An Intersectional Feminist Psychotherapy Two-Year Postgraduate Training Program 2026-2028
Description of Program
Our decades of experience reading the body in multiple and complex ways has evolved a theory and practice that widens and deepens our understanding of how psyche, soma and institutionalized power relations construct our psychologies. We see the body as the living vital center of feelings and experience and as a canvas where power relations, multiple forms of control, creative expression and protest are taken up and expressed. WTCI’s two-year program educates postgraduate clinicians from a trans-inclusive feminist relational perspective.
It is our top priority, and an ongoing one, to center academic content around issues of class, race and gender, the experiences of underrepresented voices. We have developed a theoretical guideline for practice informed by our commitment to social justice, with a deep understanding of how the personal is political and how that enters the consultation room. Our overall mission and thus the mission of the training program is to amplify an intersectional feminist voice in the evolving dialogue of contemporary relational theory.
The program is in-person at WTCI.
How to Apply
To apply to the program, candidates begin by submitting a completed application. Once received, applications are carefully reviewed by the WTCI Training Program Committee. Selected applicants are then invited to participate in an initial interview with a WTCI faculty member, followed by a second interview to further explore fit and interest in the program. After the interview process is complete, the WTCI Admissions Committee meets to thoughtfully discuss each candidate. Acceptance decisions are then communicated, and selected applicants receive an official acceptance letter.
Sociopolitical Contexts & the Psychopolitical Subject
Foundations of Feminist, Psychodynamic Thinking
Traumatic Inheritances, Cultural Context, & Clinical Binds
Eating, Food, Feeding, & Embodiment
Transforming, Conforming, & Resisting Bodies
The Clinical Track offers an immersive, practice-oriented experience. Through deep exploration in weekly consultation and the use of clinical tools such as process recordings, students engage closely with their clinical work while developing insight, reflective capacity, and a more nuanced understanding of the therapeutic process.
The Applied Track invites students to translate theory into practice through a creative and meaningful project. Students will develop a preliminary project proposal (date TBD) and, over the course of the program, bring this work to fruition. Final projects are submitted one month prior to the last class and reflect each student’s unique interests, whether in writing, program development, research, or community-based applications.
All students benefit from working with two different faculty consultants, completing twenty weeks with one before transitioning to another. This structure provides a rich and varied supervisory experience, exposing students to diverse perspectives and approaches while supporting their growth in a thoughtful and sustained way.
Orientation & Graduation
Classes will be held in person on site. Students should plan to attend Orientation on September 11th, 2026. Orientation will be held in person. Students should also plan to attend Graduation on May 4th, 2028 (location and time to be determined).
The program is designed to offer a rich and engaging learning experience within a warm, intimate community. Classes are held in person on site on Thursday evenings from 6:00–8:15 PM, allowing students to integrate training into their professional lives. We intentionally keep our cohorts small, typically 8–12 students, in order to foster a close-knit, collaborative environment where meaningful dialogue and connection can flourish. Students begin with an in-person Orientation on September 11, 2026, and conclude with Graduation on May 4, 2028 (location and time to be determined). Throughout the program, participants are supported not only in their clinical and theoretical development, but also as members of a thoughtful and engaged learning community.
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all scheduled training program class sessions over the two-year period, including colloquiums, as well as Orientation and Graduation. If a student is unable to attend a class session for any reason, please contact the instructor and administrator in advance. Students may miss no more than three classes per calendar year. Students who miss more than six classes over the two-year period will not be eligible for graduation/certificate. Students who arrive more than 15 minutes late will not receive credit for having attended the class. Please refrain from personal smartphone use during class. Due to the fact that classes are in person and due to privacy and confidentiality concerns, students will not be allowed to record classes. Also, WTCI does not record classes. Students must attend the full forty sessions of consultation over the two years in order to graduate. Students must provide one-week advance notice of a consultation meeting cancellation and are expected to reschedule missed sessions. If a student is more than 15 minutes late to a scheduled session, the session will not be counted towards the total required for graduation.
