Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program (SF-PPTP)

Please use the following guidelines to decide whether to apply to SF-PPTP or Foundations. On the application form, you will be asked to check one of these boxes and provide a brief description of your situation. Please be aware that if you accept an offer of admission to either program, you will be asked to submit a non-refundable deposit on July 1 to secure a spot in the Fall 2025 class (please see the Application Form for the full fee schedule).

Recommendation:
Apply to SF-PPTP

Barring unforeseen and unlikely changes in my circumstances, I can commit to the following SF-PPTP requirements between September 2025 and mid-June 2026:

  • During this period, I will spend at least a year practicing in a clinical setting in which I can treat adult patients in open-ended psychotherapy (even if this would be a minority of my clinical work)
  • I can commit to attending Tuesday-evening classes consistently and in person (with exceptions described above) during both Year 1 (September 2025 through mid-June 2026) and Year 2 (September 2026 to mid-June 2027)
  • I understand that engaging in Clinical Consultation with SF-PPTP-approved Clinical Consultants alongside coursework is a core aspect of the SF-PPTP experience, and that supervision or consultation with non-SF-PPTP-approved supervisors / consultants does not suffice for this purpose.

Recommendations:
Apply to Foundations

Barring unforeseen and unlikely changes in my circumstances, I can commit to the following requirements:

  • Between September 2025 and mid-June 2026, I will spend at least six months practicing in a clinical setting in which I can treat adult patients in open-ended psychotherapy (even if this would be a minority of my clinical work)
  • I can commit to attending first-year classes consistently and in person (with exceptions denoted elsewhere on this site) between September 2025 and June 2026.

However, I am not prepared to commit either

  • to attending second-year classes between September 2026 and June 2027; and/or
  • to engaging in clinical consultation with SF-PPTP clinical consultants.

Recommendations:
If applying does make sense, you must apply to Foundations:

  • Between September 2025 and mid-June 2027, I will not be practicing in a clinical setting where I can treat adult patients in open-ended psychotherapy.  However, I can commit to attending Tuesday evening classes consistently and in person (with the exceptions described above).
  • Classes are meant for trainees actively engaged in clinical work.  If you are not currently working with patients, consult Outreach Chair Adam Goldyne (click to email).

Note:  SF-PPTP applications will be prioritized over Foundations applications if there are more applicants than spots.  Thus, if you apply to Foundations but then learn before June 2025 that you can commit to two years of classes, it would be advantageous to let the Admissions Chair know that you would like to apply to SF-PPTP instead of to Foundations.  Once admitted to the Foundations program, you may transfer into SF-PPTP any time.

Upcoming Events

Saturday, April 5, 2025
Special Programs
An Afternoon of Poetry and Art
with Forrest Hamer and Alice Jones
Sunday, April 6, 2025
Wednesdays, February 5, 2025 to March 12, 2025
Coalition for Clinical Social Work
All of Us! - The Ones We See & The Ones We Erase
Karim Dajani, PsyD and Danny Yu, LCSW
Thursday, April 10, 2025
SFCP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Conversations
SFCP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Conversations - Module 3
David Luna, MBA, JD
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Special Programs
W.R. Bion’s Reading of C.G. Jung’s Memories, Dreams and Reflections
Joseph Aguayo, PhD (presenter); Peter Goldberg, PhD and Mark Winborn, PhD (discussants)
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Visiting Professor Weekend
Introduction to the work of Nicola Abel-Hirsch, FIPA
Peter Goldberg, PhD
Saturday, April 26, 2025, to Sunday, April 27, 2025
Committee on Groups
SFCP's Annual Group Relations Weekend
Alan Ruiz, MFA; and Janice K. Wagner, LCSW (facilitators)
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Visiting Professor Weekend
A morning with Nicola Abel-Hirsch, FIPA - Bion's Technique
Nicola Abel-Hirsch, FIPA (presenter); Laurie Goldsmith, PhD (moderator)
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Visiting Professor Weekend
Professor's Choice: On "Container/contained Transformed"
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Coalition for Clinical Social Work
Unwound and Unwound-ing: A Poetic Psychoanalytic Exploration of Whiteness
Hazel White; Jyoti Rao, MFT; and Forrest Hamer, PhD (panelists)
Saturday, June 14, 2025
Dialogues in Contemporary Psychoanalysis
Listening Into Being: An Actor’s Invitation
Robin Weigert in Conversation with Kristin Fiorella
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