Psychoanalytic Training InstituteWelcome to the Contemporary Freudian Society
Illuminate. Discover. Change.
We are a vibrant community of practice made up of clinicians, theorists, writers, teachers, and activists.
For more than sixty years we have trained treatment professionals to think psychoanalytically, based upon a firm foundation in Freud, Post-Freudian thinkers, and all aspects of development.
Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine from the Board of the Contemporary Freudian Society
We, as members of the Board of the Contemporary Freudian Society, have been watching in horror and disbelief, along with much of the world, as one nation has violently attacked another sovereign nation in an effort to dismantle its democratically-elected and popularly-supported government. Our hearts collectively break for the people of Ukraine whose lives have been upended – if not ended – and changed forever.
Seeing these Ukrainian refugees and war victims, we also see so many who have suffered and continue to suffer in other vicious conflicts across the globe, including those within, contributed to or caused by our own country. In a crisis like this, we are acutely aware not only of the human suffering of ordinary innocent people but also of the threats which such unprovoked violence pose to the world at large.
Being entirely honest with oneself is a good exercise.
—Sigmund Freud
Courtesy of Ronald Feldman Fine Arts, New York © 2015 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./ Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
The Contemporary Freudian Society’s Commitment to Anti-Racism
“I imagine one of the reasons people cling to their hates so stubbornly is because they sense, once hate is gone, they will be forced to deal with pain.” – James Baldwin
The Contemporary Freudian Society strives to be an anti-racist organization standing in solidarity with Black, indigenous, and all people of color. Racism is a scourge on our country’s history and deeply embedded in the psychic life of all Americans. The evidence of the ubiquity of conscious and unconscious racism is incontrovertible.
As psychoanalysts, we are committed to bearing witness, exploring, understanding and excavating the internalized aspects of racism and dynamics of privilege. We restate our commitment to making use of our unique knowledge and skills for the enhancement of human life. It is incumbent upon us to continue to review and revise our curriculum to include accurate representation for diverse lives and diverse experience. We continue to work toward the long overdue goal of increasing access to psychoanalytic training and treatment for people of color. And we, as an organization, are fully committed to ensuring that our community is a place in which inclusivity and diversity flourish, and where all members feel enabled to engage in dialogue in a spirit of equity and understanding so that we may all grow toward a greater capacity to inhabit one another’s experience.
The Contemporary Freudian Society
Board of Directors
[Resources on Racism, Anti-Racism, White Privilege and Police Reform (articles, books, movies, TV shows and podcasts)
About CFS
The CFS is a vibrant, multi-city community made up of clinicians, theorists, writers, teachers, and activists.
For more than sixty years at CFS we have trained professionals to think psychoanalytically, based upon a firm foundation in Freud, Post-Freudian thinkers, and all aspects of development.
We host speakers from the national and international psychoanalytic world and sponsor study groups and conferences.
Our graduates serve as leaders in psychoanalytic practice, scholarship, and advocacy both at home and abroad.
Mission & Values
We are first and foremost a community of practice whose members share a deep commitment to furthering knowledge and professional growth in an atmosphere of support and mutual respect.
History
The Society became a Component Society of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) in 1993. The IPA is the oldest and largest international psychoanalytic organization and the world’s primary accrediting and regulatory body for psychoanalysis.
Why “Contemporary?”
We are unabashedly rooted in Freud’s opus, but deeply appreciative of the multitude of psychoanalytic thinkers who followed him in establishing what is now our field of theory and practice.
New York, NY
CFS in New York is an intellectually vibrant and warm community whose members and candidates are deeply engaged in advancing psychoanalysis as a profession and as a field of study. Its members and candidates regularly contribute to the field, publishing books and papers, and presenting at local, national and international conferences. In New York, CFS’s offerings are diverse, including training in psychoanalysis, psychotherapy, therapeutic work with infants and their parents as well as infant observation.
Washington, DC
The DC Division is a community within the larger community of the CFS – providing its members both the intimacy and connection of a moderate-sized membership organization as well as the extensive resources and wide range of experience provided by a larger, multi-city organization. DC Division members and candidates are based in the DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas as well as locales outside these areas such as Norfolk, Charlottesville, Virginia Beach, Annapolis, Boston, Ann Arbor and Miami.
Our Programs
Train With Us
The Psychoanalytic Training Institute of the Contemporary Freudian Society offers a variety of programs in both New York City and Washington, DC for students interested in psychoanalysis, child psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and parent-infant treatment.
- Advance your professional expertise.
- Study with a renowned faculty.
- Prepare for an exceptional practice.
NEW Integrated Training Program
Our Integrated Training in Psychoanalysis reflects our conviction that exposing all candidates to developmental theory and analytic listening and the possibility of treating all ages will enrich and deepen the competencies of our graduates.
We encourage candidates to treat analytic cases from all age groups in order to become ‘life cycle analysts,’ hence it integrates child and adult psychoanalytic training. In so doing, it also enables candidate analysts who plan to only treat adults to have a more detailed understanding and ear for hearing the echoes of infant, toddler, latency and adolescent development as it appears in adult psychoanalytic work.
Integrated Training in DC
Integrated Training in NY
Psychoanalytic Brooklyn
The Anni Bergmann Parent-Infant Training Program
The Anni Bergman Parent-Infant Program has provided innovative training and high-quality educational experiences to mental health professionals for over 20 years.
Our aim is to keep apace with and advance the burgeoning fields of infant observation, infant research, and the psychotherapeutic treatment of parents and infants. Visit website.
The SPRING Project
The SPRING Project is designed to increase options for affordable, high-quality psychotherapy for mothers and their families experiencing prenatal or postpartum anxiety and depression.
The project is an outreach initiative sponsored by the Contemporary Freudian Society, an interdisciplinary psychoanalytic member organization.
The Project aims to increase links between primary care and health care providers working with new mothers so that vulnerable mothers are identified and more likely to get access to the mental health help they need.
The fifty-plus network therapists participating are licensed mental health professionals with special training in the treatment of perinatal mood disorders.
The Project offers help in New York City, Baltimore and the Washington, DC metropolitan areas and New Jersey. Visit website.
Washington Case Conference
The Washington Case Conference is a stimulating and thought-provoking series of discussions held on one Friday afternoon per month throughout the year.
Discussion topics have included confidentiality in psychoanalytic treatment, the analytic therapist's use of reverie and working with patients with chronic illness.
The CFS is proud to co-sponsor the Washington Case Conference with the Washington-Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis.
Find a Therapist
Treatment at the Contemporary Freudian Society is rooted in a commitment to alleviate human suffering, to understand the unique qualities of the individual, and to provide the highest level of professional expertise and care.
The frequency and duration of treatment is determined based on careful assessment of individual needs and thoughtful collaborative dialogue with the patient.
The CFS offers a full range of treatment services including psychotherapy for children, adolescents, and adults, parent guidance, couples treatment, and parent-infant treatment.
Because we are committed to serving the needs of the public, we offer the highest quality treatment on a sliding fee scale.
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