ABAP accreditation promotes accountability and excellence for psychoanalytic training by offering a system of voluntary compliance through diligent peer review. Our
standards are developed by and for the membership community. Our accreditation practice reinforces common criteria for psychoanalytic training while respecting the uniqueness of different theoretical orientations and training cultures. Leaders of accredited programs develop quality benchmarks for training to which all members adhere. Through regular self-study, critical peer evaluation, and agency follow-up, our accredited programs utilize the Standards for Accreditation to foster ongoing program improvement.
ABAP is open to all psychoanalytic institutes whose training and education programs it reviews and accredits for up to seven years.
ABAP, which three years ago developed Core Competencies for Psychoanalytic Training, currently groups together 12 institutes from New York, Chicago, Boston and Philadelphia. ABAP is eager to draw more institutes under its accreditation umbrella. It deliberately avoids two key areas that have traditionally split the profession – frequency and theoretical orientation – believing these are best left to individual institutes.
In addition, the New York State Education Department recognizes completion of a program accredited by ABAP as meeting its psychoanalytic education requirements for a license in psychoanalysis. ABAP is also the only accreditor that reviews and accredits licensure-qualifying programs in psychoanalysis.
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Discover everything you need to know about seeking ABAP accreditation.
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Find out more about our Committee on Accreditation (COA) Resources.
The American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis, Inc. (ABAP) was born in the 1970s out of a movement to recognize and set standards for psychoanalytic training programs that challenged the medical profession’s assertion of control over such training. Originally part of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, ABAP separately incorporated in 1997 in order to achieve autonomy between accreditation and membership society functions. For nearly twenty-five years, ABAP has been independently fostering quality improvement, evaluating, and accrediting a diverse group of psychoanalytic training programs. Those that meet ABAP’s Standards for Accreditation are accredited members of the Assembly of Psychoanalytic Institutes.
ABAP accreditation promotes accountability and excellence in psychoanalytic training by providing a system of voluntary compliance through diligent peer review, with standards developed by and for the membership community. Reinforcing the common criteria for psychoanalytic training while respecting the uniqueness of different orientations, leaders of accredited programs develop benchmarks for quality to which all members adhere. Through regular self-study, critical peer evaluation, and agency follow-up, accredited programs utilize the Standards for Accreditation to foster ongoing program improvement.
Eligibility
The American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis, Inc. (ABAP) accredits programs that grant post-graduate certificates for the practice of psychoanalysis.
The Accreditation Process
While accreditation is primarily meant to provide an indicator of quality to the public, the process of accreditation is, at its core, one of continual self-evaluation, external review, and quality improvement. The regular process of Self-Study provides an opportunity for psychoanalytic training programs to evaluate themselves against ABAP’s Standards for Accreditation and to use their assessment to strengthen their training programs. Following this self-appraisal, the program invites an external team to offer an objective site visit evaluation of the training program, ultimately leading to an accreditation decision.
Whether your program is seeking initial accreditation or is undergoing re-accreditation, ABAP has the tools you need to get started.
At the November 17, 2017 Semi-Annual Board of Trustees meeting, the ABAP Board unanimously adopted the Core Competencies of Psychoanalysis. This set of Competencies was developed through more than two years of intense thought and discussion and multiple revisions among a diverse team of psychoanalysts representing multiple theoretical positions from several different API Institutes.
These Competencies were designed as a tool to enhance understanding of the psychoanalytic education process in effect today, and to bolster the training that institutes have been doing all along. They will not become a part of the ABAP Standards, per se, but will be retained separately as an endorsed product and updated periodically with the review of the API and approval by the Board. Once adopted by ABAP, the Competencies will be referenced in the ABAP Standards, and institutes will be encouraged to utilize them in conceptualizing their training process.
Core Competencies Sub-Committee, Committee on Accreditation:
Notes for Competencies:
Accreditation by ABAP signifies that the accredited psychoanalytic training program has been assessed by an independent jury of professional peers to meet nationally accepted training standards in psychoanalysis. It provides assurance that the program continuously reviews and seeks to improve its performance, that it has sufficient and sustainable resources, and that the program is purposeful in achieving its learning goals. Accreditation generally attests to the integrity of the statements that that the institute makes about its psychoanalytic training program.
When you graduate from an ABAP-accredited training program, stakeholders such as licensing boards or employers know that you graduated from a recognized program that meets independent, nationally accepted training standards. In some states, ABAP accreditation facilitates credentialing for program graduates.
ABAP accreditation does not guarantee the experience of individual training candidates and does not litigate individual student grievances. However, ABAP takes appropriate action when substantive changes occur in the program or when legitimate concerns are raised that a program is no longer meeting standards. For more information, please refer to ABAP’s Handbook for Accreditation.
