Westchester Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (WCSPP)

The Westchester Center for the Study of Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (WCSPP) is a nonprofit postgraduate psychoanalytic training institute headquartered in Larchmont, New York ^[7][3]. Founded in 1974 and chartered by the New York State Board of Regents as a psychotherapy and psychoanalytic educational center, it trains licensed social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists, mental health counselors and other licensed clinicians in New York and Connecticut ^[8][5]. In addition to certificate training programs in psychoanalysis, psychodynamic psychotherapy, child and adolescent work, couples therapy and supervision, the center operates a low-fee Psychotherapy Service staffed by candidates under faculty supervision ^[3][6].

History

• 1974 — founding, and launch of the Psychoanalytic Training Program ^[8]
• 1998 — Adult Psychotherapy Training Program ^[8]
• 2000 — Child and Adolescent Training Program ^[8]
• 2014 — establishment of the Diversity Committee ^[8][9]

The institute states that it was founded in 1974 by a group of psychoanalysts and has since been dedicated to pluralistic psychoanalytic training, expanding over the years into a range of postgraduate training programs and academic events ^[8]. It received federal tax exemption in February 1976 ^[7]. A 2013 announcement of a public panel on psychoanalytic training placed the institute’s activities in White Plains, New York ^[10]. As of 2023 the institute reported that all training programs would be held online for the coming academic year, and that it accepted licensed applicants from anywhere in New York State and Connecticut ^[5].

Training programs

• Foundations of Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Training Program — a two-year program in the conceptual framework and technique of psychodynamic work with individual adults, taught in weekly online seminars on Tuesday evenings ^[11].
• Advanced Psychoanalytic Training Program — a multi-year program, entered after the Foundations program or an equivalent program elsewhere, leading to a Certificate in Psychoanalysis ^[12].
• Child, Adolescent, Parent Psychotherapy (CAPP) Training Program — two years of coursework and supervised clinical work with children, adolescents and parents ^[13].
• Couples Therapy Training Program — a one-year curriculum integrating contemporary psychoanalytic thinking with systems theory ^[14].
• Supervisory Training Program — a one-year program for experienced psychoanalysts, leading to a certificate in the supervision of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy ^[15].

All programs are organized on a trimester system with 11-week courses delivered via Zoom, and New York State continuing education credits are granted for coursework when attendance requirements are met ^[11][13][14]. Candidates in the Foundations, CAPP and Couples programs attend a Town Meeting with candidates, graduates and faculty on the twelfth Tuesday of the fall and spring trimesters ^[11][13][14].

The Advanced Psychoanalytic Training Program follows a tripartite model of coursework, supervised clinical work and personal psychoanalysis; 240 credits are required for graduation, of which 60 are credited for completion of the two-year Foundations program ^[12]. It requires 200 hours of supervision distributed among at least four faculty supervisors, treatment of at least two training patients seen a minimum of twice weekly, and 400 hours of personal psychoanalysis, of which 200 must be at a frequency of at least three sessions per week ^[12]. The Foundations program requires a minimum of 80 hours of faculty supervision over two years and concurrent weekly personal psychotherapy ^[11]. The Supervisory Training Program requires 40 hours of supervision-of-supervision and 40 weeks of supervision provided to an advanced analytic candidate ^[15].

Admissions

• Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and should be submitted by July 1 ^[2].
• Two professional letters of recommendation are emailed directly to the admissions office ^[2].
• A non-refundable application fee of $50 accompanies the application ^[2].
• Applicants are interviewed by program directors, in most programs by two directors, via Zoom ^[2].
• Applicants must be licensed in New York or Connecticut and carry current professional liability insurance ^{[11][13][14][15]}.

Eligible disciplines across the adult, child and couples programs include social work, psychology, nurse practitioners, psychiatry, and other licensed mental health professions such as marriage and family therapy, mental health counseling and creative arts therapy ^[11][13][14]. The Supervisory Training Program is open to graduates of psychoanalytic institutes who completed training four or more years earlier ^[15]. Admissions is directed by Rachel Alfandre, LCSW, and Melissa Capozzi, LCSW ^[16][5].

