Training to be a psychoanalyst with the Institute of Psychoanalysis is a deeply rewarding experience.
It is an opportunity to study a unique and powerful way of thinking about our internal lives and emotions, and to learn how to treat psychological problems through psychoanalytic technique. During your training, you will engage with a wide range of ideas and approaches in our seminar series, alongside having your own personal analysis, completing an infant observation and carrying out the supervised analysis of two patients.
While the training itself is deeply involving, our candidates also often find their fellow trainees a great source of stimulating discussion and collegiality. Our course encourages an atmosphere of mutual support, and many analysts who have trained with us say they have made friends and respected colleagues for life.
Our training is challenging, but it is also engaging and exciting. For many candidates it is among the most profound intellectual and emotional experiences of their lives. Training as a psychoanalyst with us can lead to many different opportunities, and after qualifying candidates incorporate their training into their personal and professional lives in a variety of ways.
We welcome applications from people with a wide range of personal, professional and academic backgrounds.
Where can I study?
Northern Training: Our main training centre is at the Institute of Psychoanalysis in northwest London, and we now have an additional centre in Leeds. In Leeds, seminars are led by Institute teaching staff, and students also participate in the London seminars via live video-conferencing. There is also some travel to London for those using Leeds as their training base.
Click here for more about the Northern Training.
Regional Training: At the moment there are a small number of locations throughout the UK where you are able to train from and we are currently working on ways of expanding geographically and making our training much more accessible for those outside the capital. We are very keen to encourage psychoanalytic activity around the UK, and to make it more viable for people in the north and west of England, as well as in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, to train with us.
The New Entry Scheme is an alternative route into the main training for qualified practitioners. Entrants can attend the NES from all regions in the UK.
Click here for more about the Regional Training.
Overseas: If you live outside the United Kingdom, you are still very welcome to apply to our training course.
We receive applications from countries all over the world, and have a long international, culturally diverse tradition. Once qualified, some of our analysts return to their countries of origin, where they make important contributions to psychoanalysis and its related fields. Others remain in the UK, becoming active and prominent members of our Society.
Click here for more about Overseas Training.
Video - Training to be a Psychoanalyst
This short film from the Audiovisual Group aims to give you a sense of what it's like to train at the Institute.
Listen to a selection of candidates on the Training talking about their backgrounds and how they came to apply.