Accreditation is a process by which institutions undergo self-study and external review by professional peers in order to accomplish two goals:
• To achieve public recognition that the institution has met established educational standards, and
• To continuously enhance the quality of the training and education provided by the institution.
Yes.
Regional accreditation is the process used throughout the higher education system in this country to evaluate degree-granting colleges and universities, as a whole, for quality, and to assess their efforts toward continuous quality improvement. Regional accreditation applies to entire institutions. Regional accreditation is the primary (but not the only) mechanism by which the federal government qualifies institutions for participation in federal financial aid and other federal programs, because all the regional accreditors are recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for that purpose. In addition, regional accreditation often serves as the basis for transferability of academic credits.
Specialized or professional accreditation is a process by which particular specialized programs at colleges, universities, or institutes are evaluated for quality and for their efforts toward continuous quality improvement in their specific field or profession. Specialized accreditation applies to educational programs within institutions. Specialized accreditation may sometimes be used to qualify for certain federal programs, if the accreditor is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for that purpose. It is more often used as a quality indicator for consumers and is sometimes required for professional credentialing.
ABAP is a specialized accreditor and is a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, which has more information about specialized accreditation. See their video on programmatic accreditation here.
Currently, no specialized accreditor of psychoanalytic training programs is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. For this reason, ABAP accreditation does not guarantee access to federal programs, such as federal financial aid. However, some ABAP-accredited programs have access to such programs through regional accreditation or other federal approvals.
Once a program is accredited by ABAP, it becomes a part of the Assembly of Psychoanalytic Institutes, which convenes semi-annually to review and recommend the Standards for Accreditation, policies and procedures, and to engage in professional development for institution leaders. Each accredited program has one vote in the API. Candidates for accreditation participate in the API with voice but no vote.
ACCREDITED AND CANDIDATE PROGRAMS
| Name | Street | City | State | Zip | Phone | Web | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Academy of Clinical and Applied Psychoanalysis (ACAP) | 301 South Livingston Ave., 2nd Floor | Livingston | NJ | 07039 | (973) 629-1001 | acapnj@acapnj.org | www.acapnj.org | Accredited through Oct. 26, 2026 |
| Blanton-Peale Graduate Institute (BPGI) | 7 West 30th Street, 9th Floor | New York | NY | 10001 | (212) 725-7850 | jholmes@blantonpeale.org | www.blantonpeale.org | Candidate status extended due to covid-19 pandemic |
| Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis (BGSP) | 1581 Beacon Street | Brookline | MA | 02446 | (617) 277-3915 | info@bgsp.edu | www.bgsp.edu | Accreditation extended due to covid-19 pandemic |
| C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago (CGJ-Chi) | 53 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 438 | Chicago | IL | 60604 | (312) 701-0400 | jung@jungchicago.org | www.jungchicago.org | Accreditation extended due to covid-19 pandemic |
| C.G. Jung Institute of New England (CGJ-NE) | 21 Hartford Street | Newton | MA | 02461 | (617) 796-0108 | cgjungne@gmail.com | www.cgjungne.com | August 12, 2030 |
| C.G. Jung Institute of New York (CGJ-NY) | 28 East 39th Street | New York | NY | 10016 | (212) 986-5458 | cgjunginstituteofnewyork@gmail.com | www.junginstitute.org | Accredited through Nov. 2025 |
| Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies (CMPS) | 16 West 10th Street | New York | NY | 10011 | (212) 260-7050 | cmps@cmps.edu | www.cmps.edu | Accreditation extended due to covid-19 pandemic |
| Harlem Family Institute, The (HFI) | 2 Riverside Drive #5D | New York | NY | 10023 | (212) 920-7965 | hfi.admin@harlemfamilyinstitute.org | www.harlemfamilyinstitute.org | Accredited through Nov. 2025 |
| Institute for Expressive Analysis (IEA) | 303 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1103 | New York | NY | 10016 | (212) 362-2167 | info@ieanyc.org | www.ieanyc.org | Accreditation extended due to covid-19 pandemic |
| National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis Training Institute (NPAP) | 40 West 13th Street | New York | NY | 10011 | (212) 924-7440 | info@npap.org | www.npap.org | Accreditation extended due to covid-19 pandemic |
| New Jersey Institute for Training in Psychoanalysis (NJI) | 121 Cedar Lane, 3rd Floor | Teaneck | NJ | 07666 | (201) 836-1065 | info@njinstitute.com | www.njinstitute.com | Accreditation extended due to covid-19 pandemic |
| Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis (PSP) | 313 South 16th Street | Philadelphia | PA | 19102 | (215) 732-8244 | info@psptraining.com | www.psptraining.com | Accreditation extended due to covid-19 pandemic |
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