Contemporary Freudian Society (CFS)

The Contemporary Freudian Society (CFS), formerly the New York Freudian Society, is a not-for-profit psychoanalytic membership organization founded in 1959 and incorporated under New York State law ^[8]. It supports the Psychoanalytic Training Institute of the Contemporary Freudian Society (PTI), which offers psychoanalytic training in both New York City and Washington, D.C. ^[9][8]. The Society became a Component Society of the International Psychoanalytical Association in 1993, and the Institute is registered with the New York State Education Department ^[8][9]. According to its president, CFS is the only psychoanalytic organization in North America based in two different cities ^[10].

History

• 1959 — the Society was founded, then known as the New York Freudian Society ^[8].
• 1985 — the Washington, DC Division was established ^[8].
• 1990 — the Plumsock Prize for psychoanalytic writing was established with a grant from the Plumsock Fund in Indianapolis ^[11].
• 1993 — the Society became a Component Society of the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA) ^[8][12].
• 1997 — the Anni Bergman Parent-Infant Training Program began at the Institute ^[13].
• 2015 — the Institute was approved by the IPA to offer an "Integrated Training Track" ^[14].

The DC Division was initiated by a group of Washington-area psychologists seeking psychoanalytic training; according to the Society, at that time there were no programs in the DC area allowing psychologists to train as independently practising psychoanalysts, and the group approached what was then the New York Freudian Society with a request for merger ^[8]. The Society states that its change of name reflects a commitment to integrating contemporary developments in psychoanalytic thinking while capturing the geographic breadth of its membership and its "co-equal campuses" in New York City and Washington, DC ^[8]. As of the page describing the DC Division, that division comprised 49 members, most based in the DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas ^[8].

The Plumsock Prize, administered by a committee appointed by the Board of Directors, is awarded to candidates and recent graduates (Traditional Plumsock Prize) and to members not previously published in a juried psychoanalytic publication (Senior Plumsock Prize); prizes of $1,000 are awarded at graduation each year ^[11].

Training programs

The Institute offers programs in both New York City and Washington, DC for students interested in psychoanalysis, child psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic psychotherapy and parent-infant treatment ^[9].

• Integrated Training in Psychoanalysis Program — the four-year adult psychoanalytic training programme, offered in both the NY and DC divisions ^[15][16].
• Lifecycle Psychoanalytic Training (formerly the Concentration in Child and Adolescent Psychoanalysis) — training to work analytically with patients of all ages, with additional child and adolescent control cases and seminars ^[14][17].
• Academic Associate Program (DC) — a two-year programme in psychoanalytic studies for professionals who study alongside candidates without undertaking control cases ^[18][5].
• The Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Program (NY) — a psychotherapy training programme listed among the Institute’s NY offerings ^[7][6].
• The Anni Bergman Parent-Infant Training Program (NY) — a three-year advanced elective programme in parent-infant work ^[13].
• Fellowship Program (DC) — eight monthly meetings a year at which CFS member analysts discuss psychoanalytic practice with clinicians and students ^[19].
• Distance Psychoanalytic Training (DC) — a pilot programme for international distance candidates, with classes, supervision and training analysis available online ^[20].

Training in the Integrated Training Program comprises course instruction, control (supervised) analysis and personal analysis ^[16]. In the NY programme classes meet on Monday evenings on a trimester system, with two courses per trimester; in the DC programme classes are held on six Saturdays per semester, with three courses per semester ^[21][15]. Candidates are expected to begin a four-to-five-times-weekly personal analysis with a Training and Supervising Analyst of the Institute ^[16][15]. Candidates must pass a Readiness-for-Control (RFC) examination before undertaking control cases, must conduct a minimum of two control analyses under two different training and supervising analysts with at least 200 hours of supervision, and must complete a Final Case Presentation before a Case Presentation Evaluation Committee ^[22][16][15].

