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Program in Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy

This program is designed for professionals who hold an eligible license and a master’s or higher academic degree and who want specific psychoanalytic training in working with children & adolescents, along with their parents or caregivers. It usually takes two to three years part time, although candidates may elect to progress at their own pace.

Candidates will learn the essentials of child & adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy while pursuing a curriculum in the theory, technique and history of such work. The Institute’s curriculum is tailored for practicing clinicians who have little or no experience in working with children or adolescents.

At any stage, students in this program may switch to the full Program in Psychoanalysis and use all their accrued hours toward that program, given the extensive overlap between the two programs.

The program’s format and requirements are the same as for the full Program in Psychoanalysis, with the exception of the requirements spelled out below.

Full details of the programs are contained in the Institute’s catalogue. Click here to download a PDF of our Catalogue.

Application Requirements

 

The Institute welcomes applications from individuals licensed in New York State in clinical psychology, licensed clinical social work, medicine, or as a physician’s assistant, registered professional nurse, nurse practitioner or licensed psychoanalyst. LMSWs may also apply.

Successful applicants without prior child & adolescent psychoanalytic training or certification are admitted to the enrollment level. Those who have completed some training in child & adolescent psychoanalytic psychotherapy at a recognized psychoanalytic institute may be eligible for advanced standing.

To be eligible, applicants must:

  • Be at least 21 years of age.
  • Submit a copy of their current New York State license in clinical psychology; licensed clinical social work; medicine; or as a licensed psychoanalyst, physician’s assistant; registered professional nurse, nurse practitioner or LMSW.
  • Hold a master’s or higher degree in any field from an accredited college or university. Transcripts must be submitted directly from the institution, and two letters of recommendation must be sent direct from their authors. Applicants with non-U.S. credentials must submit transcripts in English and certified by the New York State Education Department or by an agency indicated on this state website: http://www.op.nysed.gov/prof/translations.htm.
  • Submit the Application Form, along with a $75 application fee.

Applicants will be interviewed by two or three Institute analysts who will recommend to the Training Committee whether to admit them to the program.

Advanced Standing:

The Institute welcomes applications for advanced standing from individuals who have completed some training in child & adolescent psychoanalysis or psychoanalytic psychotherapy at a recognized psychoanalytic institute. Applicants should submit a request for advanced standing along with a transcript of their previous psychoanalytic work and any psychoanalytic certificates, along with their regular application materials.

Program Requirements

 

The requirements of the Program in Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy are the same as those for the full Program in Psychoanalysis, except for the following, which substitute for the equivalent requirements of the full program:

  • Complete 225 hours of coursework in child & adolescent work (equivalent to 10 full courses), selected from the courses for the Program in Psychoanalysis, and including the Introduction to Psychoanalysis and Child Psychoanalysis and the case-seminar courses.
  • Complete 100 hours of weekly supervision of their casework with an Institute-approved supervisor. This must include at least 50 hours of supervision of a control case involving a child or adolescent seen two to four times a week.
  • Complete a total of 300 core psychoanalytic client-contact hours, with at least five children a week – at least one of them two to four times a week – plus at least 75 consultative hours with parents or primary caregivers.
  • Candidates must meet the Institute’s clinical-experience requirements by working in one of the Institute’s treatment centers or (unless they are LMSWs) by conducting individual therapy with private patients in their own offices if they are working in economically disadvantaged communities or with economically disadvantaged patients, under the supervision of an analyst approved by the Institute.
  • Candidates should be in personal psychoanalysis at least two to four times a week while they are working with clients in the program, unless they have already accomplished at least 300 hours of personal psychoanalysis at least two to four times a week in a psychoanalytic training program at a recognized psychoanalytic institute. Even then, continuing in analysis while working with HFI clients is strongly advised.
  • Before they may graduate from the Institute, candidates must present orally a clinical case, representing the culmination of their studies.

Once they have met all the requirements for graduation, including presenting a case in a collegial setting to the satisfaction of the Training Committee, candidates will be eligible for graduation.

