Mental Health Practitioners

Psychoanalysis License Requirements

General Requirements

The practice of psychoanalysis or use of the title "licensed psychoanalyst" or the title "psychoanalyst" or any derivative thereof within New York State requires licensure as a psychoanalyst, unless otherwise exempt under the law.

To qualify for a license as a "licensed psychoanalyst" in New York State you must:

• be of good moral character;
• be at least 21 years of age;
• meet education requirements;
• complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse offered by a New York State approved provider;
• meet experience requirements; and
• meet examination requirements.

You must file an application for licensure and the other forms indicated, along with the appropriate fee, to the Office of the Professions at the address specified on each form. It is your responsibility to follow up with anyone you have asked to send us material.

The specific requirements for licensure are contained in Title 8, Article 163, Section 8405 of the NYS Education Law and Section 52.35 and Subpart 79-12 of the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education. Copies of the relevant sections of NYS Education Law and the Commissioner's Regulations are also available upon request by e-mailing opforms@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 320.

You should also read the general licensing information applicable for all professions.

Fees

The fee for licensure and first registration is $345.

The fee for a limited permit is $70.

Fees are subject to change. The fee due is the one in law when your application is received (unless fees are increased retroactively). You will be billed for the difference if fees have been increased.

• Do not send cash.
• Make your personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
• Mail your application and fee to:

  New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions
  PO Box 22063
  Albany, NY 12201

Partial Refunds

Individuals who withdraw their licensure application may be entitled to a partial refund.

• For the procedure to withdraw your application, contact the Psychoanalysis Unit by e-mailing opunit5@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 592 or by faxing 518-402-2323.
• The State Education Department is not responsible for any fees paid to an outside testing or credentials verification agency.

If you withdraw your application, obtain a refund, and then decide to seek New York State licensure at a later date, you will be considered a new applicant, and you will be required to pay the application fee and meet the licensure requirements in place at the time you reapply.

Education Requirements

To meet the education requirement for licensure as a psychoanalyst, you must present evidence of completion of the following.

Graduate Study

A master's or higher degree from a program in any field that is registered by the Department or substantially equivalent as determined by the Department.

AND

Psychoanalytic Study

Completion of a program in psychoanalysis that is:

• registered by the Department as licensure qualifying;
• accredited by an acceptable accrediting agency*; or
• determined by the Department to be the substantial equivalent of such a registered or accredited program.

A program located outside the United States and its territories may be used to satisfy the psychoanalytic study requirement if it:

• prepares individuals for the professional practice of psychoanalysis; and
• is recognized by the appropriate civil authorities of that jurisdiction; and
• can be appropriately verified; and
• is determined by the Department to be the substantial equivalent of an acceptable registered licensure qualifying or accredited program.

Substantial Equivalence for Psychoanalytic Study

To be considered substantially equivalent, your course of study must have been taken at an acceptable psychoanalytic institute or degree granting college and must have included coursework substantially equivalent to coursework required in a master's or higher degree program in a health or mental health field of study. The study must have included at least 1,350 clock hours of study distributed as follows:

• coursework - at least 405 clock hours of classroom instruction including at least 45 clock hours in each of the following areas:
  
  
  1. personality development;
  2. psychoanalytic theory of psychopathology;
  3. psychoanalytic theory of psychodiagnosis;
  4. sociocultural influence on growth and psychopathology;
  5. practice technique (including dreams and symbolic processes);
  6. analysis of resistance, transference, and countertransference;
  7. case seminars on clinical practice;
  8. practice in psychopathology and psychodiagnosis; and
  9. professional ethics and psychoanalytic research methodology;
     
     
• personal psychoanalysis - at least 300 clock hours of personal psychoanalysis;
• supervised analysis - at least 150 clock hours of supervised analysis of the student's psychoanalytic cases as follows:
  
  
  1. 50 clock hours of individual supervision with one supervisor working on one case; and
  2. at least 100 clock hours of individual supervision with another supervisor working on one or more additional cases; and
     
     
• clinical experience - at least 300 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in the practice of psychoanalysis (see Experience Requirements section for additional information regarding requirements for supervised clinical experience).