The NY programme has two tracks: Track A and Track B, the latter adding coursework required by the New York State Education Department for licensure as a psychoanalyst (LP), including psychoanalytic research methodology, ethics, preclinical first-year experiences, a course on the identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment, and an LP enrichment course ^[16]. The Institute provides office space in which Track B candidates conduct control work as required by New York State ^[16]. Candidates completing all requirements receive a diploma from the PTI of CFS; Track B candidates receive a Certificate of Completion which, with documentation of 1,500 clinical hours, qualifies them to apply to take the state licensing examination in psychoanalysis ^[16]. New York State requires completion of a registered or accredited programme in psychoanalysis, a master’s or higher degree, at least 1,500 hours of supervised experience and an examination for licensure as a psychoanalyst ^[23][24].

Lifecycle candidates in DC must complete at least two supervised cases with patients under age 20 at different developmental stages, one supervised case of work with parents of at least six months, and clinical and theoretical seminars in child and adolescent psychoanalysis ^[14]. The DC lifecycle concentration includes an advanced seminar co-sponsored with the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis, and the Institute is a participant in the Eastern Child Consortium (ECC), formed in 2025 with other IPA and APsaA institutes to offer a continuous case conference with alternating child and adult case presentations ^[14].

The Anni Bergman Parent-Infant Training Program, founded by Anni Bergman, is a three-year cycle covering infant observation (year one), psychoanalytic theory and infant research (year two) and clinical applications (year three); it came under joint sponsorship of the Institute and IPTAR in 2006 ^[13]. It is open to licensed professionals who have completed psychoanalytic training or are advanced candidates ^[13].

Admissions

• Adult Psychoanalysis Program — open to licensed or soon-to-be-licensed applicants aged 25 and over holding a master’s or higher degree in psychiatry, psychology, social work or psychiatric nursing, and to holders of master’s degrees in other clinical disciplines such as creative arts therapy and counselling ^[7][25].
• Applicants from non-clinical disciplines — professionals with graduate degrees in fields such as education, philosophy, sociology and the humanities may also apply and may qualify for New York State licensure in psychoanalysis through the programme ^[7][25].
• Advanced standing — applicants with previous psychoanalytic training at other IPA institutes may inquire about advanced status, evaluated case by case by the Admissions Committee ^[7][25].
• Academic Associate Program (DC) — open to interested professionals, including those outside mental health disciplines, who study without clinical control work ^[18][25].

Applicants must complete an application form and provide references, transcripts, proof of malpractice insurance and an application fee; two to three interviews are then scheduled with members of the Admissions Committee ^[25]. The DC academic year begins in September, with applications accepted until 30 June; the NY training year begins in January, with applications accepted on a rolling basis until October ^[25][7]. Academic Associates who complete two years of coursework and write an integrative paper may receive a "Certificate of Psychoanalytic Studies" ^[18]. Graduates of the adult programme are eligible for membership in the Society and the International Psychoanalytical Association, and, per the NY programme, in the Confederation of Independent Psychoanalytic Societies; members are also eligible to apply for individual membership in the American Psychoanalytic Association ^[25][16].

Tuition and fees

New York programmes:

• Tuition per semester (Winter, Spring and Fall): $1,540 ^[26]
• Annual PEP-WEB fee: $50 ^[26]
• Annual registration fee: $300 ^[26]

Washington, DC programme:

• Tuition per semester (Fall and Spring): $1,740 ^[27]
• Classroom/technology fee per semester (Fall and Spring): $100 ^[27]
• Annual PEP-WEB fee: $50 ^[27]
• Annual registration fee: $300 ^[27]

Additional tuition and fees apply in the NY programme for the psychoanalytic research and ethics courses and for first-year preclinical experiences ^[16]. Tuition for the Anni Bergman Parent-Infant Training Program is $2,400 per year ^[13]. The Institute lists a Tuition Assistance Committee among its NY administrative bodies, and the Society maintains a Scholarship Fund ^[6][28]. The figures above are as published on the Institute’s current tuition pages; the Institute does not state an academic year alongside them ^[26][27].

