Starting March 05, 2024
Psychoanalytic Theories of the Mind: Readings of Select Seminal Papers
Course description
The existence of a mind, let alone understanding and agreement on its conceptual framework, is at the heart of psychoanalysis. To this, Bion wrote, “Let us hope that such a thing as a mind, a personality, a character exists, and that we are not just talking about nothing.”
This course posits that we are not just talking about nothing, but in fact, we are talking about everything; everything in the sense of first principles that undergird and shape the nature of our consciousness, existence, identity, and ultimately, our subjective reality in relation to our physical and sociocultural world.
As such, the existence and understanding the human mind are at the core of the psychoanalytic approach and theory, which then informs our clinical practice to help our patients.
From Freud’s one-person psychology, rooted in his classical topographical model of the mind, to a more contemporary two-person psychology, immersed in a matrix of two intersubjectivities, psychoanalytic theory is dynamic and evolving. These theories of mind serve as our companion in the consulting room, ever present as a guide, and always operating in our minds as we attempt to make meaningful contact with our patient’s mind.
It is the purpose of this course to bring together some of the seminal papers by Freud, Ferenczi, Isaacs, Klein, Winnicott, Bion, Ogden that have been pivotal to developing and deepening our understanding of the human mind. We will read and discuss the substance of these papers, as well as their contribution in advancing the field of psychoanalysis. Where appropriate, we will also think together about its implications for clinical technique, along with their implied view of human nature, and how universally applicable these views are to different cultures and populations, with particular emphasis on working with Asian and Asian American population.
Who is this course for?
- Licensed mental health clinicians (any license, any state) with some experience with analytic thinking and clinical practice.
- Clinicians in both private practice and community mental health are welcome.
- This course is for clinicians who self-identify as Asian / Asian American
Details
- Starts on 03.05.24 through 05.07.24
- Tuesdays 4pm-530pm PST / 7pm-830pm EST
- 10 sessions
- 8 participants
- Fees: $600 - $700
- Virtual. On Zoom
- Please read participant's expectations and FAQs before registering
Instructor
Umi Chong, PsyD (she/her) is a clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst in full-time private practice in Washington, DC. She recently joined the faculty at the Contemporary Freudian Society (CFS). Dr. Chong serves on the CFS-DC’s and the American Psychoanalytic Association’s
(APsA) Program Committees. She is also the co-chair of APsA’s Committee Sponsored Workshop on The Psychoanalytic Curriculum. Dr. Chong’s analytic work is influenced by the Kleinian tradition, and her areas of interest include philosophy of mind, race and cultural issues, and bioethics. Dr. Chong also holds a MS in Bioethics.
Expectations of Participants
Barring extenuating circumstances, participants in TAACP’s courses agree to attend all sessions, arriving on time for the entire duration of class.
As classes are online, ensure that you are in a quiet and private space that allows for both audio and video to be on.
Classes are small to encourage dialogue. We encourage you to “take” your share of talking time and listening time.
Keep other participants’ experience and clinical information confidential.
All involved with TAACP (staff, volunteers, faculty, participants, guests) are expected to interact with each other with respect.
Issues that arise will be first discussed / addressed with the immediate folks involved and can be progressed to include faculty and/or TAACP’s administration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Unfortunately, not at this time. If you can or know of someone who can help us get approved nationwide, please email hello@taacp.org.
Course fees are split between instructors and the Center. We believe in valuing the time and work of our instructors. The fees to Center support operating costs for current and future programming. At this time, our non-teaching staff are volunteers.
Due to the size of the courses (8 participants), your presence is important so we hope that you make every effort to attend class. And, life happens.
However, there will be no recordings of sessions. We want to encourage participants to feel at ease to share personal and/or clinical material.
We want to offer a space for Asian / Asian American clinicians to be, to learn, to question, to create, and to support one another. And, from this space, our hope is that we can have more nuanced conversations and in depth explorations of the intersection of Asian subjectivities and psychoanalysis.
Our one time events are open to all. And, in the future, we might offer courses for non-Asian clinicians.
If you need to withdraw from enrollment, full refund will be given to up to 2 weeks prior to class start minus a processing fee of $25. If withdrawn with less than 2 weeks of start of class, you will be charged a $50 processing fee.
No refunds once classes begin or for missed classes. Extenuating circumstances will be considered.
In the event that the Center has to cancel a course, full refund will be provided.
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TAACP - The Asian American Center for Psychoanalysis Foundation
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