Qualifications for Receiving Certificate of Continuing Education
While participants are welcome to join from outside of New York, WTCI is recognized only by the New York State (NYS) Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for NYS licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0102 and creative arts therapists #CAT-0018, by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Workers as an approved provider of continuing education for NYS licensed social workers #SW-0361, and by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for NYS licensed psychologists #PSY-0049. Please reach out to the applicable authorities in your locale to determine how you might receive credit for participation in this and other WTCI practitioner training programs.
Required Readings
Readings will be made available for download in advance of each class meeting, with the exception of assigned readings in books you have purchased for the course. If using more than two chapters in a book, we request that students purchase the book.
Tuition & Payments
Evaluation Procedure
Students will receive an evaluation to be completed after each course. Faculty will also complete evaluations of students; these will be a part of the student’s file.
Grievance Procedure
WTCI is committed to the ideal of resolving conflicts collegially. The grievance process must be initiated within thirty days of the incident. It is first addressed in informal discussion between the immediate parties in the dispute. If this discussion fails to produce a resolution, the student may seek the advice and assistance of their educational consultant, or another member of the faculty. If this does not produce a resolution, the Training Program Committee will review the matter promptly in a manner deemed appropriate to the case and will report any recommendations to the parties. WTCI reserves the right to dismiss a student who is unable to abide by the professional ethics and standards of their profession or who is unable to abide by program policies and procedures.
Withdrawal & Refunds
Students who withdraw from the program prior to the first orientation meeting will receive a refund of their first tuition and education consultation fees minus the $600 deposit. Students who withdraw at any time from the program during the first year are responsible for the first year’s tuition as well as educational consultation fees. Application fee is non-refundable.
WTCI Alumni Association is an inclusive group for graduates and faculty of The WTCI. Together we explore the intersection of psychoanalysis, gender, race, culture, class, religion, and LGBTQ issues through readings, discussions, committee work, media, and social activities. We gather three times a year for presentations by members of our own community or to learn from an invited guest. One of these meetings focuses on a book chosen as the Summer Read. Our smaller working committees—made up of WTCI Alumni Association members—include the Archive, Activist, Diversity, 6-week Eating & Embodiment, Online Seminar, and Program committees.
Discover how our training programs empower people to find support, confidence, and community. These testimonials highlight the impact of our work.
"Learning WTCI's model of attuned eating during my own training changed how I practiced. I'm thrilled to now teach the model to others."
"I was exposed to a group of superior clinicians/teachers who provided bridges between theory and practice, with firm grounding on both sides. What a gift!"
“Learning the theory & practice of WTCI has been an invaluable experience for which I am continuously grateful, and I have felt supported and inspired.”
Ruchi Amin, LCSW
Linda Arkin, LCSW
Eve Blatt, LCSW-R
Caro Bloom, LCSW
Barbara Buloff, LCSW, ACSW
Joanne Clark, LCSW
Valerie Coleman-Palansky, LCSW, MSEd, LMT
Suzanne Daly, LCSW, DSW
Andrea Gitter, MA, LCAT, BC-DMr
Tulasi Jordan LCSW, BCD, SEP
Juliette Kennedy, LCSW, PMH-C
Laura Kogel, LCSW, ACSW
Leah Kramnick, LCSW-R
Marisa Mabli, LICSW
Joanne MessinaL LCSW
Wendy Miller, Ph.D
Julie Nemeth, Ph.D
Bethany Parr-Tronsky, LCSW
Aleksandra Rayska, Ph.D
Lisa Rubin, Ph.D
Becky Stern, LCSW
Juliet Ucelli, LCSW
Anne Wennerstrand, LCSW-R
Lela Zaphiropoulos, LCSW
Athia Choudhury, Ph.D
S.J. Langer LCSW-R
Jan Niemira, LCSW
Georgia Tania Karalioiou
Carol Bloom, LCSW
Joanne Clark, LCSW, Training Program Co-Director
Andrea Gitter, MA, LCAT, BC-DMT
Juliette Kennedy, LCSW, PMH-C
Laura Kogel, LCSW, ACSW
Joanne Messina, LCSW-R
Rebecca Stern, LCSW, Training Program Co-Director
Bethany Parr-Tronsky, LCSW
Lela Zaphiropoulos, LCSW, ACSW
WTCI provides a special environment for critical thinking, consciousness-raising, evolving relationships, and a vibrant community committed to a mission of social change greater than any one of us.
