Tavistock Foundations
Presented by Vivian Eskin
6 CEUs
Dates: September 25, October 23, November 20 2026
Time: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM EST
Fee: $250; $125 for candidates
Abstract
This course on couple psychoanalytic psychotherapy is grounded in the work developed over many years at Tavistock Relationships. The course will introduce foundational concepts central to psychoanalytic work with couples, with particular emphasis on the unconscious dynamics that shape intimate relationships and emerge within the therapeutic setting.
Couples often externalize aspects of their internal worlds and early object relationships within the present relationship and in the couple therapy itself. Through a psychoanalytic lens, we will explore how unconscious processes organize the couple bond, sustain conflict, and create possibilities for repair, growth, and emotional recognition.
Topics will include unconscious fit and partner choice, unconscious beliefs, projective identification and the projective system, the couple state of mind, the third position, the internal couple, narcissistic object choice, and the creative potential of the couple relationship. Attention will also be given to how these concepts deepen the clinician’s understanding of transference, enactment, containment, and emotional communication within the couple field.
Readings will be provided for each seminar. Clinical vignettes will be presented in this course.
Learning Objectives
Describe foundational psychoanalytic concepts in couple psychotherapy, including unconscious fit, unconscious beliefs, projective identification, the couple state of mind, the internal couple, and narcissistic object choice.
Examine how unconscious processes, early object relationships, and shared defensive systems shape intimacy, conflict, and emotional communication within couple relationships.
Apply psychoanalytic concepts such as containment and the third position to clinical work with couples in order to deepen understanding of enactment, transference, and possibilities for repair and growth.
