The Core Program for Clinical Psychoanalytic Training:
The clinical associate participates in a coordinated tripartite program which includes
the following:
1. Personal analysis: referred to as training analysis, with a training analyst
so designated by the American Psychoanalytic Association.
2. Didactic program: four or more years of seminars and case conferences, as described
under "Curriculum for Training."
3. Supervised practice of psychoanalysis.
The Training Analysis
Basic to psychoanalytic training is the student's personal psychoanalysis with a
training analyst. This frees him/her insofar as possible from neurotic conflicts
and personality problems which might interfere the treatment of psychoanalytic patients
and provides the student with the experience of undergoing psychoanalysis.
Therapeutic psychoanalysis prior to psychoanalytic training does not waive the requirement
for training analysis. Upon acceptance, students may choose an analyst from a list
of training analysts eligible to accept a new training analysand.
Newly accepted students are expected to begin training analysis at least six months
prior to beginning didactic courses. If the training analysis is not begun within
one year of acceptance, the Progression Committee may reconsider the person's eligibility
to proceed with training.
An overlap of at least six months of training analysis with the student's treatment
of supervised psychoanalytic cases is required. There is no requirement as to the
duration of the training analysis, and it need not be completed before graduation.
The Didactic Program
Classes for the core program are scheduled on Friday afternoons during the three
trimester, 32-week academic year from September to June. The first two trimesters
are thirteen weeks each while the third is six weeks. An average trimester includes
three 90 minute seminars each week. In addition there may be elective courses, tutorials,
independent study, etc.
A clinical associate is expected to complete all assigned courses, and to participate
in clinical seminars until graduation.
THE SUPERVISED PRACTICE OF PSYCHOANALYSIS
At the end of the first trimester of the first year curriculum, the clinical associate
becomes eligible to conduct supervised psychoanalysis upon the approval of the Progression
Committee. Before graduation, each clinical associate is required to have treated
a minimum of three psychoanalytic cases (also referred to as "control cases") under
the regular supervision of approved Supervising Analysts. All arrangements for supervision,
including fees, are made between the supervisors and clinical associates.
The requirement for graduation is that there are persons of both sexes among the
group of three supervised cases. All clinical associates may elect to treat a child
or adolescent control case as one of the required three cases. (Please see the section
on Supervised Child Analytic Casework for more information.) At least one of three
control cases must be completed, or alternatively, if four cases are in supervision,
one must be in the terminal phase of treatment prior to graduation. Certification
by the American Psychoanalytic Association may include additional requirements,
and students should inform themselves of these by inquiring directly of that Association.
Where it is geographically feasible, all clinical associates are required to treat
at least one case from the Psychoanalytic Clinic. This case may be either the first
or second control case and is treated at a reduced fee.
A clinical associate who has completed the didactic curriculum and has demonstrated
satisfactory work with three control cases may be advanced to "senior clinical associate"
status by the Progression Committee. Thereafter, supervision is not required beyond
the control cases necessary to meet the graduation requirements.
Since written case reports are a part of the application for certification, emphasis
is placed upon the student's ability to express psychoanalytic concepts and treatment
process in writing. Tutorial assistance is available on request from faculty members,
and a case-writing course is included in the curriculum.
Any modification in a student's participation in the program is subject to the approval
of the Progression Committee.
Progression
After each trimester, instructors and supervisors submit evaluations of each student's
work. Reports are reviewed by the Progression Committee, which then makes recommendations
and decisions relating to the clinical associate's progress through the program.
The Progression Committee may suspend or terminate a clinical associate's training
in case of failure to meet standards for reasonable progress toward graduation,
or for violations of ethical precepts for the practice of psychoanalysis. When termination
or suspension of training occurs, conditions, if any, for readmission are stipulated
by the Progression Committee.
Further information regarding details of the training program is supplied in the
form of a Student Handbook.
Link to Documents
