Psychoanalytic Studies Program FAQs

Program Participation

Can I take the program on a part-time basis?

Yes. The program recognizes that job conflicts, travel requirements, child-rearing responsibilities, illness, or other circumstances may prevent some students from studying full time. Each student accepted into the PSP is assigned an adviser who can help develop a workable academic plan.

Supervision and Personal Analysis

Are all PSP students required to be in supervision?

Only students who are practicing clinicians are expected to be in supervision. Students working in academia, administration, journalism, research, or other fields would not ordinarily participate in clinical supervision.

Non-clinicians may discuss with their advisers whether to work with a mentor who can help them apply what they learn in the program to their professional work. Some may also find the first-year Infant/Mother Observation Seminar useful because observing and reflecting on interactions between a mother and infant resembles clinical work centered on another person’s subjective experience.

Are PSP students required to be in psychoanalysis?

Only PSP students who have also been accepted into the Institute as candidates are required to be in analysis.

What resources are available for personal analysis?

For PSP students who are not current candidates but want to enter analysis and need help with the cost, the Center will make every effort to identify an analyst willing to work at an affordable fee. A list of analysts with availability at adjusted fees is provided. The analyst and student determine the fee together.

How do I find a supervisor?

A panel of approximately 30 faculty members is available to provide PSP students with weekly, individual supervision for $75 per session. Students should discuss their choice with their adviser to find a supervisor suited to their interests and needs.

Time and Attendance

How much time will the program take each week?

Tuesday classes run for 4¼ hours. Reading assignments are fewer than 50 pages per week for each course.

• Students taking two regular courses and the Freud course may spend four to six hours per week reading.
• Students taking two courses and the Infant/Mother Observation Seminar may spend two to four hours reading, plus two hours completing and documenting the observation.
• Supervision adds approximately one hour per week.

Excluding travel, the estimated total commitment is approximately 9–11 hours per week.

What happens if I miss classes because I am sick or traveling?

Satisfactory completion of a course requires attendance at a minimum of 75% of its classes. If a student must miss a larger block of time, the course may need to be repeated or an appropriate alternative educational experience arranged in consultation with the adviser.

Psychoanalytic Training

If I have already been accepted as an Institute candidate, can I begin psychoanalytic work?

Yes. In addition to taking the standard courses, accepted candidates may begin seeing their first training case under supervision, provided they have already spent sufficient time in personal analysis. A separate ten-week course on beginning an analysis is offered during the year for new candidates.