Live CE Webinar Open for Registration

Course Description

This seminar follows the pioneering work of Philip Cushman in examining how psychodynamic psychotherapy, often perceived as an inward and apolitical practice, can serve as a form of political and cultural resistance. By attending to the unconscious dimensions of power, ideology, and social conditioning, psychotherapy has the potential to challenge the cultural narratives that shape and constrain personal identity. The course will explore the intersections of psyche and society, asking: How do social systems and historical forces become internalized as unconscious structures? In what ways can psychodynamic therapy foster not just individual healing, but also a more critical awareness of cultural oppression and systemic inequities?  Topics include Philip Cushman’s critique of the “self-contained” self and the cultural-historical construction of psychological suffering, feminist perspectives on therapy as a site of resistance and empowerment, and the idea of the cultural complex (as developed by Thomas Singer and others) for understanding how collective archetypes shape and distort the psyche. Insights from critical theory and social justice frameworks that reveal the political undercurrents of psychological work.  Through readings, discussion, and case study analysis, participants will consider how the therapeutic encounter can resist conformist and consumerist narratives, supporting clients in reclaiming agency, voice, and meaning. The seminar encourages a dialogue between inner and outer worlds, honoring psychotherapy as both a personal and cultural act of liberation.

Curricular Notes

AION 404 occupies a pivotal position within the 400-level curriculum by making explicit a dimension that is often implicit or disavowed in psychodynamic work: the political character of psychological life. Drawing centrally on the work of Philip Cushman, the course reframes psychotherapy not as a neutral technology of self-adjustment, but as a practice embedded within—and capable of resisting—historical, economic, and ideological forces. This course develops clinicians’ capacity for ethical and cultural reflexivity, enabling them to recognize when therapeutic work unconsciously reinforces dominant ideologies—and when it might instead open space for agency, critique, and transformation.

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CE Value

This event spans 6 clock hours and awards 6 hours of Continuing Education.

Fees

$420 for CE credit
$380 for non CE / auditing
$320 for pre-licensed students

course status

This course is a live webinar. It counts as Elective credit towards any of Aion's certificate programs.

faculty

Cara Hagerty, M.A

Prerequisites

None

Discord Link

Discord Link

If you’re curious about this course, or enrolled in it, please join our Discord Channel dedicated to it.

Event
details

Upon completion of this seminar, participants will be able to:
  1. Analyze how cultural, historical, and political systems (e.g., patriarchy, neoliberalism, colonialism) become internalized as unconscious structures that shape subjectivity, symptom formation, and identity development, drawing on Cushman’s critique of the “self-contained” self and Foucault’s historical analysis of madness.
  2. Evaluate DSM-based diagnoses, particularly personality and trauma-related diagnoses, through a psychodynamic framework that incorporates contextual and liberation psychology perspectives, identifying how power, gender, and oppression shape diagnostic categories, clinical meanings, and treatment trajectories.
  3. Apply the concept of the cultural complex (Singer) to clinical material, demonstrating how collective archetypes, historical trauma, and shared mythologies unconsciously organize individual affect, defenses, and relational patterns within the therapeutic encounter.
  4. Formulate psychodynamically informed clinical interventions that resist conformist, consumerist, and patriarchal narratives by supporting clients’ agency, voice, and symbolic meaning-making, integrating feminist psychoanalytic theory (Benjamin, Gilligan) and liberation-oriented clinical ethics

Belsey, C. (1993). Psychoanalysis and politics. Diacritics, 23(1), 45–57.

Benjamin, J. (1988). The bonds of love: Psychoanalysis, feminism, and the problem of domination. Pantheon Books.

Cushman, P. (1995). Constructing the self, constructing America: A cultural history of psychotherapy. Addison-Wesley.

Foucault, M. (1965). Madness and civilization: A history of insanity in the age of reason (R. Howard, Trans.). Vintage Books. (Original work published 1961)

Gilligan, C., & Snider, N. (2018). Why does patriarchy persist? Polity Press.

LaMothe, R. (2015). Political resistance as cure? Free Associations: Psychoanalysis and Culture, Media, Groups, Politics, (67). 

Lerner, G. (1986). The creation of patriarchy. Oxford University Press.

McWilliams, N. (2011). Psychoanalytic diagnosis: Understanding personality structure in the clinical process (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.

Singer, T., & Kimbles, S. (2014). The cultural complex: An introduction. Psychological Perspectives, 57(1), 1–16.

Vanderwees, C., & Hennessy, K. (Eds.). (2019). Psychoanalysis, politics, oppression and resistance: Lacanian perspectives. Routledge.

Aion Institute courses are open to all licensed mental health professionals, residents, interns, and graduate students in training, as well as members of the lay public who have an interest in psychodynamic psychology. Please use the following descriptions of our instructional level to gauge your own comfort level with the content.

✅ Introductory Level
For those beginning the path or seeking reorientation.
Courses at this level provide foundational knowledge in psychodynamic and integrative frameworks. No prior specialization is required—only a readiness to engage with depth-oriented psychological thought. These classes introduce core concepts, language, and philosophical underpinnings essential to the Aion curriculum.

Intermediate Level
For those building structure upon the foundation.
Intermediate courses deepen theoretical understanding and clinical application. Participants are expected to have prior exposure to psychoanalytic or Jungian concepts. These courses explore the evolution of major schools of thought, integrative approaches, and the emergence of relational and neurobiological paradigms, inviting greater complexity and case-based reflection.

Advanced Level
For those prepared to engage with nuance, synthesis, and transformation.
Advanced courses assume substantial familiarity with depth psychological theory and practice. Here, we move toward integrative models, complex case formulation, and contemporary theoretical frontiers. The focus is on synthesis, symbolic analysis, and the practitioner’s evolving stance as both healer and theoretician.

Hard Mode
For those willing to be changed.
Hard Mode courses are not merely advanced—they are initiatory. Designed for highly motivated participants, these offerings require deep reading, active participation, and a willingness to engage psychologically, imaginatively, and ethically. They are immersive, demanding, and transformational. These courses may involve longer sessions, seminar-style discussion, original writing or creative response, and the expectation that participants contribute to a shared field of inquiry. They are suited for those who seek to embody the work, not merely study it.

The Aion Institute reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule any event, for which registrants will receive a full refund or credit. Refunds for payment processed online via electronic means will be refunded back to the credit card within 2 weeks after the cancellation.

Participants who wish to cancel their registration and paid registration fees online may be eligible for refund.

Participants may cancel their registration through the self-serve page accessed via the link included in the confirmation email sent after registration.

Please keep in mind that canceling a registration on the self-serve page does not automatically process a refund. Aion will refund cancellations made at least 24 hours prior to the start of this event.

The Aion Institute is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all participants.

This event is conducted online using a virtual meeting platform (Zoom). We encourage all attendees to ensure that their technological setup—audio, video, internet connection, and device settings—meets their individual accessibility needs prior to the event.

If you require any additional support, accommodations, or accessibility considerations in order to participate fully, please don’t hesitate to contact us through one of the contact forms on this website. We will make every reasonable effort to ensure your learning experience is welcoming, respectful, and attuned to your needs.

There is no commercial support for this Aion Institute program, nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.

Continuing Education (CE) Provider Approvals

The Aion Institute is approved by the California Psychological Association to provide continuing professional education for psychologists. The Aion Institute (AIO279) maintains responsibility for this program and its content.