Training Requirements for Program in Psychoanalysis

A. Personal Analysis.

The candidate is required to complete a personal analysis, which must extend for a minimum period of three years of continuous treatment. In practice, the length of a personal analysis usually exceeds this requirement. It is recommended that this analysis be conducted at four or five sessions per week, on separate days. A minimum of three session per week on separate days is required. Sessions should be at least 45 minutes in length. Analysis of candidates must begin prior to or concurrent with the beginning of training unless there are special circumstances approved by the Training and Certification Committee.

B. Supervision.

The candidate is required to complete at least 200 hours of weekly supervision on cases seen three or more sessions per week. There must be at least two cases and at least two supervisors. Candidates may have three or four cases and three or four supervisors, provided that each case is supervised by a particular supervisor for at least 40 supervisory sessions. There must also be at least one male and one female supervisor, and it is further desirable, although not mandatory, to have both male and female analysands and to carry one case to termination. One analysand may be a child. Candidates who present cases in a Continuous Case Conference may count those hours toward the 40 required with a supervisor.

C. Course Work.

The candidate is required to take a total of twelve courses, each of 30 weeks duration. There are 2 1/2 elective courses, and the following required courses:

Continuous Case Conference (3 courses)
Freud's Papers (1 course)
Freud's Case Histories (1/2 course)
Dream Interpretation (1 course)
Object Relations Theory (1 course)
Developmental Theory (1 course)
Transference and Countertransference (1 course)
Technique (l course)

D. Scientific Paper.

The candidate is expected to write a psychoanalytic paper of the quality that might be read at a scientific meeting or submitted for publication. Candidates may expect help from analysts and mentors in completing this assignment, and papers that meet this requirement may be written as part of coursework assignments. The paper should be submitted to the Training and Certification Committee, which will appoint two analysts to review it and make a recommendation regarding its suitability to meet this requirement.

E. Participation in MPC.

The candidate is expected to attend MPC functions, including the monthly Candidates Meeting, the monthly Scientific Meeting, special workshops, and such other societal activities as may be scheduled from time to time.