Using a ranking system more flawed and less transparent than USNews I have created a list of top programs for psychotherapy with some deliberately controversial inclusions and omissions! There is some truth in it, but like most rankings don't take it too seriously but it would be nice if it started off a discussion and caused aggrieved residents to come and defend their program!
One week away from the match, and I'd love to revive some discussion on this topic, given all us medical student tend to really value therapy training in making our decision, but truthfully have no idea how to evaluate it. Here is my ranking of the top ten programs (really in no particular order) from the handful of programs I interviewed at, which is mostly an amorphous impression from the half day or so at each program, but ill try to throw in some objective details.
1. Cornell- my interviewers were psychoanalyzing me super intense, with an old fashioned blank slate kind of persona that may strike some people as cold if they aren't used to the tradition. . One deliberately set me up with a question to make me feel insecure and see how I reacted spontaneously to stressful situations, which was actually kinda cool on hindsight. The PD is described as a psychoanalytic surgeon, was recruited from PP, and wrote a textbook on psychoanalysis with a revision coming out soon. They do some psychoanalytic research too. Supervision can include sessions with video recording.
2. Cambridge- I got asked personal questions during the interview with the PD, and was (deliberately I think) asked a potentially awkward question to answer in front of the group. The residents were super warm and genuinely interested in your life experiences, so somewhat of a different feel to Cornell's psychoanalytic tradition. PD talked about (possibly unique?) supervision that reviews session audio tapes. 3month DBT at mass mental with longwood residents.
3. Mount Sinai. Another psychodynamically trained PD, and young APD with clear passion for psychoanalysis. Super flexible PGY3 outpatient t year to carve out your own caseload, with strong supervision it seems. It's is based on their formal affiliation with the reputedly best psychoanalytic institute in manhattan (NYU also uses this institute), with the institutes director leading a case interview at the inpatient ward during weekly rounds for residents to observe. One PGY3 talked about his decision to go there mainly because of a child psychoanalyst that transferred there, and has a handful of such cases as part of his caseload.
4. MGH McLean- has PiP (program in psychotherapy) and Dr waldinger was mentioned repeatedly on the NY interview trail when asked about strength of Boston's psychoanalytic training. He is the codirector recruited from LW recently. Formally affiliated with the most formal and traditional analytic institute in the area. Tons of supervisory faculty available. And McLean has kind of the old school analytic feel to their grounds, like the old Payne Whitney clinic.
5. Columbia- reportedly the only department to have it own analytic training department embedded within. Well known director of psychotherapy education, who writes and publishes quite a bit.
6. UPenn- has Dr Sommers as co- program director, and the only NIH funded psychotherapy research in the country (per website).
7. UCSF- best in the west by reputation, with strong analytic institutes in the city and a hippie culture that probably embraces alternative therapies more than SoCal.
8. AECOM- very psychodynamic feel to all of their leadership, obvious in the interview questions. Warm and fuzzy type of psychodynamics.. Residents take pride in their therapy training.
9. UW Seattle- Linehan and DBT is incorporate into seemingly everywhere, from VA Inpatient ward to maximum security juvenile detention center.
10. Stanford- Irvin Yalom, father of group psychotherapy and author of several fascinating books, APD is psychodynamically trained, and lots of affiliated faculty to supervise. Have to self initiate opportunities tho, as their curriculum is known for flexibility and does not incorporate it into their mandatory curriculum.
11. Longwood- BIDMC has a psychodynamic reputation, and residents get to choose between a 3m CBT or DBT rotation at mass mental, which are both well known (CBT for psychosis, and DBT led by a direct mentee of Linehan).
