Adelphi University Postgraduate Programs in Psychoanalysis (Adelphi)

The Adelphi University Postgraduate Programs in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, also known as the Derner postgraduate programs, are a group of postgraduate certificate programs in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy housed in the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology at Adelphi University in Garden City, New York ^[1][4]. Established in 1963, the programs are among a small number of university-based psychoanalytic training programs in the United States ^[1][4]. In October 2025 the Adelphi University Postgraduate Program in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy was approved as an Approved Training Institute of the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsA) ^[5][2].

History

The postgraduate programs were established in 1963 within what was then the Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies, now the Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology ^[1][6]. According to the institute, they were founded as the Postdoctoral Programs in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy by Donald S. Milman, who served first as assistant director and later as director, in order to offer advanced psychoanalytic training to psychologists at a time when psychoanalysis was practiced independently only by physicians ^[6][7]. The Derner School describes itself as the nation’s first university-based professional school of psychology ^[1][7].

The Postdoctoral Psychotherapy Center (later the Postgraduate Psychotherapy Center) opened under Milman’s leadership; the institute states it was the first non-medically based psychotherapy clinic with a psychoanalytic focus ^[6]. What began as a single program in adult psychoanalysis and psychotherapy had grown to nine programs by 2024, including child and adolescent psychotherapy, couples therapy, group psychotherapy, and trauma treatment ^[7]. The programs marked their 60th anniversary with an event in early 2024 attended by current and former faculty ^[7].

The Adelphi Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (ASPP), a volunteer association for graduates, candidates, supervisors, and faculty of the postgraduate programs, was established more than 40 years before 2024 ^[1][7]. ASPP works to share psychoanalytic and psychological knowledge through meetings, papers, discussions, and publications ^[1].

Training programs

• Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (postgraduate certificate) — a four-year program whose graduates are certified psychoanalysts ^[1][8].
• Psychoanalysis: Licensure Qualifying (advanced certificate) — a five-year, part-time program approved by the New York State Education Department to provide the didactic and supervised clinical experience required to apply for licensure as a psychoanalyst in New York State ^[9].
• Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy (postgraduate certificate) — a one-year introduction to psychodynamic principles through classical and contemporary theory and technique ^[10].
• Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy (postgraduate certificate) — listed in the 2021–22 University Bulletin as a three-year program ^[11].
• Couples Therapy (advanced certificate) ^[1][11].
• Group Psychotherapy (postgraduate certificate) ^[1][11].
• Psychoanalytic Supervision (postgraduate certificate) — a one-year program for graduates of postgraduate psychoanalytic training who wish to supervise psychoanalysis and other psychodynamic therapies ^[12].
• Psychodynamic School Psychology (postgraduate certificate) — listed as a one-year program ^[1][11].
• Trauma Treatment (postgraduate certificate) — listed as a one-year program ^[1][11].
• Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship (postdoctoral certificate) ^[1][13].

Programs consist of seminars in theory and technique, case conferences, and supervised practice, with courses offered in the evening or late afternoon for working professionals; personal therapy and supervised practice are basic requirements ^[11][1]. Candidates in the four-year and licensure-qualifying psychoanalytic programs attend two 90-minute seminars on Wednesday evenings from 6:00 to 9:15 p.m. on the Garden City campus, with a monthly rotation of group supervision, process groups, and intake supervision from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m., together with individual 45-minute supervision and clinical work through the Postgraduate Psychotherapy Center or the candidate’s own practice ^[8][9]. Coursework carries continuing professional education credit rather than graduate credit, at the rate of one educational unit per six hours of class time ^[14][9].

The 2021–22 University Bulletin set the requirements of the four-year Post Graduate Certificate in Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy as completion of the curriculum, 200 hours of individual supervision with four or five approved supervisors, 300 hours of three-times-weekly personal analysis with an approved training analyst, a pro bono psychoanalytic training case of at least 300 hours at three sessions a week through the Postgraduate Psychotherapy Center, further supervised analytic cases, and a graduation paper integrating theory and technique ^[14]. The curriculum covered classical psychoanalysis, British and American object relations, Kleinian and contemporary Kleinian thought, self psychology, intersubjectivity, interpersonal and American relational psychoanalysis, and Lacanian and postmodern approaches, alongside special topics such as ethics, gender and sexuality, trauma and dissociation ^[14][8].

The 2020–21 University Bulletin recorded the Advanced Certificate in Psychoanalysis as requiring 480 clock hours of class time and awarding 80 educational units, under New York State program code 38113, HEGIS code 2099.00, and CIP code 51.1507 ^[15]. Its first year comprises coursework in psychodiagnosis, psychoanalytic research methodology, psychoanalytic theories of psychopathology, and sociocultural influences on growth and psychopathology, after which candidates may apply to the four-year analytic program ^[15][9]. The licensure-qualifying route, described in Adelphi publications as the License Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis, is directed at holders of advanced degrees outside the mental health professions who wish to become psychotherapists ^[9][16][4].

The Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship is a two-year, part-time (20 hours per week) position leading toward New York State licensure as a psychologist, with fellows choosing training in adult psychoanalysis and psychotherapy or in child, adolescent, and family therapy ^[13]. Fellows carry four to five psychotherapy patients, attend classes on a full tuition waiver, receive weekly individual and monthly group supervision, and teach two undergraduate or master’s-level classes per semester at the university adjunct rate ^[13].

Admissions

• Documentation of a doctorate or master’s degree in a mental health field, with licensure or license eligibility for independent clinical practice ^[1][10].
• Online application form and a $60 application fee ^[10][8][12].
• Two letters of recommendation from academic or professional sources ^[10][8].
• A 500-word personal essay, all official transcripts, and a résumé or CV ^[10][8].
• A course-by-course credential evaluation by a NACES member organization for applicants whose undergraduate work was completed outside the United States ^[10][8].
• A personal interview; applicants to the licensure-qualifying certificate are given two interviews with members of the Postgraduate Admissions Committee ^[10][9].

Candidates come from psychology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, social work, mental health counseling, psychiatric nursing, marriage and family therapy, and art therapy ^[1][17]. Graduates of mental health programs still accumulating clinical hours toward license eligibility may apply and practice under supervision with a limited permit issued by New York State ^[1]. The licensure-qualifying certificate admits holders of a master’s or other advanced degree, such as a JD ^[9]. Applicants to the Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship must hold a PsyD or PhD in clinical, counseling, or school psychology, have completed an internship accredited by the American Psychological Association, and hold a New York State limited permit; the application deadline for admission was March 1, 2026 ^[13].

Tuition and fees

The online application carries a $60 fee ^[10][8][12]. Adelphi states that these part-time programs are not eligible for financial aid ^[8][12]. Candidates admitted to the Postdoctoral Psychology Fellowship attend classes in the psychoanalysis and psychotherapy or child and adolescent psychotherapy programs on a full tuition waiver ^[8][13].

Clinical services

The Postgraduate Psychotherapy Center is the clinical branch of the postgraduate programs and provides psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy on a reduced-fee basis to Long Island and the surrounding region ^[1][18]. Services listed by the Center include:

• Individual psychotherapy once or twice weekly, and psychoanalysis three times weekly ^[18].
• Child, adolescent, and family psychotherapy, including combined individual and family sessions ^[18].
• Marital and couples therapy through the Marriage and Couples Therapy Center ^[18].
• Psychotherapy for older adults, for individuals, families, and couples ^[18].
• Remote sessions delivered over a HIPAA-compliant Zoom platform ^[18].
• Consultation and medication management by an affiliated psychiatrist ^[18].

Candidates in the psychoanalytic training program treat patients three times weekly at low fees, and patients entering analysis are asked to make a commitment of at least two years, or 300 hours ^[18]. The 2021–22 University Bulletin described the Center as founded in 1963 and as offering services at the Garden City and Hauppauge campuses as well as in clinicians’ private offices in Nassau, Suffolk, and Manhattan ^[11].

Affiliations and accreditation

• American Psychoanalytic Association (APsA) — Approved Training Institute, following approval by the APsA Board of Directors on October 12, 2025 and announced on December 10, 2025 ^[5][2][1].
• New York State Education Department — approved the Advanced Certificate in Psychoanalysis to provide the didactic and supervised clinical experience required for licensure as a psychoanalyst in New York State ^[15][9].
• Accreditation Council for Psychoanalytic Education (ACPE) — the University Bulletin described the four-year Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy certificate as fully accredited by ACPE in editions from 2014–15 through 2021–22 ^[14][19].
• Adelphi University, Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology — the academic unit within which the programs operate ^[1][11].
• Adelphi Society for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (ASPP) — the associated society of graduates, candidates, supervisors, and faculty ^[1][4][7].

As an APsA Approved Training Institute, the program is required to maintain the educational, administrative, and professional criteria of APsA’s Standards and Principles for Psychoanalytic Education ^[5]. APsA lists Adelphi among institutes offering programs in psychoanalytic psychotherapy in addition to clinical psychoanalytic training ^[5].

Governance

• Amira Simha-Alpern, PhD, ABPP — Director of Postgraduate Psychology Programs and Director of the Postgraduate Psychotherapy Center ^[2][3].
• Alexander Palmer, PhD — Assistant Director of the Postgraduate Psychotherapy Center ^[3].

Simha-Alpern, a graduate of the programs, has directed them since 2018, succeeding Mary Beth Cresci ^[7][20]. The Derner School lists faculty by program area, including child and adolescent psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychotherapy, psychoanalytic supervision, psychodynamic school psychology, and trauma treatment ^[3]. Candidates may serve on the postgraduate executive board ^[4]. As of 2024, the president of ASPP was Megan Nolan, LCSW ^[7].

Recognition

Adelphi University’s Gordon F. Derner School of Psychology has been ranked fourth worldwide for psychology–psychoanalysis by the Center for World University Rankings, an annual ranking that the university states included more than 27,000 degree-granting institutions ^[7][10][8].