301– Transforming Destructiveness

Course Description: This 16-week course will explore advances in contemporary psychoanalysis in understanding and helping individuals with narcissistic, borderline, attachment disorders and trauma. It will examine how we listen; the nature of empathy; the treatment of narcissistic and borderline personalities; the clinical application of infant and attachment research; the dynamics of shame, hatred, and othering; dominance and submission; dissociation and trauma. Readings include the work of Winnicott, Bion, Kohut, Fonagy, Kernberg, Benjamin, Bromberg, van der Kolk, Akhtar, and others.

Target Audience: This class is for participants at the intermediate level.

Prerequisite: This class is open to matriculated Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, Psychoanalytic Adult, Adult/Child students. Students will need a basic exposure to and understanding of psychoanalytic theory and its application to the treatment of patients. Applicants can meet this requirement through previous coursework, training, or supervision (e.g., Thinking Psychoanalytically: The Basics; the PPSC Introductory Course; psychoanalytic coursework or supervision in graduate school/residency or post-graduation).

Ideally, students will have completed most of the other classes in the Core Curriculum to attend this class. Applicants who do not meet this requirement can register for the course with permission of the instructors.