Who We Are

Mission:  The Psychodynamic Couple and Family Institute of New England (PCFINE) is a nonprofit organization offering postgraduate professional training, public education and consultation to community agencies.

PCFINE was created and is sustained by mental health professionals who are committed to an integrated conceptual model that includes psychodynamic ways of understanding unconscious functioning in couples and families and systemic insights into the organization and structure of interpersonal conflict.

History:  In 1993, a group of senior clinicians founded PCFINE with a commitment to wedding psychodynamic theory with a complementary understanding of how interpersonal systems function. The Institute’s approach respects the integrity of individuals while also recognizing the significance of interpersonal, particularly family, contexts in shaping experience. From marriages and families to social institutions and government, our lives are organized around complex relationships and their impact on us. Enriching the experience of individuals, couples, families and of the professionals who respond to their needs drives the PCFINE mission.

Consultation & Public Education:  PCFINE is available to provide pro bono consultation to agencies working directly with families in crisis. A deeper grasp of human behavior, family dynamics, and unconscious motivation and conflict can empower human services professionals to develop more effective and far-reaching interventions when helping families at risk.

PCFINE consultations aim to achieve both short and long term results. In the short term, professionals will gain confidence and greater expertise in addressing the multiple needs of their clients. In the long term, training those on the front lines – social workers, housing advocates, day care teachers, judges, and pediatricians, among others – will ultimately result in these professionals reaching the broadest number of families possible. In the end, more resilient families will lead to a healthier community and society.

Leadership:  A list of current and past leadership can be found here.

Faculty:  A list of our faculty can be found here.