Academic Candidate Program of the Baltimore Washington Institute for Psychoanalysis

 

While Freud’s theories laid the foundation for the field of psychoanalysis, contemporary thinking has expanded to include new and varied perspectives.  The Baltimore Washington Center for Psychoanalysis offers theoretical, clinical and applied programs.  The Academic Candidate Program offers a course of psychoanalytic studies to scholars, researchers, and academics in a wide variety of fields, including but not limited to:  the humanities, social sciences, medicine, law, theology, journalism and the arts.  Individuals interested in this program should demonstrate a curiosity about how an understanding of the human mind through psychoanalytic study may enhance the work they do in their respective disciplines. 

 

 

The Program Includes:

 

¨   Enrollment with Clinical Candidates in the core didactic psychoanalytic training program.  Two years of study about human development, classical and contemporary psychoanalytic theories of gender and sexual identity, symptom formation, character development, psychopathology, the impact of culture and other courses.  Elective courses may be taken beyond the two years of required courses to advance the candidate’s scholarly interests.

¨   Clinical seminars in which theory and practice are related

¨   A scholarly project with guidance from an advisor

 

Graduates of the Academic Candidate Program receive a certificate of completion and are eligible to become Academic Associates in the Baltimore Washington Center for Psychoanalysis.

 

 

The Application Process

If you are interested in applying to the Center’s Academic Candidate Program, please contact the Program Director, Dorothy E. Holmes, PhD, at 202-966-7437 (e-mail at:  crescent@gwu.edu), or the Baltimore Washington Center for Psychoanalysis administrative office at 301-470-3635 or 410-792-8060. Application forms may be obtained from the Institute’s administrative office or by downloading and printing out the application forms by clicking here.

 

 

Testimonials by Academic Associates

 

 

"The Academic Associates Program is a unique opportunity for academics to become educated in psychodynamic thinking. My physician/research background led me to focus on the medical aspects of psychoanalysis, as opposed to the social science or artistic/literary aspects.  Due to my Academic Associate training, I have been able to organize a clinical trial to validate the effectiveness of psychoanalytic interventions, something the field desperately needs if it is to regain favor with patients and payers. A collaboration with the Washington Psychoanalytic Center was one of the positive results of my course of study and an example of the wide range of outcomes to which the program can lead." Jonathan Berman, MD

 

“I was using psychoanalytic ideas in my academic work, but felt frustrated by the darkness surrounding the rays of light.  I decided I wanted a more comprehensive knowledge of psychoanalytic theory and its derivation from psychoanalytic practice.  The Baltimore Washington Center Academic Associate program provided that. It was intellectually and emotionally challenging.  I was embraced by my colleagues in the community – both graduate analysts and, most especially, my skilled and curious fellow candidates.  The program was rigorous and creative. I went on to become editor of The American Psychoanalyst, the quarterly magazine of the American Psychoanalytic Association, and an Editorial Associate on the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Psychoanalysis, specializing in the review of interdisciplinary articles.  I decided to become a clinical social worker, and to continue my scholarly work deeply informed by clinical experiences.” Michael Slevin, MA

 

"Analytic training has had profound effects, in my experience, on the teaching of fiction-writing.  Even when students are not writing about their own experiences, they are always writing out of, and about themselves.  Serving as a rhetorical coach with suggestions about technique and form are helpful to students, but deeper readings and perceptions--which are inevitable with psychoanalytic training--give students a richer ground to proceed to the next level."  Jean McGarry, M.A.