The License Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis & Contemporary Psychotherapy (LQP) is geared toward people interested in entering the mental health field or those presently involved in the mental health field who desire a rigorous course of study and clinical training in psychoanalysis and comprehensive psychotherapy. Successful completion of this 5-year program leads to qualification for New York State licensure application in psychoanalysis as well as a certificate in psychoanalysis and comprehensive psychotherapy from NIP.
The preliminary year of the License Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis & Contemporary Psychotherapy introduces candidates to the world of psychoanalysis. Through readings, case presentations, and group discussions, candidates will begin to examine the evolution of the field and how the goals of treatment have been shaped and re-shaped over time.
In a parallel fashion, candidates are encouraged to examine their own evolution resulting in the decision to pursue a career in psychoanalysis. As they begin working with patients, preliminary year candidates will learn about the development and maintenance of the analytic relationship, beginning with initial contact, and early phases of treatment. Through supervision and seminars, they will learn to reflect deeply on their role as beginning analysts.
This is a 5 year program, comprised of a preliminary year and 4 years in the Adult Training Program in Psychoanalysis and Comprehensive Psychotherapy, which candidates may apply for in the spring of their preliminary year. Admission to the preliminary year of the LQP does not guarantee admission to the Adult Training Program, for which there is a separate admissions process.
In the preliminary year, classes are held on Tuesday evenings, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
Program Requirements
Preliminary Year
Candidates participate in once weekly individual supervision.
Candidates attend twice weekly personal analysis with an NIP-approved analyst.
Candidates see 3-5 patients weekly in the NIP Treatment Center.
Tuition & Fees
Tuition for the 2017.2018 year is $3,885.
The application fee is $75.
Supervision is $50 per session.
Curriculum
Preliminary Year
In addition to a year-long Case Seminar, preliminary year candidates are also required to attend three additional weekend courses: Psychopathology 1 & 2 (two weekends), Psychodiagnosis (one weekend), and Ethics (one weekend plus one additional Friday evening). These meet on Friday evenings from approximately 5:00 pm to 9:00 pm and Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Case Seminar
Faculty: Caryn Sherman-Meyer, LCSW; Sharyn Leff, LCSW & Valerie Oltarsh-McCarthy, LCSW
This three-part seminar will introduce candidates to the world of psychoanalysis. Ideas about what psychoanalysis is and what psychoanalysts do will be considered from a variety of perspectives. The seminar will also address anxieties and insecurities — and also the excitement — that arise as candidates interact with patients and the Institute for the first time.
Through group discussions, readings, case examples and initial experiences with patients, candidates will begin to address those issues that come up in the beginning phase of treatment: making contact with the patient and scheduling sessions; initial meetings and creating a sense of safety; frame matters including fees, cancellations, vacations; what to do/say/not say in initial sessions and "mistake-making"; history taking and listening perspectives. In the second and third trimesters, the course will introduce concepts such as psychoanalytic conceptualizations of diagnosis and transference/countertransference, sexual, gender and cultural diversity and working with special populations of patients with sexual trauma, eating and other substance use disorders
Weekend Seminars
Psychopathology I
Instructor: Art Baur, LCSW
This course is designed to take a broad look at different views on what is psychopathology and what leads to its development. Issues such as culture and societal norms will be discussed as aspects of what might be considered pathological.
The course will also follow the evolution of the concept of psychopathology from Freud to current theoreticians. Early developmental issues, narcissism, trauma and dissociation, attachment theory, and super-ego distortions will be discussed. Also, we'll look at specific concerns in working with patients with borderline personality disorders, addictions, and those who use perversion as attempts to cope with psychological problems. A central focus of the course is how all psychopathology is an attempt at self-cure, and how these "self-cures" are resistant to analysis.
Each candidate will be asked to present two cases. This material will be helpful in showing how psychopathology appears in the clinical setting. We will focus on how the clinical material relates to the theories covered in the course readings.
