About Us
Advancing the study and practice of psychoanalysis.
Mission
To educate and support psychoanalysts, psychotherapists and scholars, and to collaborate with members of the community in applying psychoanalytic knowledge to psychosocial problems.
Vision
It is the purpose of the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis, Inc., to advance the study and practice of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy; to support psychoanalytic practice through outreach efforts and continuing education; to establish and maintain standards for the practice of psychoanalysis; to support postgraduate training of psychoanalysts through continuing education; to foster the integration of psychoanalysis with the mental health professions, branches of medicine, and academia; to encourage basic and applied research that enhances scientific understanding and human welfare; to serve the community by providing training, services and other resources.
We offer Continuing Education and Continuing Medical Education Credits for Physicians, Psychologists, Social Workers, and Licensed Professional Counselors.
Leadership
Many of WBCP’s members volunteer to maintain a strong organization. They serve on the board, committees, teams, task forces, and other volunteer roles. The work of WBCP could not be accomplished without the time and expertise of volunteers.
History
Our origins in the early 1900s
The Baltimore-Washington area has been hospitable to psychoanalysis from early in the 20th century when it first arrived on American shores from Europe. The American Psychoanalytic Association was established in Baltimore in 1911. When the Washington-Baltimore Psychoanalytic Institute, our original organization, was founded in 1933, it was only the third such institute established in this country.
In 1946, with an increasing diversity of viewpoints about theory and technique, Baltimore and Washington established separate psychoanalytic societies, although the original Institute remained a joint training body for six more years.
Current initiatives
The Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis (WBCP) is the organization formed by the merger of the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis (WCP) and the Baltimore Washington Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis (BWCPP) in 2017.
In 2022, WBCP provides training through a fellowship program, a 2-year study program, and a candidate training program; supports a professional membership community; offers public programs and professional development; and maintains a therapist-referral service. It is also home to an innovative 3-year writing certification, publishes short pieces written by the WBCP community, and participates in conversations of national and local concern.