Psychoanalyst

Psychoanalysts work with clients to explore unconscious emotions that may have led to unhappiness, difficult personality traits, or problems at work or in relationships. They aim to help the individual overcome problems and lead a more satisfying life.

Psychoanalysts:

• work one to one with patients to help them uncover thought and behavioural patterns
• encourage patients to identify and understand their emotional states
• help patients to start dealing with their problems.

Psychoanalysts usually see each patient four or five times a week. They do not take notes during the session, but generally write down their observations after the patient has left. Each session lasts 50 minutes.

Treatment is usually a long and painstaking process and psychoanalysts have to build a strong relationship with each patient. To some extent, they have to put themselves in their patient's shoes, but also be able to step back and not allow problems raised in the session to affect their own state of mind.

Most psychoanalysts work in private practice, so the number of hours they work each week depends on how many patients they treat. Their working times may include evenings and weekends. Many work part time.

Psychoanalysts meet patients in a consulting room that is comfortable, quiet and free from interruptions.

Salaries range from around £40,000 a year to £60,000 or more. Fees per session tend to be between £45 and £70.

A psychoanalyst should:

• be an excellent listener with good observation skills
• be able to work very closely with people who may be suffering from severe emotional problems
• be prepared to work through some intense and unpleasant emotions and experiences with patients
• have compassion and empathy
• be self-aware and prepared to undergo analysis themselves
• enjoy working intensively with people.

There are thought to be around 400 psychoanalysts working in the UK. Most are self-employed. Many combine their psychoanalytic work with part-time work in psychiatric hospitals and units, child guidance clinics, specialist schools, consultation centres and prisons.

Psychoanalysis is almost always a second career. Entrants are often experienced in other fields, such as psychology, psychiatry, counselling or social work.

To qualify as a psychoanalyst, candidates must complete a training course approved by the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA).

Applicants for psychoanalysis training usually have a first degree or a professional qualification, and need to pass a series of interviews.

Training is part time and it takes at least four years to qualify. There are three parts to the training course:

• personal psychoanalysis with an approved training analyst throughout the whole of the training period
• theoretical and clinical seminars
• psychoanalysis of two patients under the supervision of a qualified psychoanalyst.

Psychoanalysts may choose to do further study and specialise in a particular area of work, such as child psychoanalysis.

Experienced psychoanalysts may move into a teaching role.

Further details