214: Winnicott
Instructor(s)
Irene Cairo, M.D.
Rogelio A. Sosnik, M.D.
April 27 – June 8, 2026
Mondays, 8:35 – 10:00 pm
No class: 5/25
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the work of Donal Winnicott, a contemporary and supervisee of Melanie Klein, and later a critic. This brief course highlights his ideas on early development, the way he conceptualized psychoses and his very specific approach to technique.
Evaluation Method
Each student’s participation in class discussion and demonstration of understanding of the course objectives, readings and clinical material is assessed in a written evaluation by the instructor(s).
Educational Objectives
- Understand Winnicott’s unique ideas on early development, specifically how the interaction between mother and baby helps the organization of the mind, and the important notion of the transitional object.
- Describe the way Winnicott conceptualized psychoses , specifically the idea of breakdown.
- Describe Winnicott’s ideas on countertransference and technique, with a clear notion of his thought on the use of an object in the analytic situation.
These articles are protected under relevant copyright regulations. They are available in the New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute Electronic Reserve for your convenience, and for your personal use.
READINGS FOR 2026 CLASS ARE NOT YET CONFIRMED.
CLASS 1: April 27, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
O’Shaughnessy, E. (2013). Where is Here? When is Now?. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 94:7-16.
Joseph, B. (2013). Here and Now: My Perspective. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 94:1-5.
CLASS 2: May 4, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
Blass, R. B. (2011). On the Immediacy of Unconscious Truth: Understanding Betty Joseph’s ‘here and now’ through Comparison with Alternative Views of it outside of and Within Kleinian Thinking. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 92:1137-1157.
CLASS 3: May 11, 2026
Clinical Presentation by Nicole Regent, M.D.
(Read: Background on Projective Identification)
REQUIRED READINGS
Joseph, B. (1983). On Understanding and not Understanding: Some Technical Issues. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 64:291-298.
Ogden, T. H. (1979). On Projective Identification. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 60:357-373.
CLASS 4: May 18, 2026
Clinical Presentation by Nicole Regent, M.D.
(Read: Background on Projective Identification)
REQUIRED READINGS
Feldman, M. (1994) Projective Identification In Phantasy and Enactment. Psychoanalytic Inquiry 14:423-440.
CLASS 5: Jun 1, 2026
REQUIRED READINGS
O’Shaughnessy, E. (1983). Words and Working Through. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 64:281-289.
Pick, I. B. (1985). Working Through in the Countertransference. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 66:157-166.
SUPPLEMENTAL READINGS
Kenny, E. T. (2021). Immediacy in Kleinian Analysis and Transference-Focused Psychotherapy: A Call for Engagement. IJP Open – Open Peer Review and Debate, 8:1-25.
Blass, R. (2023). On the Nature of Transference Interpretation and Why Only it Can Bring about Analytic Change. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 104:701-721.
Davids, M. F. (2022). Race and Analytic Neutrality: Clinical and Theoretical Considerations. The Psychoanalytic quarterly, 91(2), 371–393. https://doi.org/10.1080/00332828.2022.2097796
Weiss, H. (2014). Projective Identification and Working through of the Countertransference: A Multiphase Model. International Journal of Psychoanalysis, 95:739-756.
Zeavin, L. (2023). Interpretation: Time, Timing, Loss, and Recovery in the Analytic Hour. Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 71(6), 1085–1105. https://doi.org/10.1177/00030651241233727