Evidence of receipt of your graduate degree must be presented on Form 2A - Certification of Graduate Study and evidence of receipt of your certificate of completion of psychoanalytic study must be presented on Form 2 - Certification of Psychoanalytic Study. These forms must be submitted directly to the Office of the Professions by the school or institute where you obtained your degree/certificate. In most cases, an official transcript is also needed.

In addition to the education requirements, every applicant for psychoanalyst licensure or a limited permit must complete coursework or training in the identification and reporting of child abuse in accordance with Section 6507(3)(a) of the Education Law. You must submit a certificate of completion from an approved provider or file a certification of exemption before a New York State license or permit can be issued. You may request a paper version of the list of approved providers by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 570. You may be eligible for exemption from the training if you can document, to the satisfaction of the Department, that your practice does not involve professional contact with persons under the age of 18 and that you do not have contact with persons 18 or older with a handicapping condition, who reside in a residential care school or facility.

Experience Requirements

To meet the experience requirements for licensure as a psychoanalyst, you must submit sufficient documentation of completion of a supervised experience of at least 1,500 clock hours providing psychoanalysis in a setting acceptable to the Department. Supervised experience obtained in the education program required for licensure as a psychoanalyst may meet all or part of this requirement.

To be acceptable to the Department, your supervised experience must meet the following supervision and setting requirements.

Supervision of Experience

Your supervisor must:

• have completed a bachelor's or higher degree program in psychoanalysis, or in the subject of the field in which the supervisor is licensed (see below), or another field related to the field of psychoanalysis as determined by the Department; and
• be licensed and registered in New York State to practice psychoanalysis, medicine, as a physician assistant, psychology, licensed clinical social work, or as a registered professional nurse or nurse practitioner, or must have the equivalent qualifications as determined by the Department*; and
• have at least three years of full-time experience, or the part-time equivalent, in psychoanalysis. Practice on a full-time basis means 800 clock hours in the practice of psychoanalysis earned over a 52-week period.

There must be contact between you and your supervisor during which:

• you apprise your supervisor of the treatment of each client;
• your cases are discussed with your supervisor in conformity with federal and state laws regarding the confidentiality of patient-identifiable information;
• your supervisor must provide you with oversight and guidance in developing skills as a psychoanalyst, including but not limited to, the analysis of resistance, transference, counter-transference, and unconscious processes in the practice of psychoanalysis; and
• your supervisor must provide an average of one hour per week or two hours every other week of in-person individual or group supervision. NOTE: Supervision may only be provided in formats other than in-person with the approval of the Department based on good cause, including but not limited to, inability to locate a sufficient number of qualified supervisors to perform in-person supervision and an acceptable plan to provide the supervision through an alternative format.

All supervised experience must be verified by your supervisor(s) on Form 4B - Certification of Supervised Experience. Acceptable verification should include an attestation by the actual supervisor. In cases where such attestation is not available, the Department may accept other documentation of the experience.

Setting for Experience

The setting in which the experience is obtained must be a location at which legally authorized individuals provide services that constitute the practice of psychoanalysis, as defined in Education Law, and must be responsible for the services provided by individuals gaining experience for licensure. The setting cannot be a private practice owned or operated by the applicant.

The practice of psychoanalysis is defined in Education Law as:

• the observation, description, evaluation, and interpretation of dynamic unconscious mental processes that contribute to the formation of personality and behavior in order to identify and resolve unconscious psychic problems which affect interpersonal relationships and emotional development, to facilitate changes in personality and behavior through the use of verbal and nonverbal cognitive and emotional communication, and to develop adaptive functioning; and
• the use of assessment instruments and mental health counseling and psychotherapy to identify, evaluate and treat dysfunctions and disorders for purposes of providing appropriate psychoanalytic services.

Examination Requirements

Please note: New York State candidates for the psychoanalyst licensing examinations must have completed their psychoanalysis program and received the certificate of completion as a condition for admission to the examination. Applicants for licensure will not be approved to take the examination prior to receipt of the certificate of completion.

