The Washington School of Psychiatry is dedicated to the promotion of human welfare through the advancement of mental health. The School offers postgraduate professional education and training, fosters the spirit of inquiry, and offers a wide range of mental health services in the Washington metropolitan area.

The School also is an active center that provides public information, education, and advocacy for the best in mental health scholarship, training and treatment. It invites individuals and organizations from the mental health professions and from the community at large to join in this task.

Building on a foundation of psychodynamic psychotherapy, the Washington School draws in other theoretical and treatment orientations. It encourages dialogue and research that integrate emerging developments from psychological, biological and socio-cultural research while preserving the valuable body of knowledge that has been gathered in the 20th and 21st centuries.

In pursuit of its task, the School continues a tradition of open inquiry and inclusiveness which promotes respect for the uniqueness of every individual. The School strives to foster an environment in which the range of significant differences among individuals (e.g. race, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, ability and disability, religion, social class) can be better understood, valued, and worked with in our teaching and therapeutic practice. We seek to challenge stereotypes and to develop cultural competence and sensitivity to racism and discrimination through self-reflection, ongoing self-evaluation, and open dialogue.