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Introduction to Psychodynamic Assessment
Center for Psychological and Family Services (CPFS)
501 Eastowne Drive, Suite 220
Chapel Hill, NC 27514

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Tuesday, August 28, 2018, 7:10 PM - 8:40 PM EDT
Category: Courses

Introduction to Psychodynamic Assessment
Instructors: David A. Smith, M.D. and Margaret E. Wilner, LCSW
Remote Learners Welcome

Each patient is an individual and is different from other patients yet there are patterns of behavior (thought action affect fantasy speech) and patterns of defense and unconscious fantasy that are helpful to learn in order to work more effectively as a therapist. These patterns are not described exactly as you see them in real patients.  Most real patients have mixtures of these styles, or predominantly one style with some traits from others. What can make them a problem for patients is often: 1) a limited variety of defenses and behaviors, 2) the inability to switch to the most useful defense or behavior, and 3) frequent regressions to the same ineffective defenses and behaviors. And each patient will exhibit various difficulties in addition to these. All these can occur rigidly and unconsciously. Ideally, psycho analytically oriented psychotherapists help patients to loosen their defensive and behavioral styles and have more conscious choices of how to behave. In character problems the first step will be to help the patient change from an ego syntonic to and ego-dystonic point of view of his problem behaviors.

The course will primarily make use of Nancy McWilliams' text Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, Second Edition: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process. Additionally various selected articles will be used to further describe and help us understand the struggles that our patients present to us both consciously and unconsciously.

Participants in the course will be asked to write a brief summary of some aspect of the diagnostic issues as presented in the materials to be read prior to each course.

Discussion is greatly encouraged as are different points of view.

All of us are students and each of us has an opportunity to learn from the materials and each other. I am glad that you have chosen to participate in this course and look forward to our work together.

Class will be limited to 10 students and is for clinicians at beginning through intermediate levels.


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   Center for Psychological and Family Services (CPFS)
When:     August 28 - December 18, 2018
Time:       7:10pm - 8:40pm
CME Credits: 24 / CE Credits: 24 / NBCC: 24 clock hours / All others: Letter of Attendance

*NOTE: Psychologists must attend all 24 instructional hours of this class to receive any CE credit through the American Psychological Association (APA). The APA does not allow giving partial credit. If you are a psychologist registering for this class, please contact our administrator at [email protected] for additional information.


About the Instructor: See About Us--Faculty on the website

Required TextPsychoanalytic Diagnosis, Second Edition: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process by Nancy McWilliams, PhD

Syllabus: click here

Registration and Tuition Deadline deadline is August 21.  $25 Registration Fee is due at time of application.
Tuition: $650  
$485 for students matriculated in the training programs 
$600 for residents and graduate students
Payment plans can be arranged with the Administrator


Course Cancellation Policy

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Course Learning Objectives: 
Class participants will be able to
  1. Explain the importance of an early psychodynamic assessment.
  2. Describe how an early psychodynamic assessment can change over the course of the treatment process.
  3. Demonstrate an ability to formulate a preliminary diagnosis.
  4. Describe how the goals for treatment can evolve during psychoanalytic treatment.
  5. Discuss the complexities of the concept of personality organization.
  6. Compare or contrast the basic Hysterical traits and Hystrionic personalities.
  7. Describe obsessive and compulsive personality disorders.
  8. Explain the importance of Zetzel’s formulation of the “So-called Good Hysteric”.
  9. Describe Defenses and explain their importance.
  10. Describe the importance of attachment theory, especially in the early works of John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth.
  11. Discuss the relevance of attachment theory to contemporary psychoanalytic theory as argued by Fonagy.
  12. Compare the different points of view regarding borderline personality disorder and borderline personality organization as discussed by Akhtar and Kernberg.
  13. Describe and compare narcissistic traits and narcissistic personalities.
  14. Describe the differences between narcissistic personality disorder, narcissistic traits, borderline personality disorder and borderline traits.
  15. Demonstrate the capacity to assess and describe the patient's range for affective expression.
  16. Describe the clinical presentation of the schizoid patient and the putative etiology of this personality disorder.
  17. Describe the presentation of depressive and manic personality disorders.
  18. Describe the clinical presentation of masochistic personality disorder and its putative etiology.
  19. Describe the clinical presentation of psychopathic personalities.
  20. Demonstrate the capacity to apply an understanding of dissociative states to personality disorders and how this may present in traumatized patients.
  21. Demonstrate an ability to recognize and assess the bio-psycho-social factors which contribute to the client’s psychodynamic assessment and capacity for insight and psychoanalytic treatment.


CE & CME Information


The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of 24 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.




Contact: [email protected]