Coalition for Clinical Social Work Extension Division Program: Foundations of Psychodynamic Clinical Work in Community Mental Health Settings - Year One

This 18-week course is designed for early career and experienced clinicians practicing in diverse community mental health and social work settings who wish to strengthen their theoretical foundation. We welcome those who are interested in understanding how psychodynamic thinking can be applied in relevant ways to enhance effective and gratifying work. We also welcome those who are willing to question established notions of psychodynamic thinking so that we become more relevant to the communities we serve.

As clinicians in public and community settings, we often feel devalued and challenged by complicated circumstances in our clients’ lives and limited resources to help them. Many of our agencies cannot offer the space to think together, to support and understand our work experiences.

We offer this course as a space to think together about the clients and systems with which we work, and how a psychodynamic approach can be utilized in any public or community mental health setting. We will reconsider our ideas about our clients, what helps, and our expectations for helping. Finally, we will look at the places and culture in which we work and how the psychological milieu affects our sense of value and purpose as clinicians and providers of mental health services.