Master of Arts in Psychoanalysis - 48 Credits

Human Development

GPSA501

Human Development: 0 to 3 years of Life

3 Credits

GPSA502

Human Development: 3 years to Adolescence

3 Credits

History

GPSA511

History of Psychoanalytic Theory: The Beginnings

3 Credits

Psychoanalytic Theory

GPSA521

Basic Psychoanalytic Concepts

3 Credits

GPSA522

Modern Psychoanalytic Theory

3 Credits

GPSA524

Psychoanalytic Theory of Dream Interpretation

3 Credits

Psychopathology

GPSA541

Severe Emotional Disorders: Primitive Mental State

3 Credits

GPSA542

Character Psychopathology & Defenses

3 Credits

Research

GPSA551

Intro. to Psychoanalytic esearch Method

3 Credits

GPSA553

Research Methods & Thesis Advisement

3 Credits

Clinical

GPSA701

Externship Experience

4 Credits

Part I: Externship Placement (3 Credits)

Part II: Externship Seminar (1 Credit)

GPSA702

Externship Experience

4 Credits

Part I: Externship Placement (3 Credits)

Part II: Externship Seminar (1 Credit)

GPSA703

Externship Experience

4 Credits

Part I: Externship Placement (3 Credits)

Part II: Externship Seminar (1 Credit)

GPSA720

Externship Small Group Supervision

0 Credits

Personal Training Analysis

At Least 3 Semesters

0 Credits

Electives

GPSAXXX

Elective

3 Credits

GPSAXXX

Elective

3 Credits

Human Development

This sequence of courses offers students the experience of participating in and observing how emotional needs and conflicts unfold in psychoanalysis and how the analyst works with their repetition in this process.

GPSA501

Human Development: 0-3 Years of Life

3 Credits

In this course we study the normal developmental process of the first three years of life. Infants move from symbiosis to separation and individuation while maturing biologically and neurologically. The child forms a healthy sense of self and competence in relation to the mother and the environment. Through readings, discussion, case presentation, and experiential emotional education, students will develop a deep appreciation for the developing infantile mind.

GPSA502

Human Development: 3 Years to Adolescence

3 Credits

This is the period when children master their civilization. The development of language, the resolution of the oedipal drama, and the accomplishments of latency may be affected by environmental failure. If all goes well, the child moves out of the magical thinking patterns of early childhood and develops the ability to engage in goal-directed behavior, abstract reasoning, and social relationships. Students will study this period through readings, case presentations, and personal experience.

History

This series of courses places psychoanalysis in a historical perspective. These courses consider the widening scope of psychoanalysis from nineteenth-century Freud through the present.

GPSA511

History of Psychoanalytic Theory: The Beginnings

3 Credits

In this period, Freud discovers the “talking cure” and finds the physiological basis of emotional life, as he develops a theory of unconscious motivation. he then expands his theory in regard to anxiety, the death instinct, and the dual drives. Through readings, case studies, and discussion, students will be introduced to the evolution of psychoanalytic thought and the lasting importance of Freud’s discoveries.

Psychoanalytic Theory

Theory courses examine the metapsychology of psychoanalytic treatment. “What is the mind?”, “What is illness?”, “What is cure?” are questions to be addressed through the study of various analytic orientations. These courses give students a broad foundation in classical and contemporary theories of psychoanalytic motivation.

GPSA521

Basic Psychoanalytic Concepts

3 Credits

According to Freud, psychoanalysis is any line of inquiry that starts with the study of transference and resistance. These bedrock concepts give us entree to unconscious dynamics such as narcissism, defenses, and the structure of the mind. Through readings, case material and reflective talk, students will gain a grasp of the fundamentals of psychoanalytic theory.

GPSA522

Modern Psychoanalytic Theory

3 Credits

Students will learn how psychoanalysis was expanded, in technique and theory, to include more severe emotional disorders and the treatment of children, adolescents, and groups. The contributions of Melanie Klein, Donald W. Winnicott, and Hyman Spotnitz, among others, will be studied.

GPSA524

Psychoanalytic Theory of Dream Interpretation

3 Credits

Through readings, discussions, and dream presentations, students will learn how psychoanalysts understand and work with dreams, “the royal road to the unconscious.”

Psychopathology

These courses focus on a psychodynamic understanding of symptoms, core conflicts, and characteristic defenses inherent in mental illness.

GPSA541

Severe Emotional Disorder: Primitive Mental States

3 Credits

This course will introduce students to early survival mechanisms that once were useful adaptations to the maturation process, but because of failures in the environment became maladaptive and compulsive later in life. Aggression is recognized as a dominant force in the developing personality. The importance of observing stimulation levels and respecting how the patient communicates his needs and thoughts will be emphasized. Schizophrenia and borderline pathology will be studied.

GPSA542

Character Psychopathology and Defenses

3 Credits

This course studies major psychic defenses as they become the basis of enduring personality structure. Such character structures as: narcissistic, depressive, schizoid, paranoid, masochistic (self-defeating), among others will be examined.

Research

The Research curriculum presents methodological issues and guides the formulation of questions for study.

GPSA551

Introduction to the Psychoanalytic Research Method

3 Credits

Research is an essential part of psychoanalytic work. The right treatment for each individual must be discovered based on ongoing research. In this class, students will study relevant research literature and learn to observe, hypothesize, and think of clinical interventions.

GSPA553

Research Methods and Thesis Advisement/Case Presentation

3 Credits

Students will write a case study of an Externship patient whom they have been observing. A salient feature of the patient’s character will be used to glean his or her primary unconscious dynamics. Students will also conduct an in-depth review of relevant literature. The thesis in the MA program and the case presentation in the Certificate program is an opportunity for students to integrate their conceptual learning with their clinical skills.

Clinical Studies

GPSA701-702-703

Externship Placement and Seminar

4 Credits

The Externship Experience is to be conceived as an opportunity to study serious psychopathology and develop psychoanalytic listening skills. Student learn how to recognize severe psychopathology and how to deal with their own feelings when encountering it. Students will study the dynamics of three hospitalized or post-hospitalized patients for 50 hours each over three semesters. 

Students will take the Externship Seminar for the duration of the Externship Placement. In the first semester, students will learn to recognize symbolic thinking, unconscious motivation, and defenses in relation to the Externship cases. In the second semester, students will study primitive transference and resistance and their application in clinical settings. They will experience the meaning of the “one person” psychoanalysis. In the third semester, students will concentrate on countertransference as a clinical tool and technical approaches to the treatment of serious disorders.

GPSA720

Small Group Supervision for Externship

0 Credits

Students enroll in Small Group Supervision (SGS) for the duration of their externship Experience. Three students meet with a faculty member to process their experience with Externship cases. Students present regular process notes . At least three semesters of SGS are required.

Elective

GPSAXXX

 Students may select any course from a semester offering to meet the elective requirement. 

0 Credits