William Alanson White Institute (W.A. White)

The William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis & Psychology (WAWI, or the White Institute) is a nonprofit psychoanalytic training institute and treatment center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, founded in 1943 ^[1][8][4]. It is the institutional home of interpersonal psychoanalysis, the approach developed by its founders — Erich Fromm, Frieda Fromm-Reichmann, Harry Stack Sullivan, David Rioch, Janet M. Rioch and Clara Thompson — as an alternative to what they regarded as the rigidity of orthodox Freudian psychoanalysis in the United States ^{[1][9][10][8]}. The institute is named for the American psychiatrist William Alanson White, superintendent of St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C. ^[11]. Alongside training programs in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy, it operates a low-cost outpatient clinic founded in 1948 and publishes the journal Contemporary Psychoanalysis ^[12][13][10].

History

The institute was founded in 1943 in New York City by a group of analysts who had trained or taught within mainstream psychoanalytic institutions and who dissented from what they saw as medical orthodoxy, insistence on libido theory, and a paternalistic model of training ^[14][10]. The immediate occasion was a split at the American Institute for Psychoanalysis, itself formed after Karen Horney was stripped of her training-analyst status at the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute in 1941; when Fromm’s training privileges at the Horney group were removed in 1943, he, Thompson, Sullivan and Fromm-Reichmann formed a new training facility in New York ^[14]. Clara Thompson was the institute’s first director ^[14].

The institute was incorporated under New York State Education Law on October 18, 1946 as a nonprofit educational corporation and has operated under a New York State Regents charter since that year ^[4]. Its low-cost clinical service was established in 1948 ^[10][4]. According to the institute’s own history, efforts by the American Psychoanalytic Association in the 1950s to marginalize its teachers were met with the threat of a lawsuit alleging monopolistic restraint of trade, after which the institute secured its organizational autonomy ^[10]. For several decades it offered full psychoanalytic training to psychologists on the same terms as physicians, and its graduates participated in founding the American Academy of Psychoanalysis, the International Federation of Psychoanalytic Societies, and the Division of Psychoanalysis of the American Psychological Association ^[10].

Since 1964 the institute has occupied a landmark Georgian townhouse at 20 West 74th Street ^[4]. In 2001 the American Psychoanalytic Association presented its first Psychoanalytic Community Clinic of the Year Award to the institute’s Clinical Service ^[8]. A Center for Public Mental Health was founded in 2016 to apply psychoanalytic expertise to social and mental health issues, beginning with projects on the deportation crisis facing families with undocumented members ^[15]. An Antiracism Action Working Group was formed in the summer of 2020 and subsequently sponsored town halls and a diagnostic report on racism at the institute ^[16].

Training programs

The institute organizes its educational offerings into an adult psychoanalytic training division (Division I) and a set of psychotherapy and specialty programs (Division II) ^[17][18].

