Announcing the Integrative Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy Certificate Program for Fall 2024
Couple therapy is not merely a professional pursuit; it's a profound commitment to understanding the complexities of intimate human relationships and facilitating healing and growth within them. Couple therapy can be challenging for novice and experienced couple therapists alike. Successful work with most couples requires specialized training and support beyond what’s offered in most graduate school programs.
That’s why, beginning in September 2024, the Institute for Clinical Social Work is offering the Certificate Program in Integrative Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy. After three successful years, we are now accepting applications for a fourth cohort. The program is offered virtually and is designed to equip couple therapists of all levels of experience and training.
Why this program?
Psychoanalytic theory is uniquely suited to addressing the deeper roots of couples' difficulties. Yet couple therapists often find they need to draw on aspects of other approaches with some couples to best meet their needs and promote change. The Certificate Program in Integrative Psychoanalytic Couple Therapy provides a solid grounding in psychoanalytic theory, an overview of other major approaches to couple therapy, and an exploration of how other approaches may overlap with, enhance, or be usefully integrated into a psychoanalytic framework
The September cohort will be a stimulating, supportive learning community that helps master’s and doctoral-level clinicians improve their ability to apply psychoanalytic theory to understanding and working effectively with couples, thereby increasing the availability of excellent psychoanalytic couple therapy for couples of all income levels.
Who is this program for?
This program will be beneficial to couple therapists of all levels of experience and training, and with various theoretical orientations. The ideal student is a licensed master's and doctoral level clinicians with at least two years’ experience as a therapist, one who has already developed solid skills in conducting individual psychotherapy and wants to develop or expand their skills in couple therapy. \
It will be especially helpful to:
Clinicians looking to improve or deepen their skills in couple therapy, especially with particularly challenging couples
Couple therapists trained in manualized approaches such as the Gottman Method or EFT who want to deepen the work with some couples by using a psychoanalytic lens as well
Psychoanalytic couple therapists who are interested in how some non-psychoanalytic models might enhance a fundamentally psychoanalytic approach.
Who leads this program?
Three of Chicago's preeminent couple therapists are the core faculty for the program: Carla Leone Ph.D., Director of the Program, Arthur Nielsen MD, and Karen Bloomberg Ph.D. They will be joined by guest lecturers and expert couple therapists who will provide individual case consultations for students with an emphasis on integrative couples therapy.
What are the main program components?
28 classes will involve presentation and discussion, led by core faculty and renowned guest speakers. Primarily focused on psychoanalytic concepts, but non-psychoanalytic methods and their possible integration are covered, along with treatment of especially challenging couples. There will also be 18 clinical case conferences, held during class time, in which participants present cases in small group format. And each student will receive 10-14 individual consultations with an experienced couple therapist, offered at a reduced fee.