John Keene (Geology 1966-7 and Philosophy and Psychology 1968-71)

Publication success for alumnus

John Keene, a training analyst of the British Psychoanalytical Society is celebrating the recent publication of two books.

After graduating from Exeter, John (Geology 1966-7 and Philosophy and Psychology 1968-71) worked in a variety of mental health settings before training in the early 1980s at the Institute of Psychoanalysis and at the Tavistock Clinic in London. It was there he also developed his work consulting to groups and organisations.

Two of John’s passions, landscape and climate, and human psychology were brought together in organising a conference on our difficulties in responding to the challenges of climate change, as part of the Psychoanalysis at the Science Museum programme in 2010.

His paper Unconscious obstacles to caring for the planet: facing up to human nature is featured in the book which grew out of the conference Engaging with climate change: psychoanalytic and interdisciplinary perspectives. (Sally Weintrobe, Ed. 2012. London: Routledge.)

He is currently working with a number of interested politicians and academics on the issues.

John, who is in private practice in London and St Albans and consults to NHS units, is also co-editor and author of two chapters of Independent Psychoanalysis Today (published in 2012 by Karnac, London) which reviews the development and particular contributions of a major stream in the development of psychoanalysis in Britain.

Date: 6 September 2013