Overview

Psychoanalytic Psychotherapies In Practice Program

Our Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy in Practice two-year longitudinal program is organized around a professional development model that supports the multifaceted aspects of professional psychoanalytic practice in a variety of contexts. 

Across the mental health fields—in our varied roles and practice settings—we have found that professional efficacy and work satisfaction correlates strongly with the integration of three components of professional development: theoretical and clinical immersion with ongoing integration of theory into one’s practice, personal therapeutic work, and consultation with regard to ongoing cases.  This two-year educational series is designed to provide an immersive clinical experience that aims to deepen the practitioner’s capacity to work with the complexities of human experience and growth (normative, developmental, psychopathological, sociocultural) within a broader psychoanalytic framework.  The realities of such social/cultural forces as racism, class, economic insecurity, gender, non-normative sexualities will be interwoven throughout the two years.

1) Theoretical and Clinical Immersion: Theoretical and clinical presentations, readings, and discussions contribute toward the development of a professional framework for practice.  We offer a range of topics and learning structures that are intended for professionals with differing levels of experience—from introductory to more advanced—and with differing interests. Our courses are taught by local members of the Community and by visiting professionals, both in-person and online. We are committed to providing clinicians enrolled in our longitudinal curriculum access to this education at an affordable rate.  Our active member faculty dues heavily subsidize the didactic portion of this program to help minimize the financial barriers to participation.  Through this financial gift, we can offer a pay-what-you-can model for tuition payment that ranges from 200.00-2000.00 dollars per year.  We believe an affordable tuition rate, within that range, is best determined by the learner.  Our collective financial support for enrolled clinicians communicates our deep level of respect for the autonomy of enrolled clinicians as they, through their role as active member learners, invest considerable personal time into the educationally rigorous programming the Community offers.

2) Personal therapeutic work enhances self-awareness and a more nuanced understanding of the therapeutic process and experience.  Though we strongly recommend personal therapeutic work as essential to a grounded and ethical practice, such sessions remain confidential and are never part of any evaluative process nor do we require individuals to be in personal treatment with active member faculty. Rather, we trust that individuals will find ways to professionally utilize and apply what they have learned through their personal therapeutic work with practitioners of their choosing.  In terms of personal therapeutic work, we offer a referral list of local practitioners whose work is deeply informed by the psychoanalytic tradition and often integrated with other schools of thought and practice. Fees for these services are not connected to the Community and are determined by the practitioners: they may be covered by health insurance and may be adjusted by the practitioner to fit available financial resources as would generally be true for anyone in a personal therapeutic treatment.

3) Consultation on clinical cases—both in individual meetings with a consultant and in group meetings with peers sometimes facilitated by a consultant—to examine actual clinical encounters and challenges for the purpose of refining our practices.  All active member faculty are committed to providing consultation services to learners in our longitudinal curriculum at a low-fee rate of 50.00 per consultation.  If individual circumstances require a clinician to request a fee lower than 50.00 per consultation, a mutually agreed-upon rate can be coordinated between clinician and consultant.