Institute for Modern Psychoanalysis of Philadelphia

Institute for Modern Psychoanalysis of Philadelphia Our school welcomes a diverse group of mental health practitioners & others interested in the personal and professional benefits of modern psychoanalysis.

The Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis was formed in 1971 with the encouragement of Dr. Hyman Spotnitz and other experienced senior analysts. It was founded as a sister organization of the Manhattan Center for Advanced Psychoanalytic Studies. Classes were initially held at the Combs College of Music in Germantown. In 1975, PSP became a charter member of the National Association for Accreditatio

n in Psychoanalysis (NAAP). Since then, PSP has followed NAAP and ABAP (American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis) requirements for admission, training, and graduation. From 1975 to 1997, classes were held at Drexel University in West Philadelphia. In 1997, the Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis moved to its present location, a beautiful and historic building in Center City Philadelphia, 313 South Sixteenth Street. The building is also home to our clinical training facility, the Philadelphia Consultation Center. The School and its Clinic do not discriminate against persons on the basis of age, s*x, race, religion, s*xual preference or ethnic origin with respect to any of its educational and administrative policies and practices.

06/09/2026

IMPP is now offering the Foundations of Psychoanalysis in Organizational Life Module at a reduced fee when you register for all three courses. Receive $300 off when you enroll in all three courses in the module!

This practice-oriented module introduces core psychoanalytic concepts that illuminate leadership, organizational culture, and the emotional life of groups.

Designed for clinicians, consultants, coaches, educators, and leaders, the series explores how unconscious dynamics shape decision-making, authority, conflict, identity, and change within organizations.

Participants gain a deeper understanding of:

• leadership under pressure
• group dynamics and emotional communication
• organizational resistance to change
• authority, identity, and role formation
• the influence of unconscious processes on workplace relationships

Register here under Discounted MPOL bundle: https://psptraining.com/fall-2026-course-registration/ or email [email protected] with any questions

Case PresentationsPsychoanalytic case presentations originated in the late 19th century as a way to document therapeutic...
06/04/2026

Case Presentations

Psychoanalytic case presentations originated in the late 19th century as a way to document therapeutic methods and uncover the workings of the unconscious mind. Sigmund Freud pioneered this approach, but its value is palpable in clinical work today.

The case presentation requirement at IMPP is intended to provide a learning tool for both the “presenter” and the other participants. Rather than choosing a case that enables the student therapist to demonstrate her brilliant skills as an analyst, the student is advised to select a case that highlights some aspect of the treatment relationship that the therapist finds challenging. During the semester, each student is expected to present sections of the written case material as well as engage in class discussion. We will explore the interrelatedness of IMPP’s required and elective courses and how they are evidenced in this workshop.

To register for this online course or learn more click here: https://psptraining.com/fall-2026-course-registration/

One of the critical tasks of leadership is helping people and organizations deal with the emotional demands of meeting s...
06/03/2026

One of the critical tasks of leadership is helping people and organizations deal with the emotional demands of meeting significant adaptive challenges, especially in times of crisis. This course will focus on the psychodynamics of crisis and adaptive stress as well as effective leadership and modern psychoanalytic strategies for dealing with them. The course is for people who are or aspiring to be in varied leadership roles. It is also for clinicians who are or are considering working with leaders and organizations as therapists, coaches, and/or consultants. It will draw upon relevant literature, but largely on the discussion of case examples presented by class participants. The multiple adaptive and crisis challenges, including racial and ecological justice crises facing leadership today are truly daunting. Depth psychology is needed to reach beyond treating symptoms to root causes that create and perpetuate them.

Learn more about IMPP's online Leadership and Crisis Course here: https://psptraining.com/fall-2026-course-registration/

Most practicing mental health professionals, including psychoanalysts in training, have minimal background and training ...
06/02/2026

Most practicing mental health professionals, including psychoanalysts in training, have minimal background and training in psychopharmacology. From the mid-1960s (and even currently), polarization occurred between those advocating psychological theories (such as psychoanalytic and behavioral models) and those on the other side of the fence using biological and medical models. Each school attracted followers who had strong emotional investments in their perspective. Fortunately, during the past decade, we are witnessing a shift in thinking, as increasing numbers of practitioners and training institutions move away from egocentric and dogmatic positions and begin to embrace a more integrated approach with regard to both theories of etiology and methods of treatment. New discoveries in the neurosciences, refined scientific and practical advances in psychotherapy and a large number of outcome studies in both pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy have made it clear that people are complex and mental health problems spring from many sources, and reductionist, one-dimensional models are inadequate to explain the wide array of mental and emotional problems people experience and no single approach to treatment works for all problems. Certain disorders clearly respond better to certain interventions, whereas others require alternative approaches. Although the primary focus of this course is on psychopharmacology, there is a strong respect for integrative approaches to treatment: recognition of the primary importance of psychoanalysis and the collaboration among professionals from different disciplines.

Learn more about psychopharmacology this Fall online. Learn more: https://psptraining.com/fall-2026-course-registration/

Elevate Your Practice this Fall! Join the Institute of Modern Psychoanalysis for Philadelphia for our exclusive twelve-w...
05/29/2026

Elevate Your Practice this Fall! Join the Institute of Modern Psychoanalysis for Philadelphia for our exclusive twelve-week remote courses. Dive deep into psychoanalytic theory within a vibrant, global community of learners. Our live, interactive sessions are designed to foster profound insights and professional growth, no matter your time zone. Don't miss this opportunity to develop your skills and connect with a dedicated network of peers. Enroll as a non-matriculated student today and grow with us!

Examine the earliest phases of psychic development as foundational to lifelong maturation. Beginning with Freud’s psycho...
05/27/2026

Examine the earliest phases of psychic development as foundational to lifelong maturation. Beginning with Freud’s psychos*xual and structural formulations and extending through the object relations contributions of Klein, Mahler, and Winnicott, the course explores the formation of the inner world, primitive anxieties and defenses, separation–individuation, and the development of self and object constancy. Particular emphasis is placed on attachment processes, affect regulation, early ego organization, transitional phenomena, and the internalization of relational experience within the infant–caregiver dyad, including the influence of familial and cultural environments. Contemporary perspectives on mentalization and the development of reflective functioning illuminate how early relational attunement shapes the capacity to understand self and other. Clinical implications are considered throughout the course, highlighting how early structural and relational configurations influence later psychopathology and the therapeutic process.

Early Development and the Foundations of Psychic Life begins this September, registration now open: https://psptraining.com/fall-2026-course-registration/

Clinical Perspectives on Freud’s Social Thought and Activism is a part of our Fall courses this year. After the First Wo...
05/26/2026

Clinical Perspectives on Freud’s Social Thought and Activism is a part of our Fall courses this year.

After the First World War Freud turned his attention increasingly from individual psychoanalysis to the psychoanalysis of wars, large groups, societies, religions, politics, social justice, and advancing his revolutionary, “Psychoanalysis for the People.” In his first postwar address to his followers titled “Lines of Advance in Psychoanalytic Therapy” in 1918 Freud challenged his International Society to: politically advocate for universal mental health care as a human right; establish “free clinics” to make psychoanalysis accessible to persons regardless of their ability to pay and create new adaptations and applications of psychoanalytic technique to meet the needs of a wider range of underserved groups. And, so that psychoanalysis would no longer be known exclusively as a treatment for well-to-do neurotic patients.

This course will focus on Freud’s seminal and wide-ranging works on social, cultural and justice topics between the first and second world wars and their relevance for clinical practice in our turbulent times.

Register here: https://psptraining.com/fall-2026-course-registration/

Early Development and the Formations of Psychic Life begins this Fall remotely at the Institute for Modern Psychoanalysi...
05/20/2026

Early Development and the Formations of Psychic Life begins this Fall remotely at the Institute for Modern Psychoanalysis of Philadelphia. Prepare to discuss attachment processes, affect regulation, early ego organization, transitional phenomena, and the internalization of relational experience within the infant–caregiver dyad, including the influence of familial and cultural environments

“I once said: ‘There is no such thing as an infant,’ meaning, of course, that wherever one finds an infant one finds maternal care, and without maternal care there would be no infant.”
— Donald W. Winnicott (1960)

Registration here: https://psptraining.com/fall-2026-course-registration/

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401 S 2nd Street
Philadelphia, PA
19147

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Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

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