Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Practicum

The Wright Institute Los Angeles Practicum Traineeship is designed to develop and refine competence in the conduct of long-term psychotherapy (individual, couples, and group) and clinical assessment. It is open to students currently enrolled in a mental health graduate program (MSW, MFT, MA in Counseling, Doctoral training before internship). Trainees who successfully complete the first year of the program are invited to continue for a second year of training at WILA as a Postgraduate Fellow or Pre-doctoral Psychology Intern.

Our Traineeship includes therapy activities with an outpatient, adult caseload drawn from WILA’s Hedda Bolgar Psychotherapy Clinic, individual and group supervision for this caseload, seminars on theory and technique, and administrative and clinical case conferences.

Practicum Trainees participate in the program for 20 hours per week. They carry caseloads of approximately 8 hours of psychotherapy and receive 2 hours of individual and 2 hours of group supervision each week. An additional hour per week is dedicated to conducting clinical intake interviews with prospective clinic patients. The traineeship also includes a year-long series of seminars on theory and technique, clinical, charting and administrative conferences, program meetings and various other professional activities.

If WILA trainees continue in the program for a 2nd year, they participate in the Therapeutic Identity and Professional Development track (TIPD). WILA is one of, if not the only, program to offer students the space to not only deepen their clinical skills but also to learn in-vivo how to market their own practice and gain step-by-step guidance in building their confidence in their identity as clinicians. We believe this process will help to ensure a smooth transition into licensure and being a private practice clinician. In addition students learn more about how WILA works as an analytic clinic and training institute and support its mission as a non-profit mental health leader in the Los Angeles area.

Theoretical Orientation

The theoretical orientation of WILA’s core faculty and teaching and supervisory faculty is contemporary psychoanalytic/psychodynamic. A wide range of psychoanalytic models guide clinical practice at WILA. The field of psychoanalytic psychotherapy has undergone a substantial evolution in recent years. WILA’s program includes the core of theory and technique that has endured through this evolution. Also, presented are relatively recent developments, which have advanced theory and enlarged the range of application of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. These developments include advances in the treatment of borderline and narcissistic personality organization, new work in object relations theory, the widened scope of the patient-therapist relationship, and recent applications of psychoanalytic theories and technique to brief psychotherapy.

While a psychoanalytic/psychodynamic influence is strongly felt at WILA, the program maintains a broadly based therapeutic perspective. The advantages and limitations of psychoanalytically oriented psychotherapy as well as of alternative approaches are considered in formulating treatment plans for each case. Trainees are encouraged to use psychoanalytic concepts to enhance their understanding of the therapeutic process. However, trainees are also encouraged to conduct their psychotherapeutic and assessment activities in accordance with needs and capabilities of their patients.

The practicum traineeship shares the Wright Institute Los Angeles’ commitment to a multidisciplinary, broad based approach to human problems. This commitment is reflected in the Institute’s diverse faculty drawn from each of the mental health disciplines, and by WILA’s openness to innovative conceptions and approaches. WILA’s orientation is also reflected in our training program’s tempering of traditional clinical knowledge with an appreciation of the vast array of social, political and economic forces, which affect individuals and groups in society.

Trainees who complete 2 years of training at WILA are awarded a certificate in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. Mutual evaluation and accountability are core values of the program. Supervisors and Trainees write evaluations of their work together twice yearly.

Seminars and Conferences

Seminars on theory and practice and clinical and administrative conferences are an integral aspect of the WILA training programs. Seminars are offered on a quarter system. Academic quarters begin in early October (fall), January (winter), April (spring) and July (summer). Clinical work, supervision and administrative conferences continue throughout the year.

Seminars vary somewhat from year to year. The following is a selection of seminars and conferences typically offered to interns within a two-year period:

Case Conference (from various psychoanalytic perspectives)

Charting & Clinical Documentation

Clinical Use of Dreams

Couples Therapy

Core Issues in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Diversities in Psychoanalytic Practice

Eating Disorders

Freud

History of Psychoanalysis

How Does Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Cure?

Intake & Case Assignment

Klein and The Kleinians

LGBTQIA+ Issues

Narcissism

Object Relations Theories

Primitive Mental States

Psychodiagnostic Testing

The Psychoanalytic Frame

Psychopharmacology & Collaborating with Psychiatrists

Self Psychology

Trauma Work in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

Winnicott

See a list of our Teaching and Supervisory Faculty

Collaboration with WILA Postgraduates

Another unique component of our training program is the diversity of degrees and level of training of our students. Practicum Trainees will have the opportunity to train alongside pre- and post-doctoral psychology interns and advanced MSW/MFT/LPC fellows. In addition to jointly attending seminars and conferences, trainees are provided with opportunities to interact formally and informally with our stellar faculty. This cross polination enriches and deepens the training experience for all participants. For more information, see our Postgraduate Training Program page.

Evaluation and Accountability

Mutual evaluation and accountability are core values of the program. Supervisors and trainees write evaluations of their work together twice yearly. In the event of concern or compliant, interns have access to the grievance procedures described in the Institutes’ Procedures Manual. 

Admission

The practicum traineeship is open to students currently enrolled in a mental health graduate program (MSW, MFT, MA in Counseling, Doctoral training before internship). Applicants must be in good standing and certified by their department or school as ready to begin practicum level training. Therefore, the first step toward application must always begin at the applicant’s school. Check with your Director of Clinical Training to see if there is a pre-existing relationship with WILA or if establishing one is possible. Once you receive the green light from your school, you may email us with a cover letter & your CV expressing your interest in our training program and how WILA fits with your training goals. We will respond with our timeline and availability and may request that you complete a full application which will include our application form, graduate transcripts, and three letters of recommendation. A personal interview is also required before admission.

We have two start dates for our training: July 1st and October 1st (these are not changable and are unfortunately a obstacle to some schools being able to send trainees to WILA for practicum). To be considered for the same year’s cohort, please submit your application before March 1st. Feel free to ask any questions by emailing operations@wila.org