• Psychoanalytic Training (Division I) — a four-to-six-year program in the psychoanalytic treatment of adults from the interpersonal perspective, comprising the Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis and the Licensure-Qualifying Program (LQP), whose candidates take most classes together ^[18][9][19].
• Child & Adolescent Psychotherapy Training Program (CAPTP) — a three-year program in the psychodynamic treatment of children, adolescents and families, with classes on Thursdays in trimesters of ten weekly sessions ^[18][20].
• Intensive Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program (IPPP) — a 28-week practice-oriented program of four seven-week modules combining theory classes, small-group case seminars and weekly individual consultation ^[18][21][22].
• Online Intensive Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program (Online IPPP) — the same 28-week structure conducted by videoconference for clinicians unable to attend in New York, first offered to English-speaking professionals in January 2018 ^[18][23][24].
• Online Topic-Oriented Psychotherapy Program (Online TOPP) — an online program of six modules on figures of the interpersonal tradition, including Sándor Ferenczi, Clara Thompson, Harry Stack Sullivan, Alberta Szalita, Frieda Fromm-Reichmann and Erich Fromm ^[18][25][26].
• Eating Disorders, Compulsions and Addictions (EDCAS) — a 36-week program of didactic and clinical seminars, guest lectures, case conferences and supervision ^[18][27].
• EDCAS Recast — a fortnightly clinical meeting for mental health professionals interested in eating disorders, compulsions and addictions, carrying 36 continuing education contact hours ^[18][28].
• Couples Therapy Training and Education Program (CTTEP) — a thirty-week program in interpersonal psychoanalytic-systemic couples therapy with didactics, group case conferences and off-site individual consultation ^[18][29][30].
• Intensive Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program for Ukrainian Speakers (IPPP-UKR) — a one-year online program of 28 three-hour sessions with translation into Ukrainian ^[18][31].
• Online Interpersonal Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program for Russian Speakers (OIPPP-RS) — a two-year online program with simultaneous Russian translation, begun in 2016; the program page records that it was suspended for the 2023–2024 academic year ^[32][23][33].
• Five-day intensive seminars and International Outreach Seminars — week-long programs taught by senior faculty to acquaint colleagues in the United States and abroad with the interpersonal approach, requiring a minimum enrollment of 15 participants ^[18][34][35].
• Continuing programs in child and adolescent work — the monthly series What Works: Treating Children, Adolescents, and Their Parents and 21st Century Children and Adolescents: Clinical Approaches, both delivered by videoconference ^[18][36][37].
• Low Cost Psychotherapy Supervision Service — individual supervision for New York State licensed practitioners by institute graduates working in the interpersonal-relational tradition ^[18][38].

Psychoanalytic training follows a tripartite model of didactic curriculum, supervised clinical work and personal psychoanalysis ^[9]. The curriculum comprises about 360 class sessions over four years; in the first two years classes meet on Tuesday evenings across three ten-week trimesters, and in the third and fourth years candidates take two Tuesday evening classes plus five electives, with all coursework to be completed within six years unless an extension is granted ^[19]. Candidates undertake a personal analysis with an analyst chosen from the roster of Training Analysts, conducted at least three times weekly for the first 300 hours and beginning no later than October 1 of the first academic year ^[9]. Supervised clinical work requires four psychoanalytic patients seen at least three times weekly, at least three supervisors with a minimum of 40 hours each and 200 supervision hours in total, together with a minimum of 80 hours of supervised psychoanalytic psychotherapy from the third year ^[9]. Candidates also present a case at the weekly Clinical Education Meeting, held Tuesdays from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. and open only to institute faculty, graduates, candidates and students ^[39].

Admissions

• Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis — open to psychiatrists, psychologists, doctoral-level social workers, licensed clinical social workers and licensed master social workers ^[9][40].
• Licensure-Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis — for applicants holding at least a master’s degree from a program registered with the New York State Education Department who are not licensed in a mental health profession in New York State, and who seek eligibility for the Licensed Psychoanalyst (L.P.) credential ^[9][40].
• CAPTP — for applicants from psychiatry, psychology, psychoanalysis, social work, art therapy, mental health counseling, marriage and family counseling and psychiatric nursing who hold terminal degrees and are licensed or license-eligible ^[20].
• IPPP and Online IPPP — preference is given to New York State licensed mental health professionals whose scope of practice includes psychotherapy; applicants must carry professional liability insurance and supply their own patients for consultation ^[21][23].

Applications to the psychoanalytic and child and adolescent programs carry a $100 nonrefundable application fee and are followed by interviews with the Admissions Committee ^[20]. The institute is approved by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS) of the United States Department of Homeland Security and issues Form I-20 to admitted international students; applicants trained outside the United States must submit credentials to the New York State Education Department’s Division of Professional Licensing Services, Psychoanalytic Unit, and the institute states that it uses no other credential-evaluation service ^[41][9].

