Foundation Course in Psychoanalysis

What shapes our desires, our symptoms, our ways of relating, and how might we begin to read them?

Kia ora koutou katoa,

The Foundations in Psychoanalysis Course offers an introduction to the Freudian field of psychoanalysis in the Lacanian orientation. Whether approached from personal, professional, clinical, academic, or creative interests, the course opens a space to think deeply about subjectivity, language, and the unconscious.

Approached not as abstract theory but as living questions, participants will encounter key psychoanalytic concepts such as the unconscious, repetition, the drive, and transference. Led by experienced psychoanalysts, the course invites both critical inquiry and reflective dialogue, bridging theory and the complexities of clinical practice.

This course serves as the entry point to our Clinical Training in Psychoanalysis Programme, a three-year formation grounded in the praxis of psychoanalysis. Across this training, theoretical work is continually tested and elaborated through clinical discussion. Participants may undertake the formative passages that mark the trajectory of a psychoanalyst: from Trainee, to Psychoanalyst-in-Training, toward independent practice.

The Centre for Lacanian Analysis Aotearoa is an approved qualification provider with the Psychotherapists Board of Aotearoa New Zealand (PBANZ). This means that our Clinical Training in Psychoanalysis Programme provides a recognised pathway toward registration as a psychotherapist in New Zealand. The Foundations in Psychoanalysis Course is a prerequisite for entry into this training and therefore forms the first step for those wishing to undertake psychoanalytic formation within a PBANZ-recognised programme.

Whether you are seeking to deepen your theoretical understanding, enrich your clinical or creative work, or are considering a pathway into psychoanalytic training, Foundations provides a substantial and thought-provoking starting point.

We warmly invite expressions of interest for the upcoming course.

When:

• 18 August 2026 to November 2026
• Tuesdays fortnightly 5-8pm

Where:

• Classes are offered both online and in person in Auckland.
• Those located elsewhere in New Zealand and internationally are welcome to apply.

Registrations close: 20 July 2026.

For further information or to register your interest, please contact:
[email protected]

Ngā mihi nui,
Jenny Woods & Ruby Read
Co Secretaries
Centre for Lacanian Analysis Aotearoa