Candidates will receive an Institute Certificate in Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy upon successful completion of the program.

Curriculum and case work

 

HFI’s curriculum is tailored to help candidates integrate the Institute’s school- and community-based clinical training. This on-site practice allows candidates to play an active part in the Institute’s community life.

The Institute offers each candidate at least two weekly courses at a time on week-night evenings during two semesters from September to June, usually starting between 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. The institute aims to offer both courses on the same evening, where possible, though the evenings may vary according to the current schedule. The Institute may also offer summer courses and weekend workshops by leading practitioners to challenge the candidates and help them to further refine their clinical skills.

The program begins with an introductory course exploring both psychoanalysis and child & adolescent psychoanalysis. It begins with a historical survey of psychoanalytic theory, exploring drive, ego, object, self, archetypal and relational approaches, before introducing child & adolescent psychoanalytic theory and technique. The course offers a strong base for child & adolescent psychoanalytic work.

The curriculum is separated into three phases – (i) introductory – including prerequisite courses, (ii) child & adolescent courses, and (iii) concluding courses.

Courses cover play therapy techniques; working with parents; child & adolescent development; assessment of childhood psychopathology and diagnostic evaluation; and work with the exceptional child. Courses will also be offered in subjects of specialized interest, such as organic conditions, trauma, and childhood depression.

Final phase

 

Before they may graduate from the Institute, candidates must present orally a clinical case, representing the culmination of their studies.

Once they have met all the requirements for graduation, including presenting a case in a collegial setting to the satisfaction of the Training Committee, candidates will be eligible for graduation.

Application

Apply now for psychoanalytic training starting in February and September.

Download our Admission Application.

 

Catalogue & Training Manual

The Institute's catalogue describes its training programs in detail.

Download a PDF of our Catalogue.

 

Links to our:

Programs Introduction page

Program In Psychotherapy page

Licensure-Qualifying Program page

 

Faculty

The Institute's faculty, drawn by Harlem Family's mission to serve children and families in underserved neighborhoods, come from a broad range of New York's psychoanalytic institutes.

All the Institute’s supervisors are licensed graduates of psychoanalytic institutes. All supervisors are required to have been practicing as licensed clinicians competent in psychoanalytic work for at least three years.

Diversity

The Institute welcomes people of diverse backgrounds and doesn’t discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, age, physical disability, marital status, gender or sexual orientation in any aspect of its functioning or programs.

Clinical Settings

The Institute’s clinical facilities are located in schools or community-based organizations, where its therapy rooms are equipped with toys, games and other materials for weekly sessions. Since schools and community-based organizations are convenient centers of neighborhood life, HFI therapists are able to maintain consistent connections with the children and adults they work with. An HFI liaison assists the Candidates with referrals for the duration of their training.

LMSW Applicants

The Institute welcomes applications from Licensed Masters in Social Work who want to undertake psychoanalytic training toward psychoanalytic certification while simultaneously using their clinical hours in this program toward their License in Clinical Social Work.

They should apply for the full Program in Psychoanalysis or the shorter Program in Child & Adolescent Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy. They may transfer from this shorter program to the full program at any time.

Their casework will be supervised by an LCSW who is certified in psychoanalysis by a recognized psychoanalytic institute or is otherwise psychoanalytically competent. The LCSW license includes psychoanalysis in its scope of practice.

Applicants With
Other Mental-Health
Credentials:

Applicants who hold licenses or master's degrees in mental-health counseling, creative-arts therapy or marriage and family therapy should enroll in the Institute's Licensure-Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis because licenses in those fields don’t include psychoanalysis in their scope of practice.

Without psychoanalysis in their scope of practice, they may not practice psychoanalysis except through a licensure-qualifying program, unless they embark on training elsewhere for one of the other licenses that include psychoanalysis in their scope of practice. The Institute received state approval to introduce a licensure-qualifying program in August 2015.