Supervised Clinical Training

 

Psychoanalytic clinical work under the supervision of a White Institute trained analyst is a central feature of a candidate’s training experience.  At a minimum, candidates work with four patients, each seen at least three times per week in psychoanalysis.  In addition, beginning in the third year of training, candidates are required to conduct psychoanalytic psychotherapy under supervision for a minimum of 80 hours.  Those candidates in the Certificate Program in psychoanalysis who participate in the optional Clinic Fellowship may begin work with patients under supervision once they begin their training at the White Institute.  This highly regarded program provides a means for candidates to develop a private practice and defray a portion of their training expenses.  Each of these three clinical training experiences is described below. (Candidates in the Licensure-Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis are not eligible to participate in the Clinic Fellowship Program because they are not licensed in New York State.)

 

Psychoanalysis Under Supervision

Candidates are expected to work with four psychoanalytic patients. Each of the four required psychoanalytic cases is conducted under the direction of at least three Supervising Analysts or Training and Supervising Analysts from the Institute for a minimum of 200 supervision hours in total.

 

Candidates in the Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis will work with their first psychoanalytic patient for at least 240 sessions (with weekly supervision) and the three other psychoanalytic cases for at least one year each. Candidates are required to work with at least three supervisors for at least 40 hours with each supervisor; the total hours of supervision with all supervisors of psychoanalysis should total 200 hours.

 

Diversity Requirement: Psychoanalytic supervision will consist of experience with supervisors of at least two genders. Candidates are expected to work with four cases reflecting a diversity of characteristics including, but not limited to: gender, identity, race, religion, ethnicity, culture, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status.

 

Candidates in the Licensure-Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis are required to work with their first supervising analyst for at least 50 sessions, and for their second supervising analyst for at least 100 sessions.

 

Each supervisor is seen for a minimum of 40 hours (or 50 hours in the case of candidates in the Licensure-Qualifying Program).  The 40-hour requirement is intended to give candidates and supervisors adequate time to know each other and the patient.  If the supervision is productive, it need not stop.  However, no more than 80 hours (or 100 hours in the case of candidates in the Licensure-Qualifying Program) with any one analytic supervisor will count toward the fulfillment of the 200 hour minimum requirement.

 

For candidates in the Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis, the first psychoanalytic case for credit is typically referred to the candidate by the White Institute’s clinic.  This patient is seen at least three times weekly for a minimum of 240 clinical hours.  This case is supervised weekly during that period by Supervising or Training and Supervising Analysts for at least 40 supervisory sessions.  Barring extraordinary circumstances, the candidate will carry the analysis to completion.  The patient’s fees for this case accrue to the Institute.  If the treatment extends beyond 240 hours, the candidate will transfer the patient to his or her private practice.  Upon transfer, the patient pays the candidate directly.  It is expected that candidates will set a private fee commensurate with the patient’s financial circumstances and in consideration of the fee initially set by the Clinic.

 

For candidates in the Licensure-Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis, all cases will be referred to the candidate by the White Institute's clinic and must be seen continuously at the clinic, and in continuous supervision with the candidate's supervisors.

 

The first psychoanalytic case supervisor is also the candidate’s first Advisor who will attend Training Committee meetings as a liaison between the candidate and the Institute’s Training Committee.  After the candidate completes required work with that supervisor, a subsequent supervisor must agree to function as Advisor.  The nature of supervision will change as the work progresses.  Initially, supervision will focus on gathering historical data; appraising the patient’s life situation, core difficulties, main dynamic patterns, assets and liabilities, and stated goals; communicating clearly in supervision what goes on in the analysis of the patient; and recognizing the candidate’s attitudes and personality traits that affect both supervision and his or her work with the patient.  Later supervision will emphasize the candidate’s ability to deepen inquiry and work through the central conflicts of the patient.  A greater appreciation of the patient’s resistance and transferences as well as the candidate’s reactions to the patient should occur.

 

The first psychoanalytic case must be presented at a Clinical Services conference prior to graduation, no later than the end of March during the year of anticipated graduation.  The presentation should emphasize psychoanalytic process, the relationship with the patient, and problems encountered in the context of the analytic relationship.  If the first clinic case is a mental health professional, it is required that the candidate consult with the Director of Clinical Education sufficiently in advance of the presentation to discuss how issues of confidentiality and privacy are to be preserved in the context of the presentation or if a different psychoanalytic case should be substituted.

 

For candidates in the Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis,  the first psychoanalytic case is typically referred to the candidate by the White Institute’s clinic, and additional patients for supervision are the responsibility of the candidate (providing the candidate is licensed to practice independently). Patients may be acquired from the Institute’s Clinical Service when available.  If referred by the Clinic, these patients, who generally require modest fees, will be transferred to the candidate’s private practice from the start, with all payments going to the candidate.

 

For candidates in the Licensure-Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis, all psychoanalytic cases are seen by candidates on site at the Institute’s clinic, under the direction of the candidate’s supervisor(s), who assume legal and professional responsibility for the treatment of each patient.

 

 

The Institute expects that the requirement for conducting supervised psychoanalysis will be completed prior to June 1 of the candidate’s year of graduation.

 

Psychotherapy Under Supervision

The psychotherapy requirement provides candidates with the opportunity to apply psychoanalytic knowledge to a different form of treatment. Every candidate who is not a Clinic Fellow is responsible for doing 80 hours of clinical work at the clinic.  This requirement can be met by individual psychotherapy with adults or children, special modalities of therapy (group, family, conjoint) or participation in a clinical project.  Candidates are credited $25 per treatment session to an account at the clinic; monies from this account can be used to defray some of the costs of training.

 

The psychotherapy requirement requires familiarity with psychoanalysis and thus should be undertaken by candidates in the Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis not prior to the middle of the second year of training. Candidates in the Licensure-Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis may not begin their psychotherapy requirement until all other educational requirements of the program have been fulfilled.  The Institute expects that this requirement will be completed prior to June 1 of the year of graduation.

 

This work is supervised weekly, at no charge, by a White Institute-designated Supervisor of Psychotherapy chosen by the candidate.  A list of the White Institute graduates who have been appointed Supervisor of Psychotherapy is available by clicking on that link.

 

Supervised Psychotherapy Under the Optional Clinic Fellowship

Some candidates elect additional supervised experience in conducting psychotherapy as a Clinic Fellow to help defray part of their training expenses and to develop a private practice.  (This program is available only to candidates in the Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis.)

Those candidates who participate in the Clinic Fellowship receive free supervision under the tutelage of a Supervisor of Psychotherapy assigned by the Director of Clinical Services.  Each Supervisor of Psychotherapy will oversee the candidate’s work with four or five patients for 40 weeks.  If candidates work with more patients through the Fellowship, the Director of Clinical Services assigns a second Supervisor of Psychotherapy for a 40 week term. If the candidate transfers a psychotherapy patient to psychoanalytic treatment, he or she must find a new Supervising Analyst or Training and Supervising Analyst to oversee the analytic treatment. The Supervisor of Psychotherapy may not continue as the psychoanalytic supervisor.

 

A candidate in the Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis may begin the Clinic Fellowship at any point in the course of training, although it is typically elected by candidates in their first year of training.  A candidate may elect to continue for a second year as a Clinic Fellow.  After working with a patient in the Clinic Fellowship program for 40 weeks, candidates have the option of transferring this patient into their private practice with the expectation that a modest fee will be set in consideration of the patient's financial circumstances.