WCPSI Psychoanalytic Training

The Western Canada Psychoanalytic Society and Institute (WCPSI) provides psychoanalytic training for professionals in keeping with standards of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) and the Canadian Institute of Psychoanalysis (CIP). WCPSI has provided analytic training in Western Canada since 2003.

WCPSI is pleased to announce the formation of a new training group to begin September 2028. We welcome your interest. Please review the following information and place your name on our mailing list at info@wcpsi.org if you are considering analytic training and wish to receive updates.

Psychoanalytic Approach
WCPSI faculty and instruction represent many schools of thought and advocate for a multiplicity of analytic technique based on the unique experience of each analytic dyad. WCPSI encourages freedom of thought and individual creativity in psychoanalytic theorizing and practice. The curriculum reflects the current interests of faculty members and includes the study of Freud’s original texts, British Object Relations Theory, French Psychoanalysis, the Italian School and other international, historical and contemporary approaches essential to a full appreciation of the depth and breadth of psychoanalytic thought.

Components of Psychoanalytic Training
Training at WCPSI includes the following four components:

  • Personal psychoanalysis with a WCPSI Training and Supervising Analyst four times per week for a minimum of 800 hours beginning four months prior to the commencement of didactic training and continuing through the second case and, optimally, into the beginning of the third case
  • Four years of weekly didactic seminars online, with in-person weekend course conferences four times per year
  • Three psychoanalytic training cases, one two-year case with 80 hours of weekly supervision and two one-year cases of 40 hours of weekly supervision each
  • Continuing professional and community development through participation in Society and Institute life at WCPSI and IPSO (International Psychoanalytical Studies Organization) including committee work and attending, teaching or presenting at scientific meetings, conferences, courses and study groups.

Program Overview
Based on the Eitingon model of the International Psychoanalytic Association, the didactic curriculum of the psychoanalytic training program at WCPSI consists of a four-year seminar series taught by WCPSI Training and Supervising Analysts, Full Member Psychoanalysts and invited guest instructors.
The curriculum is designed to immerse AITs in fundamental theoretical and clinical concepts, from a broad range of perspectives through rigorous review of historical and current literature. Course evaluation and opportunities for AIT feedback occur throughout the program.
Seminars are 3 hours in length and are held online on Friday late afternoon from September to June. Intensive weekend course conferences are held in-person four times per year, on Friday evening, Saturday morning and afternoon, and Sunday morning, mostly in Vancouver. This combined online and in-person seminar format is intended to accommodate the travel schedules of WCPSI Analysts-in-training (AITs) and faculty living and working in various cities in Western Canada. WCPSI prioritizes in-person clinical case work, supervision and personal analysis and supports accommodations that are necessary due to geographic and physical limitations, in keeping with CIP and IPA criteria.

Curriculum 
Training begins with a thorough review of Freud’s original texts accompanied by commentary and contemporary writing on the particular topic. In preparation for analytic work, historical and current readings on technique are reviewed. Topics such as beginning analytic cases, ethics, and report-writing are covered in a module related to the procedural aspects of training. Seminars on analytic theory and technique dovetail with continuous case presentations to facilitate the integration of conceptual and experiential learning.

The subsequent years provide a wide survey of psychoanalytic topics and schools of thought. Early childhood development is viewed from Kleinian, ego psychology, object relations and attachment models. Freud’s sociocultural papers and classical theories of psychosexual development are reviewed alongside contemporary contributions to the understanding of gender and sexuality. The original writings of important psychoanalytic thinkers including, Winnicott, Ferenczi, Balint, Bion, Lacan, Laplanche, Bollus, Ogden, Civitarese, Scarfone and other international perspectives expand our view.

Close study of the analytic literature is enhanced by open group discussion and concurrent clinical case work. The four components of training together – personal analysis, didactic seminars with continuous case presentations, weekly supervision of individual cases, and engagement in the wider analytic community – facilitate the development of the AIT’s identity as an analyst with their own unique conceptual framework and approache to working with the transference-countertransference and analytic process.

Program Advisors
The AIT is supported through the program by an Advisor, a psychoanalyst member, who guides them through the various phases of training from beginning seminars, submitting forms, writing case reports, choosing supervisors, and writing their final graduation paper. Advisors support AITs in their self-evaluation process towards the fulfilment of Progression Committee requirements. When the training requirements are completed, the Progression Committee submits the AIT’s name to the National Training Committee for final approval for membership through voting by the national institute (CIP) and society (CPS).

Admissions Criteria and Evaluation
Applications are welcome regardless of age, gender identity, sexual orientation, religious affiliation, race, ethnic background or physical challenges. Evaluation is based on readiness and suitability for training which is determined through the application and interview process. The personal and professional qualities considered necessary for psychoanalytic education and practice include openness and flexibility, emotional awareness, interpersonal sensitivity, ethical integrity, intellectual curiosity, and the capacity for self-observation.

 

WCPSI’s application requirements include:

  • Master’s degree, MD, or equivalent professional education and clinical training
  • Personal residence and clinical practice in Western Canada
  • License with a professional college or membership with a regulating body that requires adherence to a professional Code of Ethics in Western Canada
  • Current professional liability insurance
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • List of courses and events attended on analytic theory and technique. (WCPSI, Canadian or International analytic ongoing education programs and events, etc.)
  • Short write-up of two clinical case experiences
  • Short write-up of the development of the applicant’s interest in becoming a psychoanalyst
  • Three confidential letters of recommendation (two from professional colleagues) sent directly to the Admissions Committee attesting to personal character, ethical conduct and clinical competency that would indicate suitability for analytic training
  • Commitment to begin in-person training analysis at least four months prior to the beginning of didactic training
  • Commitment to attend online seminars on Friday late afternoon and to attend in-person components of training held four times per year in Western Canada.
  • $250. application fee

Fees and Tuition
Personal analysis and clinical supervision are paid for privately at the rate agreed upon by both parties. Tuition for the didactic portion of the program is $2500. annually and $250. annually post-didactic until graduation and includes membership with IPSO, WCPSI, and a full subscription to the PEP Web. Partial financial aid in the form of interest free student loans is available through the CIP and the IPA.

Application Deadline and Process
Applications for the WCPSI analytic training program beginning in September 2028 will be available online in September 2027.

  • Applications will be due on December 1st, 2027.
  • Interviews will be conducted in January and February 2028.
  • Applicants will receive a response to their application by the end of March 2028.

Please contact info@wcpsi.org to join the analytic training mailing list or if you have any additional questions for the Admissions Committee.