Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Program
     Through the Western Child Consortium

Eligibility

All applicants must hold a valid, active and unrestricted professional license in Colorado to practice in their respective discipline. Applicants who hold the following degrees and post-graduate clinical training are eligible for training:

A. Doctors of Medicine or of Osteopathic Medicine who have graduated from an accredited medical school or osteopathic school; and have completed or are near completion of a psychiatry residency program.

B. Mental health professionals who have completed a doctoral level degree from an accredited mental health program and a minimum of 3,000 hours or two years full time mental health clinical experience post-graduation.

C.  Mental health professionals who have graduated from an accredited master’s program which is generally recognized as the highest clinical degree in the field (currently a master’s degree in social work, psychiatric nursing, or marriage and family counseling), and have completed at least two additional post-master’s degree years of didactic and clinical training including 3,000 hours of clinical immersion, 60 post-masters hours of psychodynamic psychotherapy supervision and 60 post-masters hours of psycho-dynamically oriented coursework and clinical seminars, or a two year organized post-masters psychodynamic psychotherapy program including supervised clinical experience.

D.  Applicants who do not fully meet the above eligibility criteria may qualify through a waiver process that will require an additional waiver application and an external review from the American Association for Psychoanalytic Education.

Selection is based on an applicant’s eligibility, suitability, and readiness. All applicants for clinical training must (i) have a license recognized by the jurisdiction of their institute that permits the clinical practice of psychoanalysis; or (ii) be in training in a jurisdiction in which the clinical practice of psychoanalysis is exempt from or not regulated by licensure; or (iii) with respect to institutes that are authorized by their jurisdictions to offer training leading to the licensure of graduates in the clinical practice of psychoanalysis, be eligible within that jurisdiction to provide clinical services as part of their institute training.

Waivers may be needed for those that do not meet the specific qualifications. We encourage you to speak to the Admissions Chair or Program Chair and apply early as the process can take a while.

Course Work

The Child & Adolescent program is usually comprised of four years of course work, however, there may be circumstances when the required courses cannot be presented within this time, and an additional year is required. All candidates in the Child & Adolescent, Adult, or Combined analytic programs take the four-year Development and Theory sequences offered on Friday afternoons (12:00-2:30). Courses specific to child & adolescent analytic candidates are offered on Tuesdays (12:00-2:00), and include assessment, psychopathology, theory, technique, work with parents, and continuous case conferences, and cover a minimum of 60 hours per year.

The coursework is divided into four class periods: Development, Theory, Technique, and Case Conference. Over the four years, the candidate’s knowledge in each of these areas grows progressively richer, and the opportunities for discourse deepen.

​The Development sequence provides the underpinnings for understanding all of the models presented in the Theory sequence and all of the psychoanalytic theories of therapeutic action. Candidates study the development of self in relation to the object from birth forward, continuing through the entire life cycle.

In the Theory track, psychoanalytic theory is viewed as being in a dynamic state with no single psychoanalytic “truth” prevailing. There are a number of constantly evolving models of the mind, each contributing a particular vision of the human being and the psychoanalytic situation. The Theory sequence seeks to prepare candidates to be highly informed and critical participants in the exciting debate that is currently reshaping psychoanalytic thinking.

The Technique sequence focuses on how to integrate theoretical concepts and developmental principles into a mode of working therapeutically with the patient. The candidate will learn how to facilitate the development and maintenance of a psychoanalytic process, which requires the development of various cognitive and empathic skills, along with an intuition as to the timing and dosage of interventions.

The Case Conference gives current and advanced candidates and their teachers an opportunity to explore material from analytic processes in depth and to further integrate all that has been learned in the other three tracks. The patients give permission for the material to be shared only in this confidential setting, with the understanding that any material by which they could be identified is carefully disguised. Each person’s own clinical experience is greatly enriched by the opportunity to hear and discuss work presented by colleagues.

Supervision

The analysis of a minimum of three cases under supervision is required including patients of different genders and one an adolescent, one a latency-aged child. One child under five years of age is strongly recommended. The minimum frequency of patient sessions is four times per week, in addition to the candidate's work with the parents. One case in five times weekly analysis is suggested. In addition, a candidate may be asked to conduct evaluations referred through the Psychoanalytic Referral Service.

Supervisors are assigned from both the Denver Institute for Psychoanalysis Child & Adolescent Supervising Analysts or with a Child & Adolescent Geographic Supervising Analyst.

Candidates must submit reports and hours on a regular basis. Supervisors evaluate the candidate’s progress annually and share their observations.

View Supervisors here (Supervising Analyst noted under the faculty member name)

Personal Analysis

Candidates for child and adolescent training who do wish to do adult training are required to be in a personal analysis with an approved Training Analyst of their choosing. The analysis will be conducted at a minimum of four times per week and should continue through a substantial period of the candidate's experience in analyzing patients under supervision.

Candidates for child and adolescent training who have graduated from an accepted adult analytic training, must have completed or be in the process of undertaking a training analysis. Because of the nature of child work and the differences from its adult counterpart, as well as the Institute's belief in a tripartite model of training, it is strongly advisable that candidates be in analysis during their child training.

The candidate’s personal analysis forms the core of the educational experience around which supervised analytic work is built. Conducted by faculty, the aim of this analysis is to resolve and master neurotic personality problems, free the candidate from unconscious attitudes that might interfere with psychoanalytic competence, and provide first-hand experience of unconscious forces and resistance.

View Training Analysts here (Training Analyst noted under the faculty member name)

Application

Applications can be downloaded. Prospective students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible since class size is limited. Applications are due by January 15th.

After the application is submitted and reference letters are received, three interviews will be scheduled. Interviewers consider clinical experience, motivation to work closely with patients, as well as personal qualities of the applicant. The Admissions Committee and interviewers will review the application, and the applicant will be contacted regarding acceptance by mail or phone. The application process can begin at any time.

Fees

​​Graduation Requirements

The minimum requirements to graduate include: