Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute

Bagels that give back 🥯🧠Join us at Chicago Bagel Fest on Saturday, March 7th from 10am to 2pm in Wrigleyville for bagel ...
02/02/2026

Bagels that give back 🥯🧠

Join us at Chicago Bagel Fest on Saturday, March 7th from 10am to 2pm in Wrigleyville for bagel tastings from Chicago’s best bakeries, live acoustic music, photo ops, giveaways, and more.

When you buy your ticket using our code CPI, you get 5% off AND $5 from each ticket directly supports the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. Funds raised help support accessible mental health care, clinical training, and programs like the Barr Harris Children and Family Grief Center.

Grab your ticket through the link in our bio or purchase directly here and use code CPI at checkout

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/chicago-bagel-fest-bagel-tastings-live-acoustic-music-photo-ops-more-tickets-1704424422329

Eat bagels. Support mental health. Everybody wins!

Honoring Black psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic thinkers whose work expanded the field, challenged institutions, and de...
02/01/2026

Honoring Black psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic thinkers whose work expanded the field, challenged institutions, and deepened our understanding of race, trauma, and the inner world.

Their contributions continue to shape how we think, train, and practice today.

Swipe to learn more. Save to revisit. Share to amplify.

Today we recognize International Education Day and the power of education to connect people across cultures, generations...
01/24/2026

Today we recognize International Education Day and the power of education to connect people across cultures, generations, and lived experiences. At CPI, education is central to how we train clinicians, support lifelong learning, and deepen understanding of the human mind.

If you are interested in learning more about our education programs, we invite you to join one of our upcoming Education Program Open House events. Virtual open houses will be held February 3 and 5, 2026, with an in-person event on February 27, 2026.

📚🌍

Happy Birthday to Our Founder, Franz Alexander!Today marks the anniversary of the birth of Franz Alexander, the Hungaria...
01/22/2026

Happy Birthday to Our Founder, Franz Alexander!

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of Franz Alexander, the Hungarian-American psychoanalyst who found the Institute in 1932. Alexander was born 135 years ago today in Budapest. He is pictured here with British analyst John Bowlby, as well as fellow Institute analysts Gerhard and Maria Piers. Gerhard Piers would succeed Alexander as Institute director.

In her latest book, Alexander’s granddaughter, Ilonka Alexander, shares the most recent findings of her ongoing research into the life and work of her grandfather. Franz Alexander often seems like a towering and imposing figure in the psychoanalytic world, working tirelessly to promote the discipline.

By contrast, the man portrayed in The Lost Legacy of Franz Alexander is often quite unsure of the value of the contributions he has made, and wonders whether he has lived up to the example set by his father, philosophy professor Dr. Bernard Alexander.

Ilonka Alexander quotes from her grandfather’s own writings to document this father-son relationship: “Ironically, despite his brilliant mind, [Franz] Alexander speaks repeatedly of his insecurity and internal conflict caused by an unclear sense of self. He thought his father was nearly perfect and yearned to impress him.”

Despite this insecurity, or perhaps because of it, Franz Alexander brought many significant and lasting changes to the study of the mind. One of the most significant of these changes was the research he and his clinical staff at the Institute made into the ways stress in the external environment affects the body as well as the mind.

While the term “psychosomatics” has largely fallen out of favor, the concept of the link between external and internal phenomena survives in the term “mind-body connection.” The link survives as well in the clinical disciplines of consult-liaison psychiatry and psychoneuroimmunology.

Ilonka quotes her grandfather as saying the following: “The body never lies, it is the consistent and reliable diary of our lives, detailing our internal experiences through its reactions and states.”

We honor the life and legacy of Dr. Elise Snyder.Dr. Snyder was a psychoanalyst, teacher, and bridge builder whose work ...
01/21/2026

We honor the life and legacy of Dr. Elise Snyder.

Dr. Snyder was a psychoanalyst, teacher, and bridge builder whose work shaped generations of clinicians and patients far beyond any one place or country.

At the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute, she was a vital force in expanding distance learning, helping to make psychoanalytic education accessible across borders. Through her deep commitment to international teaching, especially with Chinese students, she fostered meaningful clinical and intellectual exchange and helped cultivate psychoanalytic thinking in new cultural contexts.

By bringing psychoanalytic ideas to China and supporting students from abroad through innovative learning models, she created space for emotional depth, reflection, and healing where it had not been widely accessible before.

Countless lives were changed because of her commitment, courage, and belief in the power of being seen and understood.

Her work reminds us that beneath suffering, anger, and despair is a human longing for recognition and care. Elise met that longing with steadiness, intellect, and deep compassion.

We are grateful for her life, her teaching, and the paths she opened for others to walk forward. May her memory continue to guide our work and our listening.

We invite those who knew Elise to share a memory, reflection, or moment of learning in the comments as we honor her life and legacy.

