Treating the Artist Patient: Creatives Care Delivers Inaugural Horowitz-Sondheim Lecture at NYPSI

On October 28, 2025, Dr. Alana Mendelsohn and Amy Rosenthal, LCSW, of Creatives Care gave the inaugural lecture of the Horowitz-Sondheim Fellowship at the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (NYPSI), one of the country’s oldest psychoanalytic training institutions.

The Horowitz-Sondheim Fellowship for the Treatment of Theater Artists, which began at NYPSI in September 2025, gives clinicians the opportunity to treat theater artists under the close supervision of a NYPSI psychoanalyst. It is named for Stephen Sondheim and his psychoanalyst, Dr. Milton Horowitz.

The lecture

Building on our presentation at the American Psychiatric Association’s 2025 Annual Meeting, the lecture went deeper into the clinical and psychoanalytic work of treating artists: transference, creative blocks, and the particular stresses of a working life in the arts. It drew on what we have learned from hundreds of consultations with artists.

What attendees said

“Around 100 people attended in person and via Zoom. The event was a resounding success, including a lively and engaging discussion with the attendees following the presentation. Several participants wrote asking for a video of the presentation; some individuals, who had not been able to attend the event, heard about how excellent it was and wrote me asking to see the video.

I could not be more grateful to Alana and Amy for tackling this important topic, which could not have been more relevant to a budding clinic. In fact, the video is required content for all incoming fellows!”

Tehela Nimroody, NYPSI

Why it matters

This was the second time in 2025 that Creatives Care was invited to share its clinical work at a leading mental health institution. The fellowship addresses a gap in clinical training for working with theater artists, and we were honored to give its inaugural lecture.