Tuition and fees

• Psychoanalytic Training — the program page gives tuition of approximately $6,475 per year in one place and $6,300 per academic year, payable in three installments, in another; no academic year is stated for either figure ^[9].
• CAPTP — $2,600 per year plus a $150 annual course materials fee, with individual supervision at $75 per session (no academic year stated) ^[20].
• EDCAS 2026–2027 — $3,850, nonrefundable after the first three weeks, with a $250 penalty for withdrawal within that period ^[27].
• EDCAS Recast 2025–2026 — $2,750, with a $500 discount for students of the 2024/2025 EDCAS program ^[28].
• IPPP — $3,950, including individual consultation (no academic year stated) ^[21].
• Online IPPP — $3,000, nonrefundable, for the cycle running January to August 2027 ^[23].
• Online TOPP 2026–2027 — $3,000, nonrefundable, with 50 continuing education credits offered ^[25].
• CTTEP 2026–2027 — $3,050 plus a $75 nonrefundable application fee, with a weekly $75 consultation fee paid directly to the consultant ^[29].
• IPPP-UKR — $1,200, payable in four installments of $300 ^[31].
• Low Cost Psychotherapy Supervision Service — $100 nonrefundable application fee and $90 per session, with arrangements honored up to 40 sessions a year ^[38].
• OIPPP-RS — $3,000 per year, as listed on the program page for the cycle preceding its suspension ^[32].

Financial aid

Financial aid at the institute is need-based only, in keeping with a mandate of the Board of Trustees, and is administered by a standing Financial Aid Committee that reviews documentation of income, housing costs, loan debt and other obligations ^[42]. Named awards include the June Jackson Christmas Scholarships, honoring the institute’s first Black female graduate and open to Black candidates in Division I and CAPTP; the Mark J. Blechner Psychoanalytic Scholarship for a person of color or a transgender person with financial need; the Marylou Lionells Psychoanalytic Scholarship Endowment Fund; the Benjamin Wolstein Memorial Scholarship Fund; the Michael Herman Scholarship for candidates interested in work with chronically depressed patients; the Edgar Levenson Scholarship; and the Kathleen White Scholarship for African American candidates and students ^[43]. Independently administered awards include the Catherine Stuart Memorial Fellowship and a scholarship of up to $3,000 offered by the Psychoanalytic Society to a BIPOC candidate, and two revolving loan funds are available ^[43].

The optional Clinic Fellowship allows first- and second-year Certificate Program candidates to carry five to 20 clinic patient hours per week, earning a credit of $25 per treatment session toward tuition, supervision (up to $35 per session) and personal analysis; fellows receive free supervision for clinic psychotherapy patients and may accumulate up to $2,500 in training expenses against the account ^[44]. Candidates in the Licensure-Qualifying Program are not eligible for the fellowship because they are not licensed in New York State ^[9].

Clinical services

The institute’s low-cost treatment center, founded in 1948, treats adults, adolescents, children and families, with fees set on a sliding scale ^[12][10]. Sessions are scheduled between 8:00 a.m. and 8:45 p.m., Monday through Friday ^[45][46].

• Individual psychotherapy — one or two sessions weekly for up to forty weeks, after which patients may continue with the same therapist in private practice at a modest fee ^[46].
• Psychoanalysis — three sessions weekly for at least two years, with the same option of continuing privately afterward ^[12][45].
• Eating Disorders, Compulsions and Addictions Service (EDCAS) — assessment, individual, group and family therapy, psychoanalysis, workshops and referral to ancillary services ^[3].
• LGBTQ+ Psychotherapy Service — established in 2010, providing low-cost psychotherapy and psychoanalysis to members of the LGBTQ+ community and offering training and consultation within the institute ^[47].
• Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy for Artists Service — for performing and creative artists, addressing difficulties such as creative block, stage fright and the effects of career change ^[48].
• Child and Family Center — individual and group psychotherapy for children and adolescents, parent counseling, psychiatric consultation, psychoeducational evaluation, and a Parent Center offering workshops in local schools ^[49].

The clinic does not bill Medicaid, Medicare or SSI, and refers patients with that coverage elsewhere ^[6][50]. Insurance is not required for low-cost treatment ^[50]. Applications are made on a downloadable clinic form sent to the institute’s Clinical Services address, with the institute stating that applicants are normally contacted within one to two weeks ^[51][6][50].

