First Year

Full Year

Sigmund Freud’s thinking and theorizing

Psychoanalysis M9101x-M9102y

Dr. Tomlinson, course chair; Drs. Allegra, L. Berman, Chaplan, Kerman, Colibazzi, Katz and Tsolas, instructors; 46 hours (September-April). Monday 1:30-3 p.m.

Through a chronological and selected critical reading of Freud's major writings, this course will provide the first year candidate and qualified beginning student with an understanding of the original and evolving meanings of key Freudian psychoanalytic concepts and theoretical formulations as they evolved throughout his career. These will be traced as they emerge from Freud's early attempts through his efforts to develop a more coherent and comprehensive model of the human mind, one based on his deepening appreciation of the complexities of the analytic situation, complemented by his engagement with literature and the humanistic and scientific studies of his times. By year's end, with the knowledge gained of Freud's process of analytic thinking and theorizing, the candidate will have acquired a solid foundation for further critical study and examination, not only of Freud's groundbreaking contributions, but of the many subsequent developments and modifications of psychoanalytic theory and practice up to the present

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Child and Adolescent Development

Psychoanalysis M9103x -M9104y

Dr. Meersand, Course Chair; Drs. Guttman, Halperin, Mahon, Scheftel, and Turchin - Drs. Master and Tricamo - Associate Instructors. 62 hours (September - May). Thursday, 1-2:45 p.m.

Stages of development from infancy through adolescence, from an analytic point of view. Data from child development studies and from clinical psychoanalyses of children and adoelscents are discussed in relation to psychoanalytic theory and its implications for adult analysis. At the conclusion of the course, candidates should have a picture of the trajectory of human development from infanty to emerging adulthood, and should be able to appreciate developmental issues as they aris in the treatment of adults.

View the syllabus here (subject to change).

Fall

Psychoanalytic Core Concepts

Psychoanalysis M9100

Dr. Chriss, Chair; Dr. Rojas, Instructors; 16 hours (September - November), Monday 11-12:45

The Description and Objectives: This seminar is an orientation to core theoretical and technical psychoanalytic concepts that form a conceptual scaffold for what will be taught and learned throughout analytic training. As a survey, this overview presents a “map of the terrain”, an essential vocabulary of psychoanalysis, for the sweep of the analytic curriculum. In addition, the goal is to familiarize candidates with essential concepts in order to decrease candidate anxiety about the sheer enormity, the inescapable ambiguity and complexity of learning to experience, think, and act psychoanalytically.

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Evaluation of patients for analysis

Psychoanalysis M9128x

Drs. Caligor, Levin and Schneier, course chairs; Dr Meersand, instructors. 14 hours (November - January). Monday 11 a.m- 12:45 p.m.

This is an 8 week course taught to first year candidates at the beginning of analytic training. The didactic component focuses on making a thorough diagnosis, beginning with Axis I, but with an emphasis on Structural personality assessment as well as assessment of other aspects of ego function. Assessment of suitability for analytic work are also emphasized including capacity for insight, associative work, capacity to use early trial interpretation, work ethic, life situation are also discussed at length. The Psychodynamic Formulation, with it’s basis in manifest symptoms and character traits linking with developmental dynamics is discussed. This section is illustrated with clinic case presentations by advanced candidates of patients appropriate and inappropriate for analysis. This is followed by an indepth (3 class) case presentation of a patient converted from psychotherapy to psychoanalysis. There is also a class on the role of enhanced structured assessment for Axis I and personality diagnosis in evaluation for analysis. Further, there is a class on the role of developmental issues in assessing adult patients.

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Spring

Critical Thinking I: development—the relevance of child observation for psychoanalysis

Psychoanalysis M9106y

Drs. Coates and Rees; 6 hours. Thursday 1:00-2:45 p.m. (May - June)

The educational goal of three classes that are taught at the end of the first year is to familiarize candidates with the epistemological problems that must be considered when trying to use data from the observational and empirical sciences. We explore some of the problems associated with attempts to create conceptual bridges that link different kinds of knowledge. At the end of this unit, candidates should be able to think critically about how to use research data and apply it.

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Theory of technique, I

Psychoanalysis M9110x

Dr. Jacobson, course chair. Dr. Pound, Instructors. 28 hours (February - June) Monday 11 a.m.-12:45 p.m.

Introduces the first-year candidate to the technique of analytic listening via readings from classic technique texts and in-class microanalysis of analytic process. Course is divided into four modules: listening for affect, listening for transference/countertransference, listening for resistance, and beginning to intervene. At the conclusion of the course, candidates should have a beginning understanding of the tenets of psychoanalytic technique and be prepared to begin their psychoanalytic training cases.

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Psychoanalytic process, I: engagement

Psychoanalysis M9125x-M9126y

Dr. Marcus, instructor; Dr. Nicolae, Associate Instructor. 16 hours (April-June). Monday 1:30 - 3:00

Coordinated with course on theory of technique, Psychoanalysis M9110x. This continuous case conference focuses on how analyst and patient become engaged with each other and how analysis deepens. In this eight week course, we will hear process material from the very early phase of analysis, ion order to consider the factors in analyst and patient, and between the two, that lead to a deepening engagement and those that inhibit it. Three recent graduated candidates will each present clinical material from early phases of analyses in which deepening occurred. The instructor will present material from an analysis that she conducted which failed to deepen. At the end of this course, candidates will be familiar with the early phase of analysis

Writing and Formulating, I

Psychoanalysis M9127y

Dr. Lister - Instructor. 4 hours (Jan). Monday 11 a.m.- 12:45 p.m.

This course, which candidates take every year, teaches candidates how to write about their patients. In the first year, the writing course emphasizes writing about countertransference; in the second and third years, the course focuses on writing in an experience-near way about exchanges between patient and analyst, and in the fourth and fifth years, the course is geared toward writing about the overall trajectory of the analysis itself, as well as writing about formulation. Writing tutors are available for one-on-one work on psychoanalytic writing.

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