Psychoanalysis training for people without a college degree
Yes, you can train as a psychoanalyst without a college degree. In Brazil, psychoanalysis is not a profession regulated by a specific law, nor is it exclusive to psychologists or physicians. That is why the training does not require a higher-education diploma. Academia Enlevo accepts students with and without a degree in its Clinical Psychoanalysis training, 100% online, with 720 hours of content, live classes every two weeks, and cohorts for debate and case analysis.
What defines a psychoanalyst is not the diploma they started with, but their training path, known as the psychoanalytic tripod: theoretical study, personal analysis and clinical supervision. That path is where Enlevo focuses its training.
Why psychoanalysis does not require a college degree
Psychoanalysis was born outside the university. Freud founded the psychoanalytic movement in associations and study groups, and in The Question of Lay Analysis (1926) he argued that people without medical training could practice psychoanalysis, as long as they had solid psychoanalytic training.
In Brazil, the psychoanalyst occupation is listed in the Brazilian Classification of Occupations (CBO 2515-50). Occupational classification is not regulation: there is no federal council of psychoanalysis and no law restricting practice to a specific degree. The topic is explained in detail in the articles Psychoanalysis and Its Legality and Federal Council of Psychoanalysis: myth or reality?.
This does not mean the training can be shallow. It means that responsibility for quality falls on the school and on the student. That is why it pays to choose a training program with a method, a clear course load and real space for clinical discussion.
Who can take the training at Academia Enlevo
| Profile | Can enroll? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| No degree, any level of schooling | Yes | The only formal requirement is age: 18, or 16 with permission from a parent or guardian |
| Graduates in any field (education, law, business, nursing…) | Yes | Previous experience becomes clinical repertoire |
| Psychologists and mental health professionals | Yes | Psychoanalysis deepens the listening they already practice |
| People changing careers, at any age | Yes | See Training after 30, 40 or 50 |
| Brazilians living abroad | Yes | See Study from abroad |
How the training works for people without a degree
The course is the same for every student: there is no “easier version” for people without a college degree. The Método Alma Enlevo was designed to start from the fundamentals and build up to clinical practice, without assuming prior training in psychology.
- Fundamentals: the history of psychoanalysis, Freud, the unconscious, drive, repression and symptom, in clear language with no unnecessary jargon.
- Clinical theory: transference, resistance, clinical structures, dreams and slips.
- Practice: case discussion in your cohort, listening and the ethics of clinical work.
- Live classes every two weeks: to ask questions and go deeper into topics with teachers. All of them are recorded.
- Cohort: the space where you debate ideas, concepts and cases with classmates from different backgrounds. Learn more in How cohorts work.
What you do need, besides the diploma you don’t
- Time to study: the training totals 720 hours, with a minimum of 6 months, at your own pace, and access to the content for up to 2 years.
- Willingness to undergo personal analysis: it is part of the tripod and is decisive for anyone who wants to see patients. You choose who you do it with.
- Supervision when you start seeing patients: at Enlevo it is optional and you choose the supervisor. See Clinical supervision.
- Ethical conduct: calling yourself a psychoanalyst carries weight. See The weight of calling yourself a psychoanalyst.
With the certificate, can I see patients?
When you complete the training, you receive the Academia Enlevo certificate. With it, together with your path of personal analysis and supervision, you can work as a psychoanalyst in private practice, in person or online. The practical step-by-step is in How to open a psychoanalysis practice.
The certificate from a non-degree psychoanalysis course is not a college diploma and is not equivalent to a degree in psychology. It attests to your psychoanalytic training, which is what the practice requires.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a college degree to train in psychoanalysis?
No. Psychoanalysis does not require a degree in Brazil, and Academia Enlevo accepts students without higher education.
Does a psychoanalyst need to register with the CRP?
No. The CRP is the psychologists’ council. Psychoanalysts who are not psychologists do not register with the CRP and may not present themselves as psychologists.
Is Enlevo’s training recognized by the MEC?
No, and no psychoanalyst training at an independent school needs to be. Non-degree courses do not depend on MEC authorization. The MEC regulates undergraduate and graduate degrees, not psychoanalytic training. See Does psychoanalysis require a MEC diploma?.
Do people without a degree learn at the same pace?
Yes. The method starts from the fundamentals, and the cohort helps: students from different fields learn from one another.
Can I start now?
New cohorts start frequently. See the next cohort in Training.