Program Highlights

  • Weekly classes and case conferences are taught by a hybrid faculty, including clinicians from PCPG, from Tavistock Relationships, and by other psychoanalytic couple psychotherapists from around the country.
  • In person* and video conference seminars.
  • Films relevant to understanding couples will be viewed and discussed by faculty of PCPG.
  • The program will meet at a downtown Berkeley location on Friday afternoons from September to May. The afternoons will include a theoretical class from 1:30 to 2:40, and a case conference from 2:50 to 4:00. 
  • Several required component events are held on some Saturdays or Sundays throughout the year.
  • Access to PCPG’s highly trained supervisors.  We highly recommend concurrent consultation, offered at a reduced rate by PCPG faculty and graduate members.  Ongoing supervision supports the deeper integration of theory and practice and supports your development as a unique clinician.

A Selection of Second Year Curriculum Topics:

  • A Deeper Look 

  • Sex and Couples

  • Infidelity and Triangulation

  • Attachment and couples

  • Film Viewing and Discussion

  • Psychoanalytic Considerations of Diversity

  • Transitional States and Couple Relationships

  • Termination

  • Seminars on technique

A Selection of First Year Curriculum Topics :

  • Theoretical Foundations of the Tavistock Method

  • Frame Workshop and First Hours

  • The Couple Analytic Setting

  • Difficult Couples and Narcissistic Relating

  • Film Viewing and Discussion

  • Oedipus, the Couple and the Third

  • Parenting and Couples

  • Using literature and poetry to deepen understanding

  • Technical Considerations in couples work: Transference, Countertransference and the Field

Length of Program:

The program is designed as a 3-year course of study, and participants who complete all 3 years become full members of PCPG community. Years one and two offer paired didactic and case conference classes, special topic seminars, and film viewings. The third year includes four elements:  
  • The Members meet at least monthly, choosing a unique academic program with the support of PCPG faculty, to continue to study together,.
  • Attendance at a week-long, specially designed course of study at Tavistock Relationships in London *
  • Studying with the invited visiting scholar in October, in conjunction with PCPG’s annual couple psychotherapy event.
  • Attendance at the annual PCPG retreat, a weekend of collaborative study and fun with the PCPG community.*
We are dedicated to building a warm, rigorous and creative community of psychoanalytic couple psychotherapists, and you will be a part of the PCPG community upon completion of the 3rd year of study. PCPG offers ongoing, enriching events for its members.
* Please note:  PCPG’s Intensive Study Program has been organized as an in-person program, with a few video conference events. We hope to be able to meet in person again in September and build a warm learning experience for the upcoming cohort. Whether we meet in person or on-line will be determined based on the prevailing public health guidelines.

PCPG Faculty

PCPG Core Faculty:
Leora Benioff, Ph.D., Rachel Cooke, Psy.D., Julie Friend, LCSW, BCD., Shelley Nathans, Ph.D., Milton Schaefer, PhD., Sandra Seidlitz, LCSW

PCPG Adjunct Faculty:
Shawnee Cuzzillo, Ph.D., Anton Hart, PhD., Dana Iscoff, MA, MFT., Sheila Longerbeam, MFT, Mary Morgan, MA., Nancy Kaplan, Ph.D., Ortal Kirson-Trilling, Psy.D., Paula Mandel, Ph.D., Monica Vorchheimer, MA

For more information, please fill out the form below or contact us at pcpgbayarea@gmail.com