close attention is a new offering of the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis, designed for clinicians who would like to enhance their skills as psychotherapists.
The focus of the program is entirely clinical. We will help students to develop a keener sense of what is going on in their clients’ minds, and of how to be of help to them.
The underlying assumption of our psychodynamic approach is that if we are able to help our clients to better understand what they are thinking, feeling, and experiencing, which includes discovering matters outside of their immediate awareness, they will be able to live their lives in more effective and satisfying ways. For the clinician, this means developing a capacity to help clients to discover themselves in the moment, in the hour. But the heart of the work is not about maneuvering the client, it’s about getting to know the person, always a more difficult proposition than meets the eye.
This program focuses on the nuances of the individual session. We will be using a variety of learning formats toward this end, which are described in the following pages. While assigned reading will be kept to a minimum, students will regularly be presenting their work, both orally and in written form, as a basis for learning. The faculty will also share their own work.
The key to the work is close attention, both to our clients’ minds and to our own, as we respond to them.
Classes meet on Thursday evenings from 4:30 PM to 10:00 PM at
The Washington Center for Psychoanalysis, 4545 42nd St., NW, #209, Washington, DC, 20016.
2012-2013 Academic Calendar
Classes begin September 6, 2012
No classes on November 22, December 27, January 17
Classes end May 23, 2013