Do good with burritos tomorrow 🌯❤️Join us for our Chipotle fundraiser supporting the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. W...
12/17/2025

Do good with burritos tomorrow 🌯❤️

Join us for our Chipotle fundraiser supporting the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute. When you eat at Chipotle, a portion of your order helps support psychoanalytic education, training, and community mental health.

đź—“ Thursday December 18
⏰ 4–8 PM
📍 8 E Madison St Chicago
đź’» Order online for pickup using code Y2W3HCC or show the flyer in store

Comment below your go to Chipotle order ⬇️

Thank you for supporting CPI and eating for a good cause 🌯✨

and

Want to stay connected with everything happening at CPI? Our monthly newsletter shares updates on programs, community ev...
11/20/2025

Want to stay connected with everything happening at CPI? Our monthly newsletter shares updates on programs, community events, clinical insights, and stories that highlight the work happening across the Institute.

Subscribing is the best way to stay informed, learn about new offerings, and hear how our community continues to grow.

Join our email list through the link in our bio and stay in the loop with all things CPI! You can also access the link here: http://eepurl.com/iOi1eA

Today is World Mental Health Day đź’šAt the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute, we believe everyone deserves access to compas...
10/10/2025

Today is World Mental Health Day đź’š

At the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute, we believe everyone deserves access to compassionate, high-quality mental health care. Our mission is to train the next generation of psychoanalysts and psychotherapists and to ensure care is available to all who seek it.

Support our mission and help strengthen the future of mental health care: https://chicagoanalysis.org/donate/ or visit the link in our bio!

đź’ˇ Why do so many people now choose to give through a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)?Because DAFs can make generosity simpler, ...
10/06/2025

đź’ˇ Why do so many people now choose to give through a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)?

Because DAFs can make generosity simpler, smarter, and more impactful.

With flexibility, simplicity and easy ways to grow giving, a DAF help many supporters do more for the causes they care about most.

On DAF Day, October 9, you can use your DAF to support CPI and be part of a nationwide wave of giving. 🧡

👉 Learn how to give this DAF Day: Click the link in our bio! Or visit: https://chicagoanalysis.org/donate/

In Memoriam: Jonathan Lear (1948–2025)We mourn the passing of Professor Jonathan Lear, John U. Nef Distinguished Service...
09/25/2025

In Memoriam: Jonathan Lear (1948–2025)

We mourn the passing of Professor Jonathan Lear, John U. Nef Distinguished Service Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and the Department of Philosophy. A towering figure in modern philosophy and psychoanalysis, his work bridged rigorous thought and humane understanding.

From Radical Hope to Imagining the End, his writing challenged us to think deeply about ethics, culture, loss, and what it means to live well. He taught here from 1996 until his passing, shaping generations of students, colleagues, and readers.

We extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and all who were touched by his intellect and generosity. His legacy endures in the conversations he started, the minds he inspired, and the care he gave to ideas and to people. He will be profoundly missed by our faculty and the entire CPI community.

We invite you to share your favorite memory or words in honor of him in the comments 🤍

Dear Institute community,Ilonka Alexander is the granddaughter of Institute founder Franz Alexander. She is also a psych...
06/18/2025

Dear Institute community,

Ilonka Alexander is the granddaughter of Institute founder Franz Alexander. She is also a psychotherapist herself, as well as the author of several books about her grandfather and her family.

In the photo below, Ilonka's grandmother Anita Venier Alexander is pictured with an unidentified man. If anyone would like to help her with her current research project and might know who the man in the picture is, please reply in the comments.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Is burnout creeping in this summer?You’re not unmotivated or broken. Burnout is a real response to prolonged stress — an...
06/11/2025

Is burnout creeping in this summer?

You’re not unmotivated or broken. Burnout is a real response to prolonged stress — and it deserves real care. You deserve true rest.

Our Summer Support Series is here to help you recharge. For the first week, we’re focusing on small ways to recognize and recover from burnout so you can reconnect with yourself.

🌿 Therapy can be part of your reset. Visit the link in our bio!
đź“© Message us to learn more!

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8 S Michigan Avenue # 700
Chicago, IL
60603

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

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Human.Being.

Human beings and being human are at the core of the Chicago Psychoanalytic Institute’s mission. The Institute is dedicated to advancing knowledge of human beings— their feelings, thoughts and behavior—and to improving people’s lives.

Since 1932, the Institute has contributed to the expansion of the field of psychoanalysis through education and scholarship. Today, the Institute offers a contemporary model of psychoanalytic thought relevant to individual and community life.

The Institute’s education programs for mental health professionals provide advanced training in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. The Institute’s treatment centers provide psychoanalytically informed services for children, adolescents and adults. Its continuing education and community engagement programs bring psychoanalytic ideas to public discussions of cultural and social issues.