IPTAR Bulletin - Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research

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THE RESPECIALIZATION PROGRAM
Alan Bass, Ph.D., Director
IPTAR’s Respecialization Program is a pre-psychoanalytic training sequence
designed for two groups of candidates:
1. Applicants pursuing or having completed graduate degrees in social
work, psychology, nursing, or psychiatry, or any allied mental health
program who are interested in learning more about psychoanalytic
theory and practice.
2. Applicants from all academic and professional fields, including the
humanities, social sciences, education, law, medicine, and the arts
who are interested in respecializing in psychoanalysis.
Applicants with mental health clinical experience can potentially complete the
program in one year; all applicants with no previous clinical experience will
follow a two-year sequence. All applicants must have at least a Master’s Degree
in their field.
COURSEWORK
The Respecialization Program follows the regular IPTAR course calendar for
starting and ending dates and vacations. Fees per course are the same as all
other IPTAR courses.
The course sequence for the first year of the program is: Introduction to
Psychopathology and Diagnosis I (eight weeks); Introduction to Psychopathology
and Diagnosis II (eight weeks); Introduction to Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy
(eight weeks); Introduction to the Treatment of the More
Disturbed Patient (eight weeks). Concurrently, there are two sixteen-week
Clinical Seminars.
The course sequence for the second year of the program is: Introduction to
Classical Technique (sixteen weeks); Introduction to Development I (eight
weeks); Introduction to Development II (eight weeks); and two concurrent
sixteen-week Clinical Seminars. In addition, second-year students will
participate in an eight-session course on Psychosis, which includes an onsite
hospital component.
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE
Candidates with no previous clinical experience are required to participate in an
introductory externship under the guidance of the IPTAR Clinical Center (ICC).
There are two options. One is the "Friendly Visitors" program at the
Hebrew Home for the Aged in Riverdale. Candidates will have to make one
trip per week to the Hebrew Home, where they will be assigned one or two
residents to work with.The purposes of this externship are to introduce the
candidate to the mental health professional’s role, to begin to learn how to
form and to end a helping professional relationship, to learn interviewing
skills, and to learn how to listen and how to respond.There is on- site orientation
and guidance for this work. In addition, candidates will be assigned
an individual supervisor with whom they will meet once a week to begin to
learn how to think about their work psychoanalytically. There is no fee for
this supervision.
The second option is in the On-Site School Program. The IPTAR Clinical Center
is affiliated with a high school for "at risk" adolescents, two elementary
schools, and a Head Start program. Respecialization candidates may co-lead
groups and provide individual counseling to children, adolescents, parents, or
staff when appropriate.Individual supervision and on-site group supervision are
provided free of charge.
Candidates’ work at the Hebrew Home and in the On-Site School Program
will also be discussed in the Clinical Seminars. Candidates are required to participate
in either option for the full academic year.
Candidates with mental health clinical experience can immediately begin
doing individual psychotherapy at a placement provided by the Respecialization
Program. All second-year Respecialization students are required to participate
in this psychotherapy placement. Again, supervision is provided free
of charge. Upon acceptance into either the Adult PsychoanalyticTraining Program
or the Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Training Program, respecialization
candidates may be permitted to begin clinical work at the ICC.
EVALUATION OF PROGRESS
All instructors and supervisors evaluate candidates’ work. In addition, the
faculty meets in January to evaluate overall progress and to assess any problems
that may have arisen. Should such problems need discussion, the candidate
will be contacted by the Director for an individual meeting. Candidates are
free to contact the Director at any time to discuss any issues concerning the
program.
PERSONAL PSYCHOTHERAPY
Because Respecialization candidates are not yet in full analytic training, there
is no training analysis requirement in the program. However, all candidates
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