Shakespeare and Psychoanalysis in the Berkshires |
2026-08-15 09:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | Austen Riggs Center, Stockbridge, MA, United States
The Erikson Institute of the Austen Riggs Center and the Association for Psychoanalytic Medicine are collaborating on a morning seminar focused on Hamlet and its enduring themes of grief, conscience, identity, and inhibition. The program will bring together psychoanalytic, clinical, and theatrical perspectives.
Morning Seminar
9:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Austen Riggs Center, Stockbridge, Massachusetts
Presenters will include Kevin Coleman of Shakespeare & Company, along with Linda Mayes, MD; Elizabeth Tillinghast, MD; and Beth Turner, LICSW. We will have ample time for discussion.
Participants are also invited to attend the opening night performance of Hamlet that evening at Shakespeare & Company in Lenox. Tickets may be purchased through Shakespeare & Company.
Please email us at education@austenriggs.net to let us know if you plan to attend. Partners and guests are welcome.

Application Portals Now Open-Psychoanalytic Studies Program
2026-09-01 16:00 | MA
Psychoanalytic Studies Program (PSP)
A two-year program for licensed clinicians and advanced scholars interested in psychoanalytic approaches to enrich their clinical and academic work.
Who Should Apply: The Psychoanalytic Studies Program is open to licensed mental health professionals, including licensed psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and professional counselors. Academic scholars interested in psychoanalytic theory are also invited to apply.
Tuesdays, 4:00 pm – 8:15 pm
September–May
Mixed format (Zoom and in-person attendance required)
Application Fee: $275
Application Deadline: June 1, 2026
Learn more about the Psychoanalytic Studies Program:https://www.wbcp.org/psychoanalytic-studies-program/
Apply Now: https://wbcp.memberclicks.net/psp_application_26-27#!/
Please note: Applicants should have all materials prepared prior to beginning the application, as partial submissions are not accepted.

WBCP Application Portal Now Open- Psychoanalytic Training Program
2026-09-01 16:00 | MA
Psychoanalytic Institute Training Program
Prepare to practice as an Adult Psychoanalyst. Child and Adolescent training is also offered.
Who Should Apply: Applicants to both Adult and the Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytic Training Programs must be independently licensed in a mental health field. These include (but are not limited to) psychiatry, psychology, social work, professional counseling, and marriage and family counseling. There is also a Psychoanalytic Scholar Program for academicians not seeking full clinical training.
Tuesdays, 4:00 pm – 8:15 pm
September–May
Mixed format (Zoom and in-person attendance required)
Application Fee: $275
Application Deadline: June 1, 2026
Learn more about the Psychoanalytic Institute Training Program: https://www.wbcp.org/psychoanalytic-training-program/
Apply Now: https://wbcp.memberclicks.net/institute-application-2026-2027
Please note: The Institute Training Program is only offered on a full-time basis.
Applicants should have all materials prepared prior to beginning the application, as partial submissions are not accepted.

Out of Sight, Still in Mind: Intersession Processes and Suicidal Ideation in Psychodynamic Treatment
2026-09-04 12:50 - 13:50 | Virtual (Click on event title to advance to website and registration page)
2026 Grand Rounds Series
Speaker: Mareike Ernst, PhD
This presentation introduces the concept of intersession processes—patients’ thoughts, feelings, fantasies, and internalized experiences of therapy and therapist between sessions—and examines their relevance from a contemporary psychodynamic perspective. Drawing on psychodynamic theory and empirical research, the talk will discuss how intersession processes may illuminate clinically meaningful fluctuations in suicidal ideation, including both protective and risk-related dynamics in outpatient treatment. Particular attention will be given to recent findings showing how both between-person and within-person variation in intersession experience can deepen our understanding of suicidal processes beyond symptom severity alone. It will further consider how the study of intersession life may open new avenues for clinically sensitive routine monitoring, smartphone-based assessment, and personalized interventions, while also inviting a critical discussion of the conceptual and methodological limitations of integrating intersession-focused assessment into care.

The Unconscious Conflicts of Postpartum Depression
2026-09-19 13:00 - 16:15 | In-person: Newport Psychoanalytic Institute, 17821 17th St #260, Tustin, CA 92780, Tustin, CA, 92780, United States
This course defines postpartum depression (PPD) and explores it through the lens of psychoanalytic framework. The course will examine the role of ego regression in PPD, as well as specific triad of unconscious conflicts: dependency, anger, and maternal identification.

