The Denver Institute for Psychoanalysis sponsors two programs in psychodynamic psychotherapy training:

Both are two-year, certificate-granting programs, with a new class beginning every other year.  (Call the office to see when the next class will be starting.)  The PTP and CAP PTP, as they are called, are organized around coursework and 60 hours of individual case consultation.  The programs are designed to improve clinical skills and to demonstrate the usefulness of applying contemporary psychoanalytic thinking to a wide range of clinical, teaching, and consultative situations.  In addition to a comprehensive review of theory and development, the students learn the technical application of these principles to a wide spectrum of disorders.

These are intensive learning experiences and require that students devote time to readings.  Students should be willing to participate actively in class discussions and be prepared to present case material in Case Conference and consultation. 

Course work 

Classes meet Fridays from 12:00 to 5:10 p.m. for 30 weeks during the academic year (three 10-week trimesters).  Course work includes (1) a careful study of development from birth through old age.  (2) an historical and in-depth review of psychoanalytic theory, (3) a comprehensive review of the application of contemporary psychoanalytic principles to psychotherapy technique, and (4) a Clinical case conference that focuses on understanding the fostering the therapeutic process. 

The Development track looks at development over the entire life cycle, covering infancy, latency, adolescence and adulthood.  It focuses on the development of self in relation to the object from birth forward, the earliest foundations of superego development, the development of masculinity and femininity in the pre-oedipal and oedipal years, and the development of heterosexual and homosexual object choice.

In the Theory segment, PTP students are introduced to the philosophy of theory making and the pioneering psychodynamic discoveries by Sigmund and Anna Freud.  The major models of the mind - including the topographic, structural, object relations, self-psychologic, and intersubjective - are examined.

The Technique sequence is devoted to a systematic review of the basic principles of psychodynamic psychotherapy.  The first year focuses on making a developmental diagnosis, developing a treatment plan and contract, understanding the various aspects of empathy and of the therapeutic alliance, recognizing and working with ego strengths and weaknesses, identifying and understanding how to manage defenses, learning the use and misuse of transference manifestations, becoming comfortable with countertransference experiences, and appreciating the therapeutic usefulness of transference-countertransference enactments.  The second year includes more specific technical considerations, for example:  working with trauma, deficit disorders, severe regressions, focused short-term therapy, indications for and implications of consultation for psychopharmacology, and the various forms of termination. 

The two-year Case Conference offers students an additional opportunity to apply what they learn in didactic seminars.  There is a case conference during both the first and second years.  An effort is made to give everyone an opportunity to present ongoing clinical material.  The emphasis is on making psychodynamic formulations and developing a sense of the transference and countertransference elements.  During the second year, the focus is on understanding the fostering the therapeutic process while following one or two cases in depth over the course year. 

Clinical Consultation
Each student has individualized consults with one or two faculty members to integrate the course work with the student’s clinical work. A final project (a case write up in the adult PTP and a case presentation to a faculty panel in the CAP-PTP), at the end of the second academic year, enables the student to integrate the clinical and didactic learning experiences.

Applications and Admissions
Applicants are expected to have some familiarity with basic psychoanalytic terminology and principles and to have had a personal psychodynamic psychotherapy. Applicants must have prior experience as a licensed, practicing psychotherapist, and professional liability insurance.
Application should be made before March 31st , preceding the beginning of classes. Prospective students are encouraged to make application as early as possible. To request an application, please contact the Institute/Society office at 303-724-2666, or click here to download an application (link).

Adult (PTP) or Child & Adolescent (CAP PTP) Program Fees: 2007-2008
Application fee: $ 75.00
Annual Tuition: $2,800.00
Copying fee: $ 200.00 (per year, non-refundable)
Consultations: $ 60.00 (per session)

Helpful links:
Download Application to Adult Psychotherapy Program from "forms" page
Download Application to Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy Program from "forms" page
Download Registration form for Graduate Seminar from "forms" page
See a recent course schedule (coming soon) (under renovation)
See course descriptions  and current descriptions to date will be published soon.