Does it still taste like psychoanalysis?: Experiences of collaborating with universities in psychoanalytic training

Abstract

There has been a striking lack of interest in reforming training and creating new forms of transmitting the essential knowledge required to function as a psychoanalyst. This paper presents a model for training psychotherapists in use in Finland, in which private institutes offer training in collaboration with the universities. The roles and functions of the universities and the institutes in the training are described. The implications of this mixed-model training are discussed, viewed through the experiences of some teachers involved in implementing the model. The teachers were asked to describe their experiences in regard to certain questions: What happens, when a third party becomes involved in the training process? Is it possible to maintain a psychoanalytic curriculum of studies in such a context? What does the relative loss of autonomy signify? What are the implications for the psychoanalytic institutes? Regarding the content of the training, the experiences seem more positive than expected. Institutes seem to have managed to adapt to the new requirements while maintaining the psychoanalytic core of the training. However, the model contains elements that can pose threats to the roles of the institutes and the position of psychoanalytic thinking as the base for psychotherapy in the future.

Key words:

• psychoanalytic training
• third-party involvement
• implications for societies
• psychoanalytic curriculum
• institutional autonomy

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank my colleagues Kaj Davidkin (Therapeia Institute), Matti Pesola (Nuorisopsykoterapiasäätiö), and Irma Saarimäki, Hannu Säävälä, and Pirjo Tuhkasaari (all Therapeia Institute) for kindly sharing their experiences and making the writing of this paper possible.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jan Johansson

Jan Johansson is a psychoanalyst in private practice in Finland. He is currently a member of the board at the Therapeia Institute, and has since 2006 been a member of the board of the Therapeia Society. He has been involved in issues concerning psychoanalytic training for the past 15 years. Besides being interested in questions around psychoanalytic education, other points of interest are issues of sexuality and gender.