Paying It Forward: Supporting the Future of Psychoanalytic Training
08 Oct 2025 |
Paying it Forward
By Anton Babushkin, Ph.D.
When I began my analytic training in 2009, I had no idea how transformative the journey would be—not just professionally, but personally. The path to becoming a psychoanalyst is long, and demanding, and requires extraordinary dedication. It also requires financial resources that can feel overwhelming.
I was fortunate. While I paid for much of my training myself, scholarship support from generous community members helped offset some of the costs of my analysis and tuition. Those donors—many of whom I never met—believed in the importance of keeping psychoanalytic training accessible. Even modest scholarship support made a meaningful difference in easing the financial burden of a long training journey.
Now, as a graduate analyst, I find myself reflecting on that generosity with profound gratitude. The training I received didn’t just shape my practice; it changed how I understand human suffering, resilience, and growth. Every patient I work with benefits from the investment that community made in me years ago.
That’s why I’m excited about the upcoming 2025 Michigan Psychoanalytic Foundation Benefit. This year, we’re celebrating the remarkable work of Dr. Felicia Brabec—a clinical psychologist, former state legislator, and tireless advocate for mental health who embodies the intersection of clinical excellence and community service.
But this event is about more than honoring one person’s achievements. It’s about ensuring that the next generation of analysts has the same opportunities I did. The Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute provides invaluable post-graduate training, teaches psychodynamic therapy to psychiatric residents across southeast Michigan, and offers mental health services regardless of patients’ ability to pay through the Mel Bornstein Clinic.
These programs rely on community support. The faculty donate many, many hours of teaching and administrative time, but sustaining the infrastructure, buildings, and operations requires funding—funding that directly supports current candidates and makes training accessible to future ones.
When you contribute to this benefit, you’re not just supporting an institution. You’re investing in individual trainees who are working to deepen their clinical skills. You’re helping to break down financial barriers that might otherwise prevent talented clinicians from pursuing this path.
Perhaps you received help in your training, whatever your field. Now you can pay it forward with the same kind of generosity that changed my life.
I never imagined, back in 2009, that I would one day be in a position to give back. But here I am, asking you to join me in supporting the Michigan Psychoanalytic Foundation. Whether you attend the benefit on November 9th or make a donation, your contribution will help create opportunities for others the way others created opportunities for me. Because at the end of the day, this work isn’t just about training analysts. It’s about ensuring that our community has skilled, deeply trained mental health professionals who can provide the kind of care that truly transforms lives.
Let’s pay it forward together.
Brochure of Educational Programs