The Psychoanalytic Case Writing & Formulation curriculum helps candidates build the skills they need to formulate their casis psychoanalytically, understand psychoanalytic process, and capture their psychoanalytic work in writing. These skills are essential for one’s own development as an analyst, communication with other analysts, and publication. This curriculum has two key components:
Candidates write up each of their analytic cases for review by and discussion with their supervisions. These write-ups take three forms. At the start of the case and no later than the third month, the candidate completes an initial summary focused on case formulation. At the end of each academic year the candidate writes an annual case summary that describes the analysis from the beginning. Finally, a termination summary is written when a patient terminates the analysis.
A detailed description of the necessary elements and organization of each of these three types of summary can be found here.
Initial Summaries must be submitted to the supervisor for discussion no later than the end of the third month of analysis. Once discussed with the superivisor and revised, final drafts should be submitted to the Psychoanalytic Center Program Coordinator.
Candidates write an Annual Summary each year for every ongoing analytic patient. These summaries should be written during the summer break (to take advantage of the extra time available) and submitted to supervisors no later than the first day of classes in September. Supervisors and candidates should read the work together and discuss it in depth. Often, this will lead the candidate to revise the write-up. The final draft should then be submitted to the supervisor and to the Program Coordinator for inclusion in the trainee's file no later than October 31st.
Termination Summaries are due to the supervisor within two months following the patient's last analytic session. Once discussed with the superivisor and revised, final drafts should be submitted to the Psychoanalytic Center Program Coordinator.
Because Initial Summaries are written when appropriate at any time of the year while Annual Summaries are always submitted on or before the first day of classes, sometimes an Initial Summary will have been completed quite close to the due date of an Annual Summary. In those cases, the Initial Summary takes the place of the Annual Summary.
As a general rule, for analyses that are begun between September 1st and March 31st, the candidate should submit an Inital Summary within the first three months of the analysis and an Annual Summary the following September. For analyses begun between April 1st and August 31st, the Initial Summary takes the place of the following September's Annual Summary.
If a patient terminates between January 1st and August 31st, the Termination Summary should include everything a Annual Summary should include as well as the termination details. If the patient terminates between September 1st and December 31st (and the Annual Summary has already been submitted) the termination summary is briefer and serves as an addendum to the last yearly summary.
The supervisor's evaluation of the trainee's written work is an important part of the semiannual supervisory assessment, the principal component of the trainee's academic record. The completion of all written work is a requirement for graduation from the Center.
Taught in yearly segments in each of the five years of the curriculum, the writing courses are taught in a workshop format. Each year, every candidate gets the opportunity to present written work to their classmates and instructors. Individual attention to each other’s writing efforts is enhanced by a supportive and open atmosphere. Each curricular year builds in a layering fashion to expand upon what was taught the prior year, including specific attention to microprocess, macroprocess, tranference and countertransference arcs, and therapeutic action. This track culminates in the Fall of the fifth year with a final case write-up.
In first-year writing, candidates will participate in an in-class exercise.In years two-four, candidates will revise one Annual Summary to bring to the writing class each Spring. That summary should be a revision of the annual summary of the longest-running case of analytic work. Guidelines for each year of writing will be discussed in class in the individual writing classes.
For fifth year writing, candidates will write a Final Paper describing their work with their longest case and will work with a writing mentor in preparation for writing that paper.