SFCP Adult Psychoanalytic Training Program

Whether and when to Pursue Psychoanalytic Training

The sections below contain detailed guidance for deciding whether and when to apply to psychoanalytic training at SFCP. In addition to reviewing this section of the website, it may be helpful to review the Candidate Handbook which describes current psychoanalytic training policies.  You also are encouraged to contact Outreach Chair Adam Goldyne, M.D. (adamgoldynemd@gmail.com) who is available to discuss your situation with you; to help you think through questions or concerns, practical or personal; or to put you in touch with current candidates who can speak to specific questions or concerns.

Are you prepared for the personal psychoanalysis requirement?

Personal psychoanalysis is considered to be primary to one’s development as a psychoanalyst and must be firmly established prior to starting classes.  Accordingly, applicants wishing to begin training in the Fall must be in a personal psychoanalysis with an SFCP-approved Training Analyst – meeting at a frequency of three or more times per week – by the end of May prior to matriculation, even if the application process is not yet complete at that point.

Are you prepared to attend required coursework?

Candidates attend four years of courses at SFCP in San Francisco on 34 Fridays between September and June of each year, meeting between 8 a.m. and 1:45 p.m.  (Exceptions to the in-person attendance policy are described in the SFCP Candidate Handbook.) During the post-seminar year(s) of training, candidates attend a post-seminar Graduation Paper Writing Workshop that culminates in writing a scholarly paper on a topic of their choice.

Are you prepared to conduct the requisite amount of supervised psychoanalysis?

Over the course of training, candidates must conduct psychoanalysis with at least three separate patients, each in supervision with a different Supervising Analyst. Each treatment must meet at least three times per week. Candidates are strongly encouraged to see their control cases at higher frequency (four or five times per week) whenever feasible in order to maximize their immersion in supervised casework during training.

Can you commit the time required for psychoanalytic training?

Can you afford the financial cost of psychoanalytic training?

Financial Costs of Psychoanalytic Training

• Tuition: Candidates pay yearly tuition to SFCP. A full tuition schedule is available at the Tuition and Fees page.  For candidates who identify as persons of color, tuition assistance may be available via the Enrico Jones Fund for Equality and Excellence. See also Other Financial Resources for Candidates.
• Supervision fees: Each candidate has one weekly supervision per patient with whom they are conducting psychoanalysis. For example, a candidate who is simultaneously conducting psychoanalysis with three patients will have three weekly supervisions. Fees are negotiated directly with each supervisor, and usually are between $50 and $150 per session of supervision, depending on what the patient is paying you (see table in Supervised Clinical Work section). Keep in mind that, although candidates are welcome to begin conducting supervised psychoanalysis from the beginning of training, each candidate follows an individual timeline for beginning cases and supervision, often adding cases gradually.

• Personal psychoanalysis: Candidates engage in their personal analysis at a frequency of three or more sessions per week with a Training Analyst approved by SFCP, beginning no later than May prior to beginning classes. The schedule of personal analysis typically excludes multiple weeks per year due to vacation. Fees are negotiated directly between the Training Analyst and candidate. At times, Training Analysts are able and willing to treat candidates at reduced fees, and some candidates are able to recoup some portion of their psychoanalytic fees through tax deductions or health insurance. Professional tax advice is recommended.
• Opportunity costs:  Sometimes, it is possible for patients to afford psychoanalysis at a candidate’s full fee.  At other times, candidates choose to offer psychoanalysis at a lower per-session fee than their full-fee rate in order to make it possible for particular patients to afford the treatment. This, along with time devoted to coursework, supervisions, personal analysis, and training related transportation, may reduce the number of hours spent earning money in other ways.

Cost Mitigation Strategies

Trainees use a range of strategies for affording the additional costs of psychoanalytic training. These include carefully timing when they take on new training cases; if and when they accept a significantly-reduced fee for a training case; and when they begin each supervision. Other strategies include budgeting differently during training or seeking supplemental sources of income through clinical or other work. Further, each candidate should explore possible tax deductions for expenditures such as personal analysis, supervision, and tuition. Scholarships/resources available for candidates include the Enrico Jones Fund for Equality and Excellence as well as Other Financial Resources for Candidates.

Financial Benefits of Psychoanalytic Training

• More referrals for psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis: Some candidates find that, as they integrate into a new community of like-minded colleagues, they receive more referrals for psychoanalytic psychotherapy and/or psychoanalysis than they did before seeking training.
• More patients attending frequent treatment: Some candidates find that the psychoanalytic training experience deepens their capacity to recognize new and existing patients who could benefit from psychoanalysis and to effectively engage these patients in treatment three to five times per week. For a candidate in private practice, the natural consequence of such an evolution is that the candidate needs fewer, and less frequent, referrals to maintain a robust practice.
• More referrals for affiliated treatments: Members of the psychoanalytic community often prefer to refer to colleagues able to maintain a psychoanalytic sensibility in the practice of affiliated services such as couples therapy, family therapy, psychopharmacology, psychological testing, or medical-legal work.
• Decreased time documenting and more time with patients: Some candidates find that, as they work with fewer patients at greater frequency, less time is required to maintain a clinical record for each patient session. This may free more time to devote to other pursuits of their choosing.