Psychopathology II
Instructor: Art Baur, LCSW
This course is a continuation of Psychopathology I, covering contemporary formulations on theory and technique regarding psychopathology.
Psychodiagnosis
Instructor: Mimi Spiro, LCSW, JD
This course will introduce candidates to the basics of psychoanalytic diagnosis. It is designed to help cultivate the ability to think critically and creatively from a diagnostic standpoint that is human, flexible, empathic, relational, and non-judgmental. The emphasis is on understanding the "real" person that one meets in the consulting room. Candidates will learn how to listen deeply to patients' communications for clues about cognitive, affective, relational, and personality patterns and problems – with a patient-centered attitude. Candidates will develop skills in psychoanalytic interviewing and case formulation to make decisions about appropriate diagnosis, treatment planning, and referral where appropriate.
Ethics
Instructor: David Koch, PhD
The purpose of this course is to provide candidates with a forum for the consideration of ethical issues in psychoanalytic practice. We will review selected ethical principles and discuss their application across a broad range of topics. Emphasis will dually be on cultivating alertness to ethical matters and on the unique capacity of the psychoanalyst to consider and illuminate ethical ambiguities and dilemmas. It is hoped that candidates will have an opportunity to explore ethical matters openly with each other and with the instructor. Participants are encouraged to bring up ethical issues encountered in their own work for the purpose of group consultation in the context of the class.
Other Seminars
Child Abuse Detection & Reporting:
This course is on the identification and reporting of suspected child abuse and maltreatment. Most candidates will opt to take this class online.
Please note: Students must have completed the Child Abuse Detection & Reporting course prior to seeing patients in the NIP Treatment Center.
Curriculum Requirements Following the Preliminary Year
Toward the end of the preliminary year, candidates who wish to do so may apply for acceptance and integration into NIP's 4 year Adult Training Program in Psychoanalysis & Comprehensive Psychotherapy. Acceptance into this program is not guaranteed. LQP candidates who have been admitted into the Adult Program are expected to fulfill the same academic and clinical requirements as all other Adult Program candidates. In addition, they must also attend two weekend-long seminars and adhere to slightly different supervisory requirements due to differences in New York state's licensing requirements for psychoanalysis. The seminars are typically in the second and third years of the program. Each seminar is held over the course of two weekends from Friday through Sunday. The seminars are:
- Sociocultural
Instructor: Mimi Spiro, LCSW, JD - Psychoanalytic Ethics & Research
Instructor: David Koch, PhD
Administration, Faculty & Supervisors
Program Co-Directors
Valerie Oltarsh McCarthy, LCSW, MPH
Mimi Spiro, LCSW, JD
2016.2017 Faculty
Art Baur, LCSW
David Koch, PhD
Sharyn Leff, LCSW
Valerie Oltarsh-McCarthy, LCSW
Caryn Sherman-Meyer, LCSW
Mimi Spiro, LCSW, JD
2015.2016 Supervisors
Judy Adkins, LCSW
Monica Bernheim, LCSW, BCD
Hillary Grill, LCSW
Mark Roberts, LCSW
Application & Admissions Process
Deadline
We will begin accepting applications for the 2017.2018 academic year on March 1, 2017.
Admission Criteria
Master's degree, JD, or other graduate degree.
Application Requirements
- Completed application form
- Application fee of $75 (non-refundable)
- 3 letters of reference
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- Preferred: 2 employers and a current supervisor
- Also acceptable: 1 employer, 1 professional colleague, and 1 colleague in psychotherapy/ psychoanalysis
- Personal statement
- Resume or CV
- Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work
- A copy of your current malpractice insurance certificate
- A copy of your NYS license, if applicable
- Your current therapist's CV for approval
Interview Process
All LQP applicants will go through two individual interviews and a group interview, and if a group interview is not possible then applicants will have a third individual interview.
For more information, please contact Emily Dust, Academics and Communication Coordinator, at edust@nipinst.org or 212.582.1566, ext.7722.
