Consultation & Study Group in
Contemporary Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
for graduate students training to be psychotherapists
Pay What You Can, 90-minutes, Twice Monthly
Psychotherapy trainees are routinely taught that the therapeutic relationship is one of the most - if not the most - important factor to predict treatment outcomes, but are rarely trained in how to develop and use a strong therapeutic relationship in service of helping patients psychologically heal, develop, and flourish.
This consultation and study group addresses this major training gap by engaging with the discipline that created and developed relational psychotherapy over the past 120 years: psychoanalysis.
The group will function under the traditional psychoanalytic consultation and study group model. Group members will present cases for discussion and collectively study and discuss psychoanalytic theory. Through discussing cases, members will develop their abilities to:
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Listen to clinical material
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Organize clinical material in conceptually meaningful ways
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Translate case conceptualizations into moment-by-moment interventions
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Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and treatment process in real time
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Discuss and learn to make use of clinically-useful psychoanalytic theories
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Cultivate a psychoanalytic attitude toward listening and thinking as a therapist
The group is pay what you can with a suggested fee of $15. The fee is structured to maximize participation by students who are interested in learning to work relationally and in-depth with their patients, but may not be able to afford the typical fee of a consultation group. Students are encouraged to pay whatever they can - even if a few dollars - but all are welcome to attend regardless of whether they can pay a fee.
Case Consultation
Members will present cases to the group. The presenter will offer brief background information and clinical history, present process notes, and engage in a dialogue with the group about the material presented. The group will follow a traditional psychoanalytic model for presenting and discussing clinical material. In doing so, the members will grow their capacity to listen to and think about what is happening within the therapeutic process from a psychoanalytic perspective. As all good psychoanalytic practice does, the group will focus on listening to and engaging with dynamic process: the process between the therapist and patient, the patient's and therapist's internal processes, the process between the therapist and the consultation group, and the processes between any and all parties and the larger sociocultural context.
Study Group
An important part of working toward mastery as a psychotherapist is continuously learning how to think about the human mind and the therapeutic process. Depending on the group's interest, we'll spend time learning together about specific psychoanalytic topics. This could occur in a few different formats:
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Seminar. Seminars will typically include a presentation/lecture and facilitated discussion.
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Reading discussion. Psychoanalytic papers will be read and discussed. Papers will be selected based on the group's interest and presented clinical material.
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Open discussion. Topics of interest to the group may be discussed in a more unstructured manner without reference to a lecture or text.
Members will have access to a digital library of psychoanalytic writing to support their study of psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
Eligibility and Application
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Any graduate student enrolled in a mental health discipline training program (e.g., psychology, counseling, social work, psychiatry, nursing) with the intention of practicing psychotherapy post-graduation.
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Student must be seeing patients in some capacity. Ideally, students would currently be seeing patients for psychotherapy; however, students currently in non-therapy practicums are welcome to join.
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No prior experience or training in psychodynamic psychotherapy is necessary; however, curiosity and interest in psychodynamic theory and practice is required.
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There is a suggested fee of $15. Any payment is appreciated, but if you are unable to make any contribution, you are still welcome to attend.
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Students must be committed to attend each session for the duration of initially agreed upon commitment. Spots are limited and there are often others waiting to join the group; therefore, we want to make sure spots are taken by those committed to attending. Furthermore, consistent attendance will enhance everyones experience.
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Interested students should complete the form below. I will reach out to you to schedule a brief video call for us to get to know one another, discuss the group, and answer any questions.
When?
Day and time TBD.
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Group will meet at regular time every other week.
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Group will begin in February 2025 pending interest.
Where?
The group will be held remotely via secure video conference.