Innovative Training: Overview
The San Diego Psychoanalytic Center believes that symptoms and problems in functioning are best viewed in the context of a person’s particular emotional and physical status, life experiences and coping style, and current relationships with individuals and groups. This belief orients our approach to individualized, in-depth treatment, personalized supervision, and small-group training programs.
SDPC provides a combined training program for all qualified individuals interested in academic or clinical training in psychoanalysis. All candidates participate in the same core curriculum for the first two years, but the duration and requirements of the programs differ. This model offers a more efficient approach to training by integrating psychotherapy and psychoanalytic programs into a more cohesive progression for all candidates in the first two years. The core curriculum is composed of courses and seminars designed to provide the theoretical knowledge and clinical skills necessary for the practice of psychoanalytic psychotherapy, and to provide the foundation for the more advanced courses in the Adult Psychoanalytic Training Program.
Those interested in the academic track may complete the two-year psychoanalytic psychotherapy program as well as the clinical requirements and graduate with a certificate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, or continue to complete the five-year chilld & adult psychoanalytic program, as well as the additional clinical requirements.
Admissions Eligibility
SDPC welcomes applications from psychiatrists (MD and DO), clinical psychologists (Ph.D. or Psy.D.), clinical social workers (MSW, Ph.D.), nurse practitioners (PMHNP), licensed psychotherapists (LPC), and other licensed mental health clinicians. Applicants must have at least a master's degree in a clinical mental health field, carry a mental health license, and have appropriate professional liability insurance. We encourage inquiries about training early in professional career development.
Pre-license Applicant Policy
All applicants must meet local legal requirements for clinical practice in the state in which they practice. Typically, this necessitates a clinical license issued by the appropriate state board. However, a mental health clinician who is not yet licensed but anticipates obtaining licensure within 18 months after the start of classes in the first year of training and who is registered with their state board as an associate while obtaining supervised clinical experience required for licensure (e.g., Clinical Social Work Associate or Professional Counselor Associate) may be considered for admission.
Hours
The adult course work is offered from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm on Wednesdays from September to May with a 15 minute break for lunch (33 weeks of classes). In general, coursework is divided into Fall, Winter and Spring terms.
If it is necessary to miss a seminar, you will need to contact your teacher in advance and arrange to make up the work. The adult course work takes a minimum of four years (about 600 clock hours). All classes are currently held in person only. Special accomodations are made for accessiblity needs and for internaitional candidates.
Graduation Requirements:
The overarching criteria are that the candidate demonstrates a mature and independent capacity to facilitate a deepening psychoanalytic process and has a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the psychoanalytic process and situation, in addition to the clinical methods and technique used in the practice of psychoanalysis. This may require more supervised psychoanalytic work than the minimum requirements for immersion.
We are excited to announce that SDPC is starting enrollment for the 2025-2026 academic year.
SDPC is a member of the American Psychoanalytic Association, and is accredited by the California Medical Association (CMA) and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT provider number 050121).
Questions:
Please contact us at admissions@sdpsychoanalytic.org if you have any questions or would like to speak to a graduate of an SDPC training program for more information.
Learn about what's happening at SDPC: educational events, study groups, social events, members' publications and presentations, and more.