WBCP Application Portal Now Open Observational Studies In-Person Program
2026-10-01 16:30 | Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis, 2120 L St, NW, Ste 600-4, Washington, DC, 20037, United States
A Two-Year In-Person Training Based on the Esther Bick Infant Observation Model.
Who Should Apply: The Observational Studies In-Person Program is open to mental health professionals, trainees, educators, researchers, and others with a serious interest in psychoanalytic thought and observation. No prior psychoanalytic training is required.
Format: In-Person
Classes will meet from October to May in the evenings from 4:30 pm to 8:35 pm.
Location: Washington, DC
Duration: Two years
Application Fee: $175
30 CME/CE
Learn more about the Observational Studies In-Person Program: https://www.wbcp.org/observational-studies/
To Apply: https://wbcp.memberclicks.net/app_osp_inperson_26-27#!/
Please note: Applicants should have all materials prepared prior to beginning the application, as partial submissions are not accepted.

2026 Fall Conference - Hope in Hard Times: Building Community
2026-10-02 18:00 - 21:00 | Hybrid (In-Person at Austen Riggs Center, Stockbridge, MA and Virtual), Stockbridge, MA, United States
In-person attendance: $250; limited to 50 people at the Austen Riggs Center in Stockbridge, MA
Virtual/remote attendance: Free
CE/CME available: 6 hours (pending approval)
Hope in Hard Times: Building Community is a hybrid conference designed for mental health clinicians and allied professionals seeking to think together about the ethical, clinical, and institutional challenges of practicing in a time marked by social fragmentation, political instability, and collective trauma. Drawing on psychoanalytic perspectives and interdisciplinary dialogue, the conference explores how transgenerational trauma, structural violence, and bureaucratic systems shape both individual psychic life and professional roles—while also attending to sources of resistance, responsibility, and hope.
The conference opens with a framing panel on “Transgenerational Trauma, Resistance, and Radical Hope,” featuring brief presentations by Marilyn Charles, PhD, ABPP; Morteza Modarres Gharavi, PhD, LP, PsyA; and Bindu Methikalam, PhD. This session situates contemporary clinical and institutional dilemmas within broader historical, cultural, and political contexts, establishing a shared foundation for the conference.
Subsequent sessions invite participants to engage with two central questions: how clinicians and institutions can remain ethically grounded in the face of dehumanizing bureaucratic pressures, and how professionals can speak and listen across differences of identity, power, vulnerability, and role. Throughout the conference, brief didactic presentations are paired with facilitated large-group discussions to support reflection, dialogue, and application to clinical and professional practice.
The conference concludes by turning explicitly toward action and connection, examining how psychoanalytic ideas and values can inform social engagement in clinical, educational, and civic arenas. Participants will be invited to identify shared concerns and areas of interest and to make collegial connections intended to support ongoing work beyond the conference itself. Rather than managing ongoing groups, the conference serves as a clearing-house for connection, emphasizing community-building, professional resilience, and ethical responsibility in difficult times.
Conference Organizers
Marilyn Charles, PhD, ABPP
Vivian Chan, DO, MS
Presenters
Bindu Methikalam, PhD
Morteza Modares Gharavi PhD, LP, PsyA
Michael O’Loughlin, PhD
Kritika Dwivedi, PsyD
Cynthia Chalker MSS, LCSW
Carrie Attikune, PsyD
Cheryll Rothery, PsyD, ABPP
Dennis Debiak, PsyD
Hada Soria Escalante
Abby Kuchin

NPI Fall Conference: Understanding Traumatic Narcissism Theory and Its Clinical Utility
2026-10-24 12:00 - 19:30 | Hybrid (Virtual and In-person: Stadium Towers, 2400 E Katella Ave Ste 150, Anaheim, CA 92806, Anaheim, CA, 92806, United States
Beginning in 1996 with the essay “Traumatic Abuse in Cults: A Psychoanalytic Perspective,” up to the release in 2026 of his latest book, Traumatic Narcissism Theory: A Contemporary Introduction, Daniel Shaw has studied the psychology of the individual he terms the “traumatizing narcissist,” and the specific ways that they seduce and then subjugate others. The Traumatic Narcissism Theory summarizes Shaw’s work of the last thirty years, providing accessible, practical information and tools in support of both psychotherapists and their clients working toward healing from the traumatizing narcissist’s relational system of subjugation.
