The Washington Society of Psychoanalytic Psychology is a local chapter of the Society of Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology (SPPP) – Division 39 of the American Psychological Association.
We are an educational organization which offers workshops and short seminars on modern psychoanalytic ideas and approaches. We are open to practicing psychotherapists from all disciplines. In our seminars and short courses, we emphasize and foster a collegial atmosphere in which members and attendees learn from experienced, psychoanalytically-oriented clinicians, and in which all feel free to discuss the way the presenter’s ideas and approaches pertain to their own clinical experience.
Over many years, we have developed a seminar format that actively welcomes the participation of all. For many, it is a rich and rewarding opportunity for professional growth and networking.
Five Fridays (September – May)
We’re glad you’re here to learn more about our upcoming Five Friday seminars! Please peruse each program’s description. ** Please note that for 2026-2027, most seminars will be in-person at the BCC Service Center in Bethesda, MD. For the Zoom seminar, the Zoom link will be sent to all registrants on the Monday before the seminar.
Please note, registration for the Five Fridays regular seminars is free for WSPP members. Membership is only $185. Otherwise the fee is $95 per seminar registration.
Five Fridays 2026 – 2027
Everything, Everywhere, Undiagnosed: Psychoanalytic considerations for navigating diagnosis and identification with neurodivergent patients
September 18, 2026, 10:00am – 1:00pm
This seminar earns 3 CEs in Cultural Competence
Benjamin Morsa, PsyD
I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now: Learning and Unlearning in the Course of an Analytic Career
Friday, December 11, 2026, 11:30am – 2:30pm
David Cooper, PhD
Everybody Hurts (Differently): Distinguishing Grief, Depression, Masochism, and Personality Disorders
Friday, January 8th, 2027, 10:00am – 1:00pm via Zoom
Nancy McWilliams, PhD
The Transformative Power of Infant Observation for Clinical Work
March 12, 2027, 11:30am – 2:30pm
Deborah Blessing, PhD
Ketamine Assisted Therapy and Psychoanalytic Openings: A different way of being on the couch
May 7, 2027, 10:00am – 1:00pm
Lisa Smith, LPC, CST
Liz March, LICSW, ATR, CGP
Our History
The Washington Society for Psychology was formed in 1981, at a time when psychoanalytic education was almost exclusively the domain of the medical profession in Washington, DC. The only option for psychologists seeking education in the psychoanalytic tradition was to joihn medical institutes which were only open to psychologiest in a very limited fashion. In 1988, WSPP became an official location of Division 39 of the American Psychological Association, the APA division interested in psychoanalysis. WSPP has always welcomed all practicing psychotherapists to its courses and seminars, and makes no distinction in membership between psychologists and psychotherapists with other credentials.