Anne B. Simpson, Ph.D.

As a therapist with a Ph.D. in psychoanalysis, I have over a decade of experience working with individuals and couples from all walks of life.  My Ph.D. is from the New Center for Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles, and I am licensed by the Medical Board of California, #RP209.  Additionally, I hold certification in advanced psychodynamic psychotherapy from the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute.

 

Dedicated to helping train new generations of psychoanalytic therapists, I teach on the faculty of the four-year psychoanalytic training and two-year psychotherapy programs at the New Center for Psychoanalysis. At Pasadena’s Rose City Counseling Center, I supervise doctoral interns in psychology every year.  I have made presentations on psychoanalytic therapy in various settings, including the San Gabriel Valley Psychological Association, Counseling West, La Vie Counseling Center, and the New Center for Psychoanalysis.  

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Current psychoanalytic and therapeutic affiliations include memberships in the American Psychoanalytic Association, the International Psychoanalytic Association, the San Gabriel Valley Psychological Association, and the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.  

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I have a second Ph.D. in English literature.  My love of literature developed early in my life, when I realized that creative writers can be deeply attuned to our emotions and capture these powerfully in words. As a professor in the California State University system for many years, I’ve won awards for both teaching and writing.  My diverse students at Cal State have included young people experiencing college for the first time and older adults pursuing advanced degrees and lifelong dreams.

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Highlighting how the experiences of a psychoanalyst may offer new ways to explore literary fiction, I’ve written a book, Territories of the Psyche: The Fiction of Jean Rhys (published by Palgrave Macmillan). Here I place the works of an important modern novelist in a fresh context by analyzing these from the perspective of psychoanalytic theories of personal identity and intimate attachments. 

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My background has shown me that we all bring to our lives numerous potentials. These can lead to rich and versatile ways of expressing who we are.