Internships and fellowships

• Clinical Psychology Internship — a one-year, half-time doctoral internship forming part of Adelphi University‘s Derner Institute Internship Consortium, paired with a half-time internship at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, Connecticut ^[52].
• Child & Adolescent Externship — four supervised positions of 20 hours per week from September through June for fourth- or fifth-year students in APA-accredited clinical, clinical/school and counseling psychology programs, based in the Child and Family Center ^[53].
• Social work internships — master’s-level placements structured in five five-week modules, and a two-year doctoral placement for students of the Smith College Doctoral Program in Social Work, who receive two weekly supervisory sessions ^[54][55].
• Psychiatry residents’ elective — an introduction to interpersonal psychoanalysis offered to PGY-IV psychiatry residents across New York City ^[56].
• Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship — a half-time clinic fellowship for postdoctoral psychologists; the program page records that the fellowship ended at the close of the 2023–24 year ^[57].

Affiliations and accreditation

• New York State Education Department — the institute is chartered by the Board of Regents (1946) and its Licensure-Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis is registered as license-qualifying toward the Licensed Psychoanalyst credential ^[40][4].
• American Psychological Association — approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists ^[58][59].
• American Psychoanalytic Association — joint provider, with the institute, of continuing medical education accredited through the ACCME; the institute also states that it is endorsed by the association ^[32][58].
• New York State Education Department boards — approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0004), social workers (#SW-0159), psychoanalysts (#P-0007), mental health counselors (#MHC-0025), marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0019) and creative arts therapists (#CAT-0011) ^[58][59].
• Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVIS), U.S. Department of Homeland Security — SEVIS-approved school authorized to issue Form I-20 ^[58][41].
• Adelphi University Derner Institute Internship Consortium and Silver Hill Hospital — partners in the clinical psychology internship ^[52].
• Smith College School for Social Work — partner in the doctoral social work internship ^[55].
• Appleseed Networks — pro bono partner of the Center for Public Mental Health ^[15].

The institute states that more than 100 of its alumni are members of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the International Psychoanalytical Association ^[32].

Governance

Administration and oversight are provided by the Board of Trustees, the Council of Fellows and a set of standing committees, many of whose members serve pro bono ^[1]. As of the institute’s current staff and administration listings, Jack Drescher, MD, a training and supervising analyst and a member of the board since 2024, serves as acting executive director; Mary B. McRae, Ed.D. is president of the Board of Trustees; and Karen G. Gennaro, M.D., M.B.A. chairs the Council of Fellows ^[1][60][5]. Elizabeth Krimendahl, PsyD, is identified as executive director on the institute’s donation page ^[61]. Other named officers include Richard Herman as Director of Administration, Karen Chuck as Director of Clinical Services, Sumru Tufekcioglu as Director of Clinical Education, and Seth Aronson as Director of Division I Training ^[60][5]. In the 2024–2025 academic year the institute employed a support staff equivalent to 9.5 full-time employees ^[4].

Three membership societies are associated with the institute:

• Psychoanalytic Society of the William Alanson White Institute — an autonomous organization of graduates of the Division I adult certificate program, which maintains a referral directory and a colloquium series ^[62][63].
• Harry Stack Sullivan Society — the organization of candidates in the adult psychoanalytic training program, whose recorded presidencies begin in 1952 ^[64].
• Frieda Fromm-Reichmann Society — with recorded presidencies from 2002 ^[65].

Ongoing study groups, most of them open to mental health professionals generally, cover artists and creativity, sexual abuse (founded 1994), LGBTQ+ concerns (established 2006) and race and psychoanalysis, the last of which is listed as on hiatus ^{[66][67][68][69][70]}.

Publications

Contemporary Psychoanalysis, an international quarterly, is the journal of the institute and of the Psychoanalytic Society of the William Alanson White Institute ^[13]. It was founded in 1964 by Max Deutscher, Ph.D., and Rose Spiegel, M.D., and states as its purpose the communication of interpersonal psychoanalytic perspectives on theory, development, social issues and practice, while also presenting other psychoanalytic viewpoints and empirical research ^[13]. The journal is published by Taylor and Francis, with subscription records maintained by the institute ^[2][4].

Facilities

The institute’s building at 20 West 74th Street, occupied since 1964, contains five classrooms, thirteen treatment rooms, a library and a conference room, together with executive offices ^[4]. The second-floor library holds more than a thousand books and bound volumes of major psychoanalytic journals, with a further collection on developmental issues and work with children and adolescents ^[4]. Wikipedia describes the building as the Clara Thompson building ^[8].