be delighted to hear from you.
Join the Waitlist Today and Be the First to Know When A Spot Opens Up
Michael Benn is a Clinical Psychologist and IPA-registered Psychoanalyst in private practice in Johannesburg. He is the Chair and Convener of GRASP and the founder of the Psychoanalytic Thinking digital community.
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