Psychoanalysis has been serving the public as a recognized specialty in psychology since 1983, when the Psychoanalysis specialty was first officially recognized by the American Psychological Association (APA) and a specialty diplomate was first offered by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). Beginning in 2022, the broader field of Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychology was additionally recognized by the Committee for the Recognition of Specialties and Subspecialties in Professional Psychology (CRSSPP) of APA and was paired with Psychoanalysis. Because Psychoanalysis involves a more extended course of post-licensure training, with its own educational curriculum and clinical training requirements, leading to a greater degree of specialization, CRSSPP recognized Psychoanalysis as a subspecialty for which Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychology is a prerequisite. Psychoanalysis is the first subspecialty recognized by APA. The post-licensure subspecialty competencies in Psychoanalysis rest upon the foundation of doctoral and post-doctoral competencies associated with the specialty in Psychoanalytic and Psychodynamic Psychology.
Psychoanalysis is a specific form of individual psychotherapy that aims to expand an individual’s self-understanding, enhance capacity in multiple spheres of functioning, alleviate symptoms of mental distress, and facilitate character change and emotional growth. Psychoanalysis is characterized by depth and intensity, generally involving frequent treatment sessions over an extended period of time. Psychoanalysis provides a multi-layered approach and theoretical framework to examine implicit, unconscious psychological processes and attitudes that underlie an individual’s current adaptive functioning, relational awareness, and sense of self. The psychoanalytic perspective is fundamentally developmental, examining patterns of attachment and early relationships in shaping personality and focusing on the importance of recurring themes and patterns. Training in Psychoanalysis requires extensive didactic experience and clinical supervision at the postdoctoral and post-licensure level. Intrinsic to psychoanalytic training is a personal analysis.
Psychoanalysis serves people of all ages, cultures, races, genders, sexualities, and backgrounds. It can be life-changing for people who have faced personal trauma, as well those who have experienced the effects of systemic racism, oppression, and hate. Psychoanalysis also offers methods and an explanatory framework for understanding cultural, social, political, and other systems and experiences.
