The Inner Life of Addiction: Substance Abuse, Psychoanalytic Theory, and Clinical Practice

Instructor
Dr. Holly Han

Date & Time
Saturdays, August 8, 15, 22, 2026
10:00–11:30am PST

Location
Hybrid Course
In-Person and Online

CEs
4.5 CEs offered for qualifying professionals

Course fee
Early Bird (through July 25)
$135 for licensed therapists / $100 for pre-licensed and students

Late Registration (July 25–Aug 7)
$155  for licensed therapists / $120  for pre-licensed and students

Learn more here, https://thealamopsychotherapy.com/courses/innerlifeofaddiction

This three-part seminar explores substance use disorders through a sustained psychoanalytic lens, drawing from classical and contemporary theory to deepen both conceptual understanding and clinical responsiveness. Rather than treating addiction as a symptom alone, the course examines what psychoanalytic thinking uniquely illuminates: the relational, developmental, and unconscious dimensions of compulsive use, and what these reveal about the inner life of the patient sitting across from us.

Equal attention is given to the theoretical and the clinical. Participants will leave with a more nuanced framework for understanding substance use presentations and greater confidence in bringing analytic sensibility to this often challenging work.

Instructor Credentials
Holly Han, PsyD, LMFT is a psychoanalyst and Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice. She is a Training and Supervising Analyst and the Vice President of Newport Psychoanalytic Institute. Holly is a co-founder and clinical director of The Malama Collective, a psychoanalytically informed community mental health clinic. One of her areas of interest is addictions and she has worked in several addiction treatment centers and in correctional settings. In addition to clinical work she teaches and provides consultation.

We hope to see you again at future programs and community events! Stay tuned via our newsletter, or visit our Courses page for upcoming offerings.