At the turn of 1996, a group of Tunisian psychiatrists, led by Drs. Fethi Touzeri, Adel Omrani, Sofiane Zribi, Zohra Aissa, Soumaya Ghaoui, Wahid Koubaa, Lotfi Boughanmi, Taieb Ghodhbane, Hatem Achache, Chebil Ben Dhia, Mongi Guetari, Hassen Ati, and their colleagues, came together as a study and experience-sharing group with the ambition of eventually giving private-practice psychiatrists a distinct voice. Following the first Francopsies meetings in Guadeloupe, organized by the French Association of Private Practice Psychiatrists and the Moroccan Association of Private Practice, which they were invited to, and inspired by the structure of their Moroccan counterparts, they founded the Tunisian Association of Private Practice Psychiatrists (ATPEP) at the beginning of 2001, thanks to the tireless work of Dr. Mounir Soussi with the Tunisian authorities of that time.

From its inception, ATPEP has worked to organize training seminars and solidarity meetings among private-practice psychiatrists from Tunisia, the Maghreb, and Francophone countries. In 2002, they participated in the Francopsies meetings in Marrakech, and a year later organized the third edition of these meetings in Sousse, bringing together nearly 500 Francophone psychiatrists. This also provided the opportunity to encourage the creation of a sister association in Algeria and to expand the influence of private psychiatry across the Maghreb.

The goal of ATPEP was not to oppose university or public psychiatrists, but to recognize the specificity and legitimacy of private practitioners. Over time, the association grew, became international, and established regional sections throughout the country from north to south. After Dr. Sofiane Zribi, the first president of ATPEP, the presidency passed to Dr. Hassen El Ati, then to Dr. Neila Ben Salah, and today Dr. Souheil Bennour leads the association.

Countless seminars, congresses, and training days have been organized by ATPEP throughout its history, attracting renowned figures in psychiatry and the human sciences who honored the association by responding to its invitations, including Boris Cyrilnuk, Hagop Akiskal, Gilles Bibeau, Hichem Djaiet, Patrick Chemla, Jalil Bennani, and many others.

Today, ATPEP remains a highly active association, committed to knowledge sharing and professional training, and stands as one of the leading associations in Tunisian psychiatry.

Dr. Sofiene ZRIBI