Psychoanalytic Training Prospectus

Preamble

Psychoanalysis has three elements. It is a systemized body of knowledge about psychological development and functioning. It is a method of treatment that offers the possibility of deeper self-awareness, emotional growth and lasting change. It is also a method of observation and research designed to advance our understanding of the mind.

The Australian Psychoanalytical Society

The three Branches of the Australian Society in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney offer an educational program in accordance with the requirements of the International Psychoanalytic Association. The Branches teach the theory and practice of psychoanalysis to its candidates and encourages research in this field as well as promoting mental health in the community through supervision, consultations and educational seminars and lectures.

Completion of the training leads to the title Psychoanalyst as recognized by the International Psychoanalytical Association.

Aims of Psychoanalytic Education

The primary aim of psychoanalytic education is to develop psychoanalytic competence and a core psychoanalytic identity. A psychoanalytic identity requires intellectual and emotional openness towards understanding the complexity of the human mind including its suffering. Essential to this identity are an attitude of scientific curiosity, a spirit of openness towards new observations, and a wish to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the accumulated body of psychoanalytic knowledge. A psychoanalytic identity also includes a lasting commitment to continuing study and development as a psychoanalyst, to periodic consultation and supervision with colleagues. The psychoanalyst’s identity will depend upon developing and maintaining high standards of clinical competence. High ethical standards and a commitment to patient care are priorities for the analyst.

Training at a Glance

– Duration (5 years minimum)

– Format (A combination of in-person and/or online seminars, supervised clinical work, and personal analysis)

– Location (Adelaide or Remote Options)

– Weekly commitment  (personal analysis, theoretical and clinical seminars, and supervised psychoanalytic work)

The primary aim of psychoanalytic education is to develop psychoanalytic competence and a core psychoanalytic identity.

Overview of the Training Pathway

– Personal analysis (4 times a week throughout training)

– Infant observation (Year 1)

– Theoretical seminars (Years 2-5)

– Supervised clinical work (2 controlled cases)

– Clinical seminars alongside/for controlled cases

– Interstate Weekends (3 times a year throughout training)

 

 

DETAILED COMPONENTS OF TRAINING

1. Personal Analysis

Education in psychoanalysis begins with the candidate’s own experience of psychoanalytic treatment. Accepted candidates make their own arrangements with an approved Training Psychoanalyst of the Australian Psychoanalytical Society. The personal training analysis takes place at a minimum of four times per week throughout the training, for at least 40 weeks per calendar year. Fees are arranged privately with the Training Psychoanalyst. Candidates are required to have entered into personal psychoanalysis at least six months prior to the commencement of the formal training program, allowing time to settle into the process.

This experience enables candidates to appreciate the extent to which psychoanalysis offers opportunities for self-awareness, emotional growth, and lasting change, while highlighting the importance of self-awareness in clinical work. Personal analysis is central to the development of psychoanalytic capacity, fostering stability, openness, flexibility, maturity, and the capacities for self-observation, self-reflection, and ongoing self-analysis that are essential to maintaining a psychoanalytic stance.

Through personal analysis, candidates gain a direct appreciation of conscious and unconscious processes, including conflicts, affects, defences, and their interrelationship. It also deepens understanding of the therapeutic value of transference and of the significance of childhood experiences, memories, and fantasies in psychic life. Personal psychoanalysis forms the core of the educational experience around which supervised clinical work is built. The personal psychoanalytic experience is also valuable for those pursuing careers in allied fields, including psychotherapy, research, education, administration, and other areas where psychoanalytic understanding may be applied.

2. Infant Observation

The first year of training begins with Infant Observation is  a one-year course providing the opportunity for direct observation and discussion of human development.  The candidate will observe that family with the newborn baby once a week for one hour over the period of one year. Weekly evening seminars facilitate discussion, understanding and reflection on these observations. The course will place these observations, using selected readings at times, within the wider context of psychoanalytic theory.

3. Theoretical Seminars

Theoretical seminars are part-time and are organised so that candidates are able to continue working during their training. The curriculum is designed to integrate theoretical study with direct clinical practice. The theoretical seminar program extends over four years. The first year includes Infant Observation. In the second, third, fourth and fifth years, candidates attend one theoretical evening seminar per week. The program provides an overview of the main models of psychoanalytic thought and the ways they formulate concepts of health and psychopathology. It also examines the relationship between theory and practice and encourages critical engagement with the psychoanalytic literature and contemporary developments in the field.

4. Supervised Psychoanalysis – Controlled Cases

Candidates are required to undertake two adult training cases of differing genders, each seen a minimum of four times per week on consecutive weekdays. The first training case may commence if the Infant Observation is deemed to be progressing satisfactorily after at least 6 months. If satisfactory progress has been demonstrated after one year of work with the first case, the candidate may apply to commence a second training case. Both cases are supervised weekly for a minimum of two years by a Senior Analyst of the Australian Psychoanalytical Society or by a Analyst of an International Psychoanalytical Association Component Society approved by the Branch Progress Sub-Committee.

Candidates are required to complete a minimum of 150 hours of supervision across the two training cases.

5. Clinical Seminars

Clinical seminars are weekly seminars that candidates are required to attend throughout their training. During these seminars, candidates take turns presenting material from their controlled cases for discussion and clinical reflection. Seminars are led by a Senior Analyst of the Australian Psychoanalytical Society or by a Analyst of an International Psychoanalytical Association Component Society approved by the Branch Progress Sub-Committee. Through the presentation and discussion of clinical work, candidates develop their psychoanalytic thinking, technique, and understanding of the analytic process. Candidates continue to participate in and present at clinical seminars until the completion of their training.

6. Interstate Weekends

Candidates from the three Branches of the Society meet in person three times each year, rotating between Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. These interstate weekends provide an opportunity for candidates to share their clinical experiences and to engage with colleagues from across Australia.

During these weekends, candidates present their Infant Observations or Clinical Cases in small groups led by one or two analysts. The meetings provide a valuable forum for discussion, learning, and professional development.

Interstate weekends also offer an important opportunity for candidates to connect socially and build relationships within the wider psychoanalytic community, particularly for those undertaking remote training who may have fewer opportunities for in-person contact

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Remote Training

Remote training analysis refers to psychoanalytic sessions conducted when the candidate and Training Analyst are not physically in the same room, e.g. when one party lives interstate, typically via telephone or secure online platforms.

Remote training includes regular periods of in-person analysis, during which the candidate travels to the Training Analyst. These arrangements are most commonly used where access to local Training Analysts is limited, including for interstate or international candidates.

Current requirements include a minimum of 100 in-person sessions per year, undertaken across at least two separate periods. No more than two non-consecutive sessions may be undertaken in a single day. Apart from the approved remote analysis arrangements, all other training requirements remain the same as for candidates undertaking training locally.

Child and Adolescent Training

Qualified psychoanalysts and Candidates are free to apply to the Branch for training in the psychoanalysis of children and adolescents. The training has its own theoretical and clinical seminars; the core of this training is the treatment of two children (aged 2-5 and 6-12) and one adolescent (aged 13-17) under supervision of a senior child psychoanalyst.