Introduction to Psychoanalytic Theory: A Guided Reading of Canonical Texts
This course will offer an orientation to psychoanalytic theory through close readings of selected papers, mapping the field's development from Freud through the relational turn, and laying the groundwork for deeper study. Each session is centered on a moment when the field revised its understanding of the mind and/or therapeutic change, and is anchored by one of the most-cited papers on PEP-Web. In addition to clarifying key concepts, we will read each paper with several critical questions in mind: What problem was this theory trying to address? What social and historical conditions shaped its emergence? Who is the normative subject in this theory? What might it illuminate — and what might it exclude?
Fees: $350 member, $425 non-member
Learning Objectives:
- Distinguish between different theoretical frameworks in the psychoanalytic tradition and articulate the core conceptual shifts between them.
- Describe how evolving psychoanalytic theories of mind transformed clinical understandings of transference, countertransference, and the therapeutic process.
- Analyze the cultural assumptions, normative frameworks, and structural exclusions that have shaped psychoanalytic theory and practice.
Speaker Bio:
April Crofut, MD is a psychoanalyst in private practice in Portland, Oregon. She is a graduate of the psychoanalytic therapy training program at the San Francisco Center for Psychoanalysis and the psychoanalytic training program at the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute.
15 PEOPLE MAX FOR THIS EVENT
Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel your purchase, please do so before January 4, 2027 by emailing admin@nwaps.org to request a refund minus a 30% cancellation fee. We are unable to process or offer any refund for cancellations made after January 4, 2027. Allow 2-4 weeks to process your refund request. Note that participation in the entire event is required to obtain CE credits.
