Live CE Webinar Open for Registration
Course Description
This course is an inquiry into the reclamation of voice, body, and myth within the landscape of psychoanalysis. Moving beyond critique, we enter the terrain where feminist thinkers have sought to unbind the psyche from the structures of patriarchy and give language to what was long silenced. The course draws from Gerda Lerner’s The Creation of Patriarchy, tracing the historical architecture of gendered power that still shapes the psychological and cultural unconscious. From there, the luminous and radical voices of Rachel Hillel, Hélène Cixous, and Monique Wittig will guide discussion of the intersections of language, sexuality, and identity as sites of both oppression and liberation.
Curricular Notes
AION 408 occupies a crucial position within the 400-level curriculum as a course devoted to psychological liberation through language, embodiment, and mythic re-visioning. Where earlier courses interrogate structure, ethics, and symbolic architecture, this seminar addresses the historical and linguistic conditions under which subjectivity itself has been constrained or rendered unspeakable.
By engaging feminist thinkers who write from within the struggle for voice rather than merely about it, the course returns clinicians to the ethical heart of psychotherapy: the restoration of speech, agency, and symbolic authority. In this sense, AION 408 does not simply critique patriarchy—it models how imagination, language, and embodied presence become instruments of psychological freedom.
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CE Value
This event spans 4 clock hours and awards 4 hours of Continuing Education.
Fees
$280 for CE credit
$190 for non CE / auditing
$150 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
To be announced.
Prerequisites
None
Discord Link
If you’re curious about this course, or enrolled in it, please join our Discord Channel dedicated to it.
Event
details
Learning Objectives
- Describe how patriarchal social structures have historically shaped psychological development, symbolic life, and clinical theory, using feminist scholarship to contextualize gendered experience within the cultural unconscious.
- Analyze feminist theories of language, voice, and embodiment as psychological interventions, identifying how silencing, erasure, and linguistic constraint function as mechanisms of psychic oppression.
- Differentiate feminist approaches that move beyond critique toward imaginative and symbolic reclamation, enabling clinicians to recognize liberation as a psychological process rather than solely a sociopolitical demand.
- Apply feminist insights to psychotherapeutic practice by attending to voice, narrative authority, and embodied subjectivity, thereby supporting clients’ recovery of agency, self-authorship, and symbolic presence within the clinical encounter.
References
Benjamin, J. (1988). The bonds of love: Psychoanalysis, feminism, and the problem of domination. Pantheon Books.
Cixous, H. (1976). The laugh of the Medusa (K. Cohen & P. Cohen, Trans.). Signs, 1(4), 875–893.
Garcia, M. (2011). We are not born submissive: How patriarchy shapes women’s lives. Princeton University Press.
Hillel, R. (1997). The redemption of the feminine erotic soul. Nicolas‑Hays, Inc.
Hillel, R.. (2005). Asking for words: Writing, reading, and the practice of feminist theology. Continuum.
Lerner, G. (1986). The creation of patriarchy. Oxford University Press.
Pipher, M. (2005). Reviving Ophelia: Saving the selves of adolescent girls. Riverhead Trade.
Wittig, M.. (1992). The straight mind and other essays. Beacon Press.
Target Audience
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.
Cancellation Policy
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.
Event accessibility
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.
Statement of Commercial Support
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.