Frequently Asked Questions

PSP is located at 313 S. 16th Street in Center City, Philadelphia (16th Street between Pine and Spruce Streets). PSP is convenient to all major highways (just blocks from the Schuylkill and Vine Street Expressways) and is convenient to public transportation including SEPTA Regional Rail lines (Suburban Station, 16th and John F. Kennedy Boulevard), PATCO Hi-Speed Line (16th and Locust Streets), Broad Street Subway (Walnut-Locust), Market Frankford Elevated Line and Subway Surface Lines (15th and Market) and Amtrak (transfer to Septa to Suburban Station).

Click here for a map.

Anyone can attend courses. PSP courses are open to the general public as well as to mental health professionals interested in furthering their careers. Many people are interested in taking courses in psychoanalysis for personal enrichment and we invite those individuals to take courses at PSP.

The PSP facility is a beautifully renovated, historic building with a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere. Our classes are conducted in small, intimate rooms with warm lighting and soft chairs arranged in a circular group arrangement. Our students and faculty find this to be most conducive to stimulating class discussions.

Modern Psychoanalysis, in the words of its founder, Dr. Hyman Spotnitz, is a theory of psychological treatment based on …“Freud’s theory and Freud’s method of therapy which has been reformulated on the basis of subsequent psychoanalytic investigation.” Whereas the classical method relies primarily on interpretive interventions, Modern Psychoanalysis utilizes a wide range of interventions including ego reinforcement, emotional communication, cognitive and symbolic approaches and resistance resolution. Our theory of treatment considers narcissistic, or “preoedipal” disorders, psychosomatic difficulties and schizophrenic reactions to be psychologically reversible. The Modern Analytic approach, while taking into account Freud’s libido theory, recognizes the significant role of mobilized but undischarged aggression in the development of these disorders and their subsequent therapeutic reversibility.

Our programs allow for flexibility in accommodating the student’s personal and professional life and each student proceeds at his/her own pace. The Certification program in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (which is open to licensed mental health professionals who wish to expand their treatment skills) can be completed in as little as two years. The more intensive program in Modern Psychoanalysis consists of 24 courses followed by clinical training and this program can be completed in as little as five years, depending on the pace of the individual student.

Yes, we welcome visitors! Simply leave a message at info@psptraining.com with your contact information and someone will follow up with information on when you can visit.

Students who complete our training program in Psychoanalysis are awarded a nationally-accredited certificate enabling them to practice as a Psychoanalyst and to apply for state licensure as a Psychoanalyst in states where such a license is available. While PSP does not offer Masters or Ph.D. degrees at this time, PSP is supportive of people obtaining those degrees. Currently, the Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis offers a PhD in Psychoanalysis (http://www.bgsp.edu), and accepts credits from PSP.

Yes. PSP is a charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP) and is accredited by the American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis, Inc. Graduates certified by PSP are eligible for individual membership in NAAP.

All PSP courses are conducted in Center City, Philadelphia at our 313 South 16th Street location. Most classes are held on Saturdays and are usually concluded by 2 PM. Group courses, and occasionally other courses, are offered mostly on weeknights.

Call the PSP Administrator at (215) 732-8244, ext. 999. She will answer your questions and/or refer you to the appropriate person who can assist you.