PROVISIONAL DRAFT

STANDARDS OF PSYCHOANALYTIC EDUCATION

National Accrediting Board in Psychoanalysis

I. SELECTION OF CANDIDATES FOR PSYCHOANALYTIC TRAINING

Selection of candidates for psychoanalytic training involves criteria having to do with eligibility and suitability. Evaluation of these capacities and qualities will be carried out by members of the institute's faculty by a process involving at least two interviews, at least one of which will include the presentation of clinical material. These preliminary evaluations then are to be reviewed and acted upon by an admissions committee or its equivalent.

Applicants for candidacy will not be excluded on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, ethnicity, age, sexual preference, or physical disability. An anti-discrimination clause will be prominently displayed in official publications of the institute.

 A. ELIGIBILITY FOR PSYCHOANALYTIC TRAINING

Eligibility refers to the requisite educational background and to the mastery of required skills.

1. To be eligible to undertake psychoanalytic training, a candidate will possess either an M.D., D.O., Ph.D., Psy.D., Ed.D., R.N. (plus a Masters degree with Clinical Specialist certification or Ph.D.), D.S.W., M.S.W. or other mental health degrees leading to certification or licensing in a mental health profession. It is the institute's responsibility to verify the applicant's credentials.

2. The applicant will have the ability to diagnose mental disorders and be capable of making differential diagnoses. S/he will be knowledgeable about psychodynamics and relevant treatment strategies. This should include a basic awareness of organic mental pathology and pharmacological regimens.

3. Psychotherapy training, preferably with both in- and outpatient populations, with adequate, close supervision is required. Some supervision of psychotherapy by psychoanalysts is recommended.

4. It is desirable that applicants have had didactic and/or practical experiences that would provide a broad understanding of the cultural, economic, ethnic, religious, and racial backgrounds of the rich diversity of patients in the American population.

5. Institutes will be responsible for providing educational and clinical experiences prior to or during the candidacy for any applicants who do not fully meet any of the above requirements (e.g. academics, residents or graduate students).

B. SUITABILITY FOR PSYCHOANALYTIC TRAINING

Suitability refers to the personal characteristics of the applicant deemed necessary for psychoanalytic training. A candidate will show evidence of integrity of character, maturity of personality, reasonable indication of capacity and motivation for self-reflection, psychological mindedness, demonstrable clinical aptitude, and appropriate intellectual ability. Evaluation of these capacities will be carried out through interviews with members of the institute's faculty supplemented by such additional studies and examinations as are deemed necessary.

An ethics violation disclaimer will be part of a candidate's admission procedure. If an ethical violation has ever been alleged, the institute is responsible for reviewing the allegation and its disposition.

II. PRACTICE

Candidates of accredited institutes are not authorized to represent themselves as psychoanalysts or to conduct analysis independently until such authorization is given by their institutes. After beginning training, candidates are not allowed to tell new patients that the patients are in psychoanalysis unless authorized by their institutes; the authorization to continue to represent oneself as an analyst once granted by an institute is contingent upon remaining in good standing as a candidate or upon graduating from the institute. Permission to undertake independent psychoanalytic treatment may be granted in the late stages of training prior to formal graduation.

III. PSYCHOANALYSIS OF CANDIDATES

It is recommended that the analysis of candidates be conducted at four or five sessions per week on separate days. The minimum requirement is three sessions per week on separate days. Analyses of candidates are expected to extend for a period of three years or more during the period of training and to begin prior to or concurrent with the beginning of classes unless there are special circumstances. An Institute will have the option of recognizing only its own members to analyze its candidates or of allowing its candidates to use recognized analysts of candidates from other Consortium institutes accredited by the National Accrediting Board in Psychoanalysis.

IV. EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

An Institute should demonstrate an open critical approach to the ever-changing corpus of psychoanalytic scholarship and research. The atmosphere of the institute is to be that of a community of scholars, respectful of the knowledge, experience and opinions of both faculty and candidates. The Institute should resemble a university in that the body of existing knowledge is critically examined and carefully considered; students and faculty alike are encouraged to seek new understandings through scholarship and research. An established Curriculum Committee, to include candidate input, will be in place to provide for a continuous review of curriculum and faculty performance.

V. CURRICULUM

The core curriculum will emphasize that the process of psychoanalysis includes (1) bringing unconscious elements into awareness, (2) recognizing the importance of developmental, social, cultural, familial, and interpersonal influences in determining the personality and (3) working with resistance, transference and countertransference phenomena to widen the analysand's understanding of self.

