grow personally and professionally

 in a supportive, dynamic, and inclusive environment

icp educational programs

increasing knowledge, expanding self-awareness, and enhancing clinical proficiency through psychoanalytic education

ICP offers a variety of educational programs tailored to your specific needs and life circumstances. Expand your knowledge and understanding of contemporary psychoanalytic theory in a democratic and supportive community.

psychoanalytic training program

extension/foundations program

saturday series

about contemporary psychoanalysis

what sets our programs apart?

ICP is the leading Relational institute on the West Coast.

Our non-hierarchical, democratic approach to education focuses on creativity, freedom, individuality, and community. The enlightened programs we offer aim for personal and professional development as you experience ICP’s immersive curriculum. Exposure to different ways of thinking and a supportive environment help you integrate contemporary theory with your personality.

a deeply human, evolving experience

our programs:

  • Are engaging, accessible, and inclusive

  • Showcase innovative, cutting edge curriculum and ideas

  • Are taught by notable faculty who engage in the larger discourse

  • Provide room to find your psychoanalytic voice

  • Are flexible and tailored to your learning needs

experience community

ICP provides a democratic environment of free inquiry, a sense of community, a culture of diversity, inclusion, dignity, and respect.

expand your knowledge

ICP promotes innovative ideas, different perspectives, and progressive training in contemporary psychoanalysis.

evolve personally

ICP emphasizes personal development and using your self-discovery in the therapeutic process. Discover your own psychoanalytic voice.

find a program that suits you

Psychoanalytic Training Program

Study consists of personal analysis, three supervised control cases, four years of seminars, final report.

The Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis affords candidates the excitement of advances in psychoanalytic thought built on our rich heritage of psychoanalytic theory. Recent developments in the areas of attachment, trauma, neuroscience, philosophy, infant research, consciousness, and complex dynamic systems expand the domain of psychoanalysis in ways never before imagined.

Appreciation of our embeddedness in contexts of diversity, culture, and history informs our thinking and teaching. Many of our instructors are widely regarded authorities in the field and contribute regularly to the literature.

Our program is approved by the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA), a constituent organization of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA), accredited by the Accreditation Council for Psychoanalytic Education (ACPEinc), and approved by the Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) to operate as an Institution (Non-Accredited) for psychoanalytic education.

The Research Candidate

Applicants for the Research Candidate program are not mental health professionals nor have they have been educated in the field of mental health. Rather, they must have received a doctorate or, alternatively, the highest degree in their field of study.

Potential candidates must have studied or have had a verifiable interest in psychoanalysis or psychoanalytical theory before seeking admission as a Research Candidate. For example, teaching psychoanalysis at a school, college or university, or publishing a psychoanalytically informed paper in an academic journal. ICP will consider candidates strategically placed to carry psychoanalytic influence into the environment in which they work.

Extension/Foundations Program

Seminars on topics emerging from the field of contemporary psychoanalysis. 

The Extension/Foundations Program offers classes in contemporary psychoanalysis to both licensed therapists and pre-licensed mental health professionals. Participants receive an extensive introduction to both contemporary and classical analytic theory. ICP members and candidates teach all courses and promote active exploration of the application of psychoanalytic concepts in the clinical setting.

The one-year program provides students with the basic concepts of analytic theory and technique, presenting a survey of historical models, along with an introduction to contemporary analytic thinking and focuses on core psychoanalytic concepts and their basic application to clinical practice. Taught by notable ICP faculty, the courses are open to students and clinicians at all levels of experience.

Saturday Series

Seminars on the clinical application of psychoanalytic theory.

The ICP Saturday Series features monthly seminars on a wide variety of topics emerging from the field of contemporary psychoanalysis. Taught by notable ICP faculty, these classes are open to students and clinicians at all levels of experience. This series offers theoretical discussions of the most up-to-date clinical issues in psychoanalysis, with an emphasis on case material.

The Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis Saturday Series offers classes in contemporary psychoanalysis to both licensed therapists and pre-licensed mental health professionals. This program supports student exposure to key psychoanalytic concepts and contemporary sensibilities. Each year, classes offer foundational themes reflective of contemporary psychoanalysis, including theory, technique, and special clinical treatment issues.

what former students are saying

“I am grateful for ICP’s strong commitment to creating and maintaining a rich and generous learning environment for students and candidates, an environment which has provided me with invaluable opportunities for professional and personal growth. It has been my pleasure to continue these values by facilitating the ICP Saturday Series in San Diego.”

Mary Walters, LCSW, Psy.D.

“The richness of analytic training, warmth of ICP’s community, and the challenge for me to stretch and grow both professionally and personally were invaluable.”

Sona DeLurgio, Psy.D., LMFT