Psychoanalytic Training InstituteThe PTI of the Contemporary Freudian Society offers a two-year psychoanalytic psychotherapy training program, specifically designed to expand the clinician’s knowledge base, foster a comprehensive dynamic understanding of clinical issues, and promote the capacity to provide more effective clinical service.
Informed by contemporary Freudian theory and using the framework of the life cycle, the program teaches the clinician to recognize the unconscious, its effects on the developmental process, and its influence on life choices. Normal and pathological development from infancy through senescence is studied. The techniques of beginning treatment, recognizing and working with transference and countertransference, understanding resistance, acting out, and enactment in psychotherapy are explored, along with diagnostic assessment. By integrating contemporary theory with technique, the program provides a unique opportunity to gain a firm grounding in the beginning fundamentals of current psychoanalytic thinking.
Applicants to the program must be licensed professionals. Students who successfully complete the two-year program will receive a certificate in the study of psychoanalytic psychotherapy from the PTI of the CFS. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates may become Psychotherapy Affiliates of the Contemporary Freudian Society, enabling them to continue to participate in the life of the community and to receive low-fee referrals and supervision.
Course Requirements
All students are required to take two courses per semester, totaling eight courses over the two-year period. Each semester is 12 weeks in length, and courses meet one evening a week for one and one half hours each. Instructors are members of the Contemporary Freudian Society who have been appointed to teach in the Psychoanalytic Training Institute of the CFS. Electives may be offered, to be determined on the basis of need and interest among the students.
Curriculum
First Year – Fall Semester
Course #1: Models of the Mind
This course will provide an introduction to the dynamic unconscious and exploration of unconscious fantasy and symbolism. An overview of the four psychologies – drive, ego, object, and self – and of the relational and intersubjective points of view will be presented. Instructor case material will be offered, and student case material is welcomed.
Course #2: Psychoanalytic Theories of Development I
This seminar focuses on normal and pathological development in childhood; infancy, toddlerhood, and latency will be studied with emphasis on the developmental stages and on early attachment issues.
First Year – Spring Semester
Course #3: Psychoanalytic Theories of Development II
This course continues the exploration of psychosexual development from adolescence through young adulthood. Developmental issues of separation/autonomy, gender formation, and object choice are explored.
Course #4: Clinical Practice and Technique
The beginning phase of treatment is explored – including the initial interview, assessment, and engaging the patient – with a focus on listening in a clinical context. Issues surrounding the setting up and maintenance of a professional practice are discussed.
Second Year – Fall Semester
Course #5: Psychoanalytic Theories of Development III
This course continues the exploration of the life cycle of development from adulthood through aging. The psychology of pregnancy, infertility, and parenting, as well as menopause, aging, bereavement and mourning are explored.
Course #6: Technique – Clinical Case Seminar
Clinical material will be used to illustrate techniques of assessment, use of transference and countertransference, and technical interventions.
Second Year – Spring Semester
Course #7: Psychopathology
Clinical material and readings will examine both the pathology of early ego development and object relations and the psychoanalytic theory of neuroses. Case material will be used to illustrate diagnostic and technical issues.
Course #8: Technique
Interventions designed to deepen the treatment and criteria for ending treatment are discussed. Clinical material and readings will be used to illustrate and address technical difficulties that may emerge.
Personal Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
Individual psychotherapy is required. A list of therapists offering services on a sliding-scale fee basis will be made available to all students.
Supervision
Supervision is required and is offered at no additional cost. Students are eligible to receive patient referrals from the Clinical Services Division of The Psychoanalytic Training Institute of CFS. Consultation with a supervisor will occur on a weekly basis throughout the year. For the first year, we will match the student with a supervisor appropriate to the student’s needs. To promote the student’s growth and development through exposure to varying clinical approaches, students will be encouraged to change supervisors at the end of the first academic year; a list of available supervisors will be provided.
Advisors
Each student will be assigned an advisor to be available to the student throughout their training. Students are encouraged to meet with their advisors at the end of every semester to discuss the student’s overall experience, and to review and process instructors’ and supervisors’ evaluations. Advisors will be available to address any specific questions or concerns of the student that may arise.
Tuition
Tuition is $2,500 per year, which includes supervision.
For more information about admission to the Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program, please call Susan Siegeltuch, LCSW, at 973-378-8635 or siegeltuchsd@aol.com.
Application forms for our Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program can be found on our website (instituteofcfs.org).