To meet the examination requirements for licensure as a psychoanalyst in New York State, you must pass the New York State Case Narrative Examination administered by CASTLE Worldwide, Inc.

Before being admitted to the examination for New York State licensure, you must:

1. Submit an Application for Licensure (Form 1) and fee ($345) to the New York State Education Department.
2. Ask your school to verify your education directly to the New York State Education Department on the Certification of Professional Education form (Form 2).
3. Receive notification of approval of your education and all application materials from the New York State Education Department. (We will notify you and the examination administrator when you have satisfied the examination eligibility requirements.)
4. Register directly with the examination administrator to take the examination after being notified of your eligibility by contacting them at:

   CASTLE Worldwide, Inc.
   Attn: NY Exams
   P.O. Box 570
   Morrisville, NC 27560
   Phone: 800-655-4845 or 919-572-6880
   E-mail: info@castleworldwide.com
   Web: www.castleworldwide.com/nysed/

The New York State Case Narrative Examination consists of submission of two case narratives that describe the assessment and treatment of separate clients. This will allow you to demonstrate a basic level of competence in applying the knowledge and skills necessary to practice psychoanalysis in New York State. You will be able to select your own cases in advance, but you will write the case narratives in a supervised, secure test center. Each narrative will be reviewed and scored by the State Board or its designees to determine the thoroughness and appropriateness of your interactions with and your therapeutic approach to the treatment of a client. Additional information regarding this examination is available in the New York State Psychoanalyst Case Narrative Licensing Examination Packet (PDF for printing). You may also request a copy of the packet by e-mailing opforms@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 320 or by faxing 518-473-8222.

Reasonable Testing Accommodations

If you have a disability and may require reasonable testing accommodations for the examination, you must complete and submit a Request for Reasonable Testing Accommodations form. You may request a copy of the form by e-mailing opforms@mail.nysed.gov or by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 320 or by faxing 518-473-8222. You must mail the Request for Reasonable Testing Accommodations form to the address printed on that form, along with the required documentation. You will be notified in writing as to whether or not your request for accommodations has been approved. If your request is approved, it will be valid for 1 year from the date of the approval notification. A copy of your accommodation approval must be attached to your CASTLE examination registration form. You may not test until your request for accommodations has been processed by the Department. If you schedule a test before your request for accommodations has been processed, you may lose any fee paid to the examination administrator. Please be sure to check the box in item 7 of your Application for Licensure (Form 1) if you are requesting accommodations.

Applicants Licensed In Another State

If you are or have been licensed/certified in another jurisdiction(s), you must request the licensing authority of the jurisdiction(s) to provide verification of your licensure/certification on Form 3 - Verification of Other Professional Licensure/Certification. You must meet all requirements for licensure in New York State.

Limited Permits

A limited permit allows an individual who has satisfied all requirements for licensure as a psychoanalyst except the examination and/or experience requirements to practice psychoanalysis under appropriate supervision while meeting the requirements. Limited permits are only issued for specific practice sites in New York State. Appropriate supervision and allowable practice sites are the same as those for the experience requirements. Effective January 1, 2006 one must be licensed or otherwise exempt to practice psychoanalysis or supervise a permit holder. A supervisor who is not licensed in New York State, but has filed an application for licensure, may submit evidence of a credential acceptable to the Department. See Supervision of Experience and Setting for Experience sections in the Experience Requirements section for specific information.

The limited permit is valid for a period of one year. The permit may be extended for one additional year at the discretion of the Department if the Department determines that the permit holder has made good faith efforts to successfully complete the examination and/or experience requirements during the year but has not passed the licensing examination or completed the experience requirement, or has other good cause as determined by the Department for not completing the examination and/or experience requirement. To request an extension of your limited permit, you must submit a new Form 5 and a fee of $70 along with a justification for the extension.

You may apply for a limited permit by submitting the Application for Limited Permit (Form 5) and limited permit fee of $70 at the same time or any time after you submit your Application for Licensure (Form 1), licensure fee of $345, and evidence of satisfactory education.