Welcome to Section V

The Section for Applied Clinical Psychoanalysis represents a group of psychologist psychoanalysts who work in traditional two-person clinical practices with varying theoretical orientations.   However, our membership includes others who work in settings beyond the consulting room -- schools, hospitals, courtrooms, and in formal and informal community groups of different kinds. In supporting the application of psychoanalytic principles to applied settings, these members bring psychoanalytic thinking and practice to their professional work in important and interesting ways, broadening our understanding of this vital discipline.   

We chose the Sphinx to represent our Section.  The Sphinx is not the one who knows but the one who provides the condition for new knowledge.  This is the spirit of The Sphinx as a site of inquiry on the web, a site where psychoanalytic quests can take place. 

Whether you are a graduate student looking for a space to explore your psychoanalytic interests, a candidate at an institute looking for new professional opportunities, or a mature clinician looking to expand the your horizons, Section V has some surprises in store.  And, if you are a layperson interested in finding out how psychoanalytic thinking can expand your worldview, we welcome your questions.   

The Section for Applied Clinical Psychoanalysis (Section V) was established within the Division of Psychoanalysis (Div39) of the American Psychological Association to represent and foster diverse views in psychoanalysis through a varied program of professional activities. Through our website, our annual presentations at psychoanalytic conferences, several of which are collected on the website, our annual essay competitions – again, the winning essays are posted on the website, and our new initiative to introduce psychodynamic consultation to community mental health centers, the Section for Applied Clinical Psychoanalysis fosters the exchange of ideas that explore wider and increasingly relevant applications of psychoanalytic thinking and practice