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  • 40 West 13th St. New York, NY 10011

NPAP TRAINING INSTITUTE

Training Program

Diverse and Comprehensive Curriculum Integrating Theory and Practice

TRAINING / TRAINING PROGRAM

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An In-depth Psychoanalytic Education

Training Program

  • NPAP’s psychoanalytic training is a rigorous and transformative journey that follows the traditional three-part training model: comprehensive coursework, personal psychoanalysis, and supervised clinical experience.
  • Successful completion of the program opens the door to membership in NPAP’s vibrant and increasingly diverse psychoanalytic community–a psychoanalytic home.
Exam Requirements

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Coursework

NPAP’s comprehensive curriculum includes both traditional and contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives representing a wide range of theoretical orientations, including Freud’s Drive Theory, Ego Psychology, the Object Relations schools, Intersubjective Self Psychology, Contemporary Freudian perspectives, Attachment Theory, and Relational approaches. Candidates learn from experienced faculty members, several of whom are well-known psychoanalytic scholars.

Curricumlum

Personal Psychoanalysis

Psychoanalytic training is distinguished from other training courses in psychotherapy by the fundamental requirement that all candidates complete their psychoanalysis as an integral part of the developmental process of becoming a psychoanalyst. Candidates report the personal psychoanalysis to be one of the richest learning experiences of the training.

Supervised Clinical Experience

The supervised clinical experience portion of the training rounds out the process of becoming a psychoanalyst. Candidates typically begin working with patients under supervision at our Greenwich Village clinic or in their private practices in their second year of training.

Supervision Requirements

Overview

Overview of Training Requirements

For All Candidates in the Psychoanalytic Training Program:

  • Coursework: 32 12-week courses; 9 6-week courses
  • Personal psychoanalysis: A minimum of 450 hours of 3 times-per-week psychoanalysis with an approved psychoanalyst
  • Supervised clinical experience: a minimum of 1000 direct clinical hours; a minimum of 300 hours of supervision sessions with an approved supervisor

Program Features

Training Tracks

Founded by Sigmund Freud’s student Theodor Reik, NPAP is the oldest non-medical psychoanalytic training institute in the United States. It has a tradition of admitting candidates with master’s degrees from a wide range of disciplines; those from the mental health tri-disciplines of medicine, psychology, and social work, and those educated in other fields, for example, the arts, humanities, law, social sciences, and education, who become what is known as independent psychoanalysts. This tradition of welcoming people with diverse educational backgrounds into NPAP’s rigorous training program distinguishes NPAP from many other psychoanalytic training programs.

Although the requirements for NPAP’s psychoanalytic training program are identical for all candidates, how these requirements are met will differ slightly depending on the training background of each candidate. While all candidates have to fulfill the same requirements with regard to coursework and personal psychoanalysis, meeting the requirements for supervised clinical experience will differ depending on the New York State licensing status of the candidate. NPAP has established two separate training tracks:

  • The “Already-Licensed” Track. This track is for candidates who hold a New York State mental health license that includes psychoanalysis in its scope of practice: licensed psychoanalysts (LPs), medical doctors (MDs), licensed psychologists (PhDs and PsyDs), licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs), physician assistants (PAs), registered professional nurses (RNs), or nurse practitioners (NPs).
  • The License-Qualifying (LQ) Track. This track is for candidates who do not hold a clinical license that includes psychoanalysis in its scope of practice. This includes:
    • Candidates who have been trained independently of the tri-disciplines, as well as those who hold New York State mental health licenses in mental health counseling (LMHCs), marriage and family therapy (LMFTs), or creative arts therapy (LCATs), all of which do not have psychoanalysis in their scope of practice.
    • Candidates with a licensed master’s degree in social work (LMSWs).

