Welcome to the American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis
The nation’s standard bearer for pluralism and quality within psychoanalytic training, the American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis, Inc. (ABAP) accredits programs leading to the practice of psychoanalysis.
ABAP Accrediation
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.
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.
ABAP, Inc. is recognized by the New York State Education Department Office of the Professions
The practice of psychoanalysis is a licensed profession in New York. Recognition by the New York Office of Professions of ABAP as a psychoanalytic accreditor is of great value to students of ABAP-accredited programs. Students who successfully graduate from an ABAP-accredited program are eligible to apply to become a licensed psychoanalyst in the State of New York. See https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/psychoanalysts/license-requirements for more information.
Prospective candidates look for professional accreditation.
ABAP accreditation indicates to prospective candidates that your training program has been assessed by an independent jury of professional peers to meet nationally accepted training standards. It provides assurance to students that your program continuously reviews and seeks to improve its performance, that your program has sufficient and sustainable resources, and that your program is purposeful in achieving its learning goals. Finally, it attests to the integrity of the statements that you publicly make to prospective students about your program.
Professional and public stakeholders look for accreditation.
ABAP accreditation indicates to professional and public stakeholders such as licensing boards or employers that your graduates come from a recognized psychoanalytic training program. It assures the public that your program meets independent, nationally accepted training standards and is engaged in continuous improvement.
Training programs find the accreditation process to be very rewarding.
The process of continual self-study provides internal accountability, helping psychoanalytic training programs to stay mission-driven while attending to quality and improving resources. By systematizing their program review, ABAP training institutes re-evaluate and improve their training standards and policies, focusing especially on learning outcomes for how to effectively train a psychoanalyst.
The independent peer review process provides the unique opportunity to receive constructive feedback and exchange ideas with respected psychoanalytic faculty and institute leaders from a wide range of schools of thought and institutional affiliations.
Accreditation by ABAP allows your institute leaders to participate in a broad and rich community of psychoanalytic educators.
The Assembly of Psychoanalytic Institutes (API), which consists of all accredited member programs, provides a forum in which a diverse group of psychoanalytic educators exchange ideas on the current and future needs of the profession and the best ways to address those needs through professional education and training. The API exercises significant influence over the Standards for Accreditation, accreditation policies, Committee on Accreditation membership, and ABAP Board membership, providing member programs with many opportunities for thoughtful discourse with colleagues from various schools of thought.
ABAP practices the values of its mission.
ABAP operates independently of its individual member organizations and subscribes to theoretical pluralism and excellence within psychoanalytic training. It engages in continual self-improvement and peer consultation through its membership in the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors. See ASPA’s video on programmatic accreditation here.
How to Become Accredited and Maintain Accreditation
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.
ABAP Core Competencies Guide Psychoanalytic Training
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:
Mark Winborn – Co-Chair
James Holmes – Co-Chair
Carol Panetta
Michael Connolly
Jan Roth
Vicki Semel
Nancy Thurston
Notes for Competencies:
Such as racial, cultural, and religious identities; sexual orientation, gender expression, and/or political affiliation.
Global assessment includes: personal history, symptoms, mental status, and readiness for treatment, as well as assessment of appearance, demeanor, suicidality, and homicidality.
‘Navigate’ refers to the awareness of, understanding of, moving about in, and addressing the emotional content of sessions.
For example, research on effectiveness of psychotherapy and the effectiveness of psychotherapy in comparison with other forms of treatment, patient variables or therapist variables in psychotherapy, as well as research in neuro- and cognitive sciences, anthropology, and sociology.
Core concepts include such things as symbolism, interpretation, transference, countertransference, resistance, defense, psychic structure, unconscious process, fantasy, dream work.
The psychoanalytic frame includes such things as the physical setup of the consulting room; the use of couch or chair; the use of the fundamental guideline of free association; the frequency, time, and duration of sessions; establishment of fees, to include method of payment, use of insurance, or third-party payment; handling of changes to the schedule and vacations; guidelines for contact between sessions; the issue of physical contact; and contact with outside parties.
Unconscious experience refers to dreams, fantasies, slips of the tongue, parapraxes, daydreams, unconscious/derivative communication, the analytic third – i.e. any manifestation of the unconscious in analysis.
A set of guiding psychoanalytic stances and values that focus the analyst’s attention and intention.
Domains include such things as surface versus depth, level of patient functioning, conscious versus unconscious processes, somatic states, or transitory states – the movement/variation of intervention across levels within a session.
For example, does the candidate become defensive during supervision, seem to incorporate feedback, retain and assimilate concepts presented during supervision, or recognize limitations and know when to seek consultation?
Includes both qualitative and quantitative research. Ancillary fields include health research, neuro- and cognitive sciences, and studies in sociology, anthropology, religion, philosophy, literature and the other humanities.
Student & Public FAQs
What is the meaning of accreditation by the American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis (ABAP)?
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.
What is 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.
Are there different types of accreditation?
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.
Is ABAP Recognized by the U.S. Department of Education?
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.
Accredited Programs
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, all pending accreditations and re-accreditations have been extended automatically.
The Assembly of Psychoanalytic Institutes (API)
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
Email
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)