Tuition and fees

As listed on program pages in 2023:

• Tuition — $575 per course per trimester, payable before the start of each trimester ^{[15][13][14][12]}
• Administrative fee — $75 per trimester ^{[15][13][14][12]}
• Individual supervision of a training case — $50 per session, paid directly to the supervisor ^[13][14][12]
• Supervisory Training Program supervision — $50 per session, paid directly to the senior WCSPP supervisor ^[15]
• Application fee — $50, non-refundable ^[2]

Financial assistance may be available on a documented-need basis, and individual payment plans may be arranged with prior approval ^{[15][13][14][12]}. The Roz Cohen Couples Therapy Training Scholarship, named for a former co-director of the Couples Therapy Training Program who died in 2021, covers the full year of tuition and 30 hours of supervision for one selected entering candidate, with attention to applicants working with underserved communities ^[14].

Clinical services

• Psychotherapy Service — psychoanalysis and psychotherapy for children, adolescents, adults and couples, provided by candidates enrolled in the training programs under weekly supervision by senior faculty ^[6].
• Clinical Consultation Service — case consultation by supervisory faculty for licensed clinicians in the broader mental health community, at a reduced cost and including up to forty sessions ^[17].

Psychotherapy Service fees are on a sliding scale starting at $30 as of 2023, and the institute states that it does not permit the use of health insurance plans and cannot process payments through HSA or FSA accounts ^[6][18]. Candidates’ training-case fees are paid to WCSPP, with the possibility of the patient converting to the candidate’s private practice after training concludes ^[11][12]. The service states that it is not equipped to serve those in immediate crisis or seeking short-term counseling ^[6].

Membership organization and activities

The Psychoanalytic Association (PA) of WCSPP is the institute’s membership body, comprising candidates, graduates and faculty as well as affiliate members who trained elsewhere; membership carries an annual fee ^[19]. Member benefits include Scientific Meetings, Fireside Chats, Psychoanalysis in Action speakers, an annual retreat, a complimentary PEP-Web subscription, listserv access and inclusion in an online directory of WCSPP professionals ^[19]. Committee-run activities include an annual public conference each fall, film nights held twice yearly, a book club, town meetings and faculty diversity training ^[20][9][21]. The institute publishes a blog, Free Associations, edited by Cara Maniaci, LCSW-R ^[22].

Accreditation and continuing education

• New York State Board of Regents — charter as a psychotherapy and psychoanalytic educational center ^[8]
• New York State continuing education credits — granted for program coursework and for certain public events ^[11][13][20]

The institute reports on its federal returns that it operates a school, with details reported on Schedule E of Form 990 ^[7].

Governance

• Executive Directors — Diane Malkin, LCSW, and Christopher Nardozzi, JD, LCSW ^[16]
• Treasurer — Bilha Goldberg, LCSW ^[16]
• Board of Trustees — fourteen members as listed in 2023 ^[16]
• Curriculum Committee Director — Margot Rubinstein, MD ^[16]
• Faculty Selection Committee Director — Rob Muller, PhD ^[16]

Programs and services each have named directors, including the Foundations and Advanced Psychoanalytic programs (Judith Berenson, LCSW; Cynthia Heller, PhD; John Turtz, PhD), CAPP (Jane Bloomgarden, PhD; Irene Studwell, LCSW), Couples Therapy (Mary DeVivo, LCSW; Jill Fife, LCSW), the Supervisory Training Program (Ann Crane, PsyD; Coren Schwartz, LCSW), and the Clinical Consultation Service (Linda Futterman, PhD) ^[16]. The institute describes itself as a member-led organization whose committees shape programming and operations ^[20]. Earlier Form 990 filings list Sylvia Steinert and Janet Shimer as executive directors for the fiscal years ending December 2023 and December 2024 ^[7].

Finances

For the fiscal year ending December 2025, the institute reported revenue of $447,030, expenses of $441,935 and net assets of $492,371 ^[7]. Program service revenue of $430,111 accounted for 96.2 percent of total revenue that year, with investment income of $16,919 making up the remainder and no contributions reported ^[7]. Total assets were $499,129 against total liabilities of $6,758 ^[7]. Revenue was $416,610 for the fiscal year ending December 2024 and $421,152 for the fiscal year ending December 2023 ^[7]. The organization is a 501(c)(3) exempt entity, EIN 23-7424192, classified under the National Taxonomy of Exempt Entities as Mental Health, Crisis Intervention ^[7]. Faculty are asked for a tax-deductible annual donation of $200, with optional higher tiers ^[23].