Licensure Preparation

  • NPAP’s LQ track allows those without a New York State mental health license that includes psychoanalysis in its scope of practice to complete training that allows them to sit for the New York State Licensing Exam in Psychoanalysis. Preparation for licensure in psychoanalysis is built into NPAP’s Psychoanalytic Training Curriculum, such that candidates can meet these requirements automatically when going through the training.
  • The LQ track also allows social workers with the New York State LMSW license to complete their clinical experience requirements to achieve the LCSW license.
Training Costs

Financial Assistance

NPAP provides assistance to candidates to offset training costs.

  • Candidates in the LQ track are eligible to be paid an educational stipend once they begin seeing patients under supervision. The educational stipend is currently based on the number of patient hours a candidate conducts.
  • NPAP also offers scholarships to eligible candidates in good standing. Read More
  • The NPAP Training is not eligible for federally insured student loans.

Length of Training

NPAP’s psychoanalytic training program recognizes the diverse personal circumstances of its candidates and is thus designed to accommodate individual pacing. The time required to complete training at NPAP varies significantly among candidates, allowing each person to progress through the program according to their unique needs and situation. Upon successful completion, graduates in good standing receive an invitation to join NPAP as members to become part of its professional community.

  • During the past 10 years, graduates have taken between 7 years and 18 years to progress through the entire training program. The average length of time in the training for graduates in the last 10 years was 10 years.
  • Candidates interested in achieving the NYS License in Psychoanalysis (LP) during their NPAP training have typically been able to complete the NYS State requirements for licensure between 4 years and 16 years, with an average of just under 7 years.

sevis

The Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVIS)

The NPAP Psychoanalytic Training welcomes foreign students who have or wish to apply for F-1 visas through the United States SEVIS program. For more information, please contact admissions.

Remote Learning

  • NPAP, like all other educational institutions, had to adjust quickly its training format to comply with COVID-19 safety restrictions. Fortunately, NPAP was able to continue psychoanalytic training with little disruption, but with major shifts in teaching and clinical practice styles. NPAP learned from this experience.
  • Currently, some classes are offered in a remote format, while others are offered in person. Clinical work takes place both remotely and in person, all the while complying with NPAP’s, New York State, and federal guidelines for clinical practice. Candidates may have the opportunity to learn and practice remotely, but it will not be possible to complete the entire training remotely. The determination of whether parts of the training will be conducted remotely or in person is not at the discretion of the candidate.
  • NPAP’s current requirement is that all candidates conduct at least 50% of their supervised clinical work in person. The remainder may be conducted remotely provided it adheres to local, state, and federal practice guidelines.

Mentoring Program

NPAP offers candidates the valuable opportunity to match with and gain personal guidance from individual NPAP members. Having a psychoanalytic mentor is an invaluable support resource during psychoanalytic training.

Candidate Involvement

  • NPAP’s Member-in-Training Organization (MITO) is a special feature of the NPAP experience.
  • MITO serves as the official representative body for Candidates, creating a vital communication link between students, Institute members, and the Board of Trustees.
  • All Candidates in good standing automatically become MITO members.
  • An independent Executive Committee governs MITO, advocating for Candidates in matters related to their training. and Institute operations.
  • Ensures Candidates have meaningful representation, with voting rights on key decisions and seats on most Institute Standing Committees.
  • The MITO Chair holds a voting seat on the Board of Trustees, giving Candidates direct input at the highest level.
  • The Executive Committee meets monthly and is open to all MITOs; committee positions are two-year terms with staggered elections.
  • MITO functions as both an advocacy channel and support network where Candidates can express concerns and feel heard.
  • Hosts the prestigious Theodor Reik Guest Lecture Series, bringing scholars like Donna Orange, Bruce Fink, Lewis Aron, Jessica Benjamin, and Nancy McWilliams to speak (with academic credit).
  • Creates community through regular social events and an active MITO Facebook page, providing networking opportunities for professionals-in-training.

Open House

Don't miss our Spring and Fall Open House events.
Contact Us

40 West 13th St. New York, NY 10011

Monday-Friday
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM (EDT)
+1 (212) 924.7440
contact@npap.org

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