It is recommended that the didactic curriculum be conducted for a period of four to five years with a minimum requirement of three years. It is expected that classes will be conducted for a period of thirty or more weeks a year, with a minimum of three hours a week and a total minimum of 350 hours of classes.

The didactic curriculum will contain integrated sequences covering history, theory, development, and psychoanalytic technique from Freud to the present. Conferences and continuous case seminars will be offered to broaden the student's clinical experience and further the integration of theoretical concepts with clinical practice. It is expected that candidates for adult psychoanalytic training will be exposed to the basic data of child analysis. There may be programs within applicant institutes for child and adolescent psychoanalytic training, which the Board will also accredit.

VI. SUPERVISED CLINICAL WORK

It is recommended that candidates undertake the supervised analysis of at least three adult cases, with a required minimum of two adult cases, at an expected frequency of four or five times a week, with a minimum frequency of three times per week. It is required that a patient of each sex be treated in supervision except in special circumstances.

All supervision is to be conducted by supervising analysts duly accredited by the institute. It is recommended that two cases be supervised for at least two years and one case for at least one year; the minimum requirement will be one case for two years and one case for one year of supervision. At least 200 hours of supervision are recommended with a required minimum of 150 hours of supervision. It is expected that one case be supervised through termination before or after graduation.

When possible, it is recommended that candidates receive supervision from supervisors of different orientations and from supervisors of both sexes. It is considered proper educational policy that the candidate's personal analyst not be his supervising analyst. Since experience has shown that both training analysis and supervision benefit the candidate when concurrent, it is generally expected that the candidate be in analysis during a significant period of supervisory work.

These numerical standards are subordinate to the goal of receiving supervision during the major phases of an analysis and demonstrating a capacity to establish, facilitate and understand an analytic process.

VII. EVALUATION

The institute will be responsible for evaluating the candidate's mastery of the educational experience at each successive phase of training and as a whole. Such ongoing examination of the candidate's clinical work as observed by supervisors and in the presentation of analytic cases is crucial. A Candidate Progression Committee will monitor the progression of each candidate.

VIII. RECORDS

Suitable records will be kept of the candidate's educational course and appropriate provisions made to ensure their necessary confidentiality. The records are to be maintained according to local standards.

IX. ETHICS

Psychoanalytic ethics will be a prominent and ongoing emphasis in the educational program including a course/seminar on psychoanalytic ethics for candidates. It is required that there be a mechanism to investigate and act on reported possible ethical violations.

X. FACULTY DEVELOPMENT

The Institute should demonstrate how its graduates are provided opportunities to prepare themselves for future training analyst appointment, e.g., opportunities for teaching (whether of candidates and/or extension division students), supervision (e.g., supervision of students in mental health professions) accompanied by feedback and/or evaluation of such experiences. In addition, seminars or study groups that provide instruction on teaching methods and further opportunities for peer review of ongoing clinical work (e.g., through study groups) are desirable as is encouragement of scholarly activity. A positive atmosphere should prevail in regard to progression and faculty development in the early postgraduate years. The newly graduated analysts should be primarily responsible for such a program although consultation with senior faculty may be an option.

Opportunity to attain faculty status, supervise and to become a training analyst will be based solely on merit. There is to be no discrimination in regard to faculty development based on the individual's professional affiliation. A special committee dealing with faculty progression will be responsible for training analyst selection. A candidate must have suitable analytic experience to be eligible for training analyst appointment. It is recommended that an applicant have had five consecutive years of post graduation analytic experience with 20 hours of analytic work per week with cases conducted at 4 or more times a week. Minimum immersion criteria for training analyst eligibility over the same five consecutive years is 9 hours per week with cases treated at a minimum frequency of three times per week.

The special committee will examine the applicant's background for evidence of teaching and supervisory experience and explore the extent of the applicant's judgment, ethical standards, analytic skill, professional identity and commitment. The analytic skill of the applicant is to be evaluated through case presentations.

XI. STANDARDS AND SITE VISITS

Institutes belonging to one of the component psychoanalytic organizations of the Consortium will also meet the training standards of their Association. The Board will provide consultation to help institutes meet its standards both prior to and following successful and unsuccessful applications.

Regular site visits for initial accreditation and reaccredidation will help maintain standards and provide consultation to enhance the educational programs of all participating institutes. A primary goal of site visits is to stimulate a process of self-study and self-scrutiny through a consultative, collegial process.