Palo Alto Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Training Program (PAPPTP)

PAPPTP TWO-YEAR PROGRAM

The PAPPTP Two-Year Program builds knowledge and skills in psychoanalytic psychotherapy for licensed clinicians at any stage of development. Studying psychoanalytic concepts and methods with a cohort of colleagues over two years provides an opportunity to learn the contemporary and clinically relevant application of psychoanalytic ideas. This is accomplished through an extensive, integrated curriculum of courses and seminars (on theory, human development, clinical technique, and socio-cultural factors) and individual case consultation.

The program begins with foundational courses such as Psychodynamic Evaluation & Case Formulation, Contemporary Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Getting Started: Beginning the Treatment, and The Developing Mind . 

Benefits include an increased capacity for intensive therapeutic work, new social and professional contacts, and participation in a warm community of psychoanalytically oriented clinicians.

The Two-Year Program enrolls a new cohort every other year. Our next cohort, our tenth, begins September 2025. We will be accepting applications from January 15 through June 30, 2025.

Components of the PAPPTP Two-Year Program

Weekly Didactics: Thirty-two weeks of classes will include theoretical study, therapeutic technique, class meetings, and presentation of student and faculty clinical material.  Credit for a course is contingent upon attending 80% of the classes for that course.  Classes are held in-person on Friday mornings, 8:30 to 11:50, at the Stanford Psychiatry building, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA.  

Individual Case Consultation: Weekly ongoing individual case consultation with experienced clinicians is an integral part of the Two-Year Program. For graduation, each student will treat two cases, each accompanied by at least forty case consultations, with a minimum of two case consultants, each dedicated to one case. This provides students with in-depth, individualized learning experiences tailored to each student. A case counting toward graduation must be accompanied by a short piece of clinical writing (either a case summary or a clinical vignette) approved by the consultant for that case.

Mentorship:  Each student will have a mentor available for informal advice and help.

REQUIREMENTS:

  • Applicants must have completed a clinical degree and must have a California professional license OR be registered with the State as an “Associate” (MFT, Social Work and Psychology trainees) or Post-graduate Trainee (Resident).
  • Applicants must be able to commit to two consecutive academic years, 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, from late September through May each year.
  • Applicants must commit to attending classes in-person weekly on Friday mornings. 

YEAR 1 CLASS SCHEDULE: Fridays, starting September 26, 2025 and ending May 29, 2025 (32 sessions total), 8:30 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.

LOCATION: Stanford Psychiatry building, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford CA.

COSTS:

  • $2919 tuition for Year I  (Please note that tuition rates are subject to change and typically increase 3-5% each year.)
  • $60 application fee 
  • Additional costs include fees for case consultation, CE credits, and printed readers.

Click here to learn how to apply.

Upcoming Events

Wednesdays, January 8 to 22, 2025
Psychoanalytic Student Seminars
Promoting Depth and Analytic Process in Psychotherapy With Patients in Internship and Clinical Settings
Beth Steinberg, PhD (instructor)
Thursdays, January 9, 2025 to May 8, 2025
Extension Education Programs
2024-2025 Coalition for Clinical Social Work Extension Division Program: Foundations of Psychodynamic Clinical Work in Community Mental Health Settings - Year ONE
Genevieve Vidal, LCSW; Sebastian Melo, LCSW, MPH; Julia St. George, LCSW; and Beth Kita, LCSW, PhD (instructors)
Saturday, January 11, 2025
Child Colloquium Series
Therapy and medications: How can child and adolescent clinicians work collaboratively with psychiatrists?
Ross Andelman, MD, MFA (presenter)
Saturday, January 18, 2025
Dialogues in Contemporary Psychoanalysis
The Social Unconscious: Beyond the Individual and Beyond the Group - Juan Tubert-Oklander in Conversation with Jyoti Rao
Juan Tubert-Oklander in Conversation with Jyoti Rao
Thursday, January 23, 2025
SFCP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Conversations
SFCP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Conversations - Module 2
David Luna, MBA, JD
Saturday, January 25, 2025
The James Grotstein Memorial Lectures in Comparative Psychoanlaysis
Part 1: Winnicott in San Francisco: "On Communicating and Not Communicating"
Peter Goldberg, PhD (presenter)
Sunday, January 26, 2025
SFCP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Conversations
SFCP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Conversations - Module 2
David Luna, MBA, JD
Saturday, February 1, 2025
Scientific Meetings
Leadership in a Time of Polarization
Harriet Wolfe, MD; and Brett Penfil, MFT, MPH (presentes)
Monday, February 3, 2025
SFCP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Conversations
SFCP Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI) Conversations - Module 2
David Luna, MBA, JD
Wednesdays, February 5, 2025 to March 12, 2025
Coalition for Clinical Social Work
Managing Our Internal Experience
Elizabeth Simpson, LCSW (instructor)
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