Clinical services

The Institute operates a Treatment Services referral service providing psychoanalytically oriented treatment in the greater New York City area through a network of clinicians in training at, or graduated from, the Institute ^[29]. The service states that a consultant responds to calls within 24 hours and that an initial consultation is provided at no charge, with the name of a psychotherapist given to the caller within a week ^[29]. It also provides office space in a clinical setting approved by the New York State Education Department to candidates seeking the LP or LCSW credential ^[29]. The Society states that it offers psychotherapy for children, adolescents and adults, parent guidance, couples treatment and parent-infant treatment on a sliding fee scale, and that psychoanalysis may be offered at a reduced fee through the Institute ^[30][31].

Affiliations and accreditation

• International Psychoanalytical Association — the Society has been a Component Society since 1993, and the Institute is a Component Institute of the IPA ^[8][9][12].
• North American Psychoanalytic Confederation (NAPsaC) — the CFS is a member of this IPA regional organisation ^[12].
• Confederation of Independent Psychoanalytic Societies — graduates are eligible for membership ^[16][32].
• New York State Education Department — the Institute is registered with the Department, and the NY Institute is approved to offer continuing education credits to social workers and Licensed Psychoanalysts ^[9][33].
• American Psychological Association — the DC Institute states that it is approved by the APA to provide continuing education credits to social workers and psychologists ^[34].
• Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis — co-sponsor of an advanced child and adolescent seminar and of the Washington Case Conference ^[14][1].
• Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research — joint sponsor, since 2006, of the Anni Bergman Parent-Infant Training Program ^[13][6].
• Eastern Child Consortium — a consortium of IPA and APsaA institutes formed in 2025 ^[14].

Graduates of the Institute’s adult psychoanalytic training are automatically recommended to the IPA for membership and become members upon IPA approval and payment of dues ^[8]. Those completing training are eligible to become a Fellow of the International Psychoanalytical Association (FIPA) ^[9]. The Institute holds a waiver (number 198) from the New York State Education Department Office of the Professions permitting professional services including licensed psychoanalysis, social work, mental health counselling, marriage and family therapy, creative arts therapy, behaviour analysis and psychology; the current waiver period runs from 26 February 2024 to 28 February 2027, with an additional approved setting at 300 Mercer Street, #3B, New York ^[2].

Governance

The Society and the Institute are governed by a Board of Directors, also described as a Board of Trustees of the Training Institute ^[35][36]. Office-holders listed on the Society’s leadership page include:

• President — Raymond S. Hoffman ^[35][36]
• Vice President, DC — Ted Treese, MD ^[35][36]
• Vice President, NY — Betsy Spanbock ^[35][36]
• Recording Secretary — Jill V. Alberts ^[35][36]
• Treasurer — Josh Wolf-Powers ^[35][36]
• Director of Operations — Diana Daimwood ^[35][36]
• Administrative Director — Connie V. Stroboulis ^[35][36]

Each division has its own Institute Director and committee structure. The DC Institute Director is Debra A. Neumann, with committee chairs for admissions, faculty, progression, the fellowship programme, distance training and the training analyst group ^[4][36][5]. The NY Institute Director is Jennifer Grant, with chairs for admissions, faculty, progression, the LP programme, the psychoanalytic psychotherapy programme, treatment services, recruitment, the training and supervising analyst committee and tuition assistance ^[6][36]. A separate Candidate Organization in New York, independent of the Institute, provides a forum for candidates and advocates for candidate concerns ^[37]. Ethics Committees operate in both NY and DC; members and candidates are required annually to attest to the Society’s Ethical Guidelines, and the Society has established procedures for investigating complaints of unethical conduct ^[38][39].

Progression is monitored by a Progression Committee whose representatives meet with assigned candidates at least twice a year; the committee may suspend or terminate a candidate’s training for failure to make reasonable progress or for ethical violations, subject to an appeal process ending with a binding decision by the President and Institute Director ^[22][21].

Finances

The Psychoanalytic Training Institute of the Contemporary Freudian Society is registered with the Internal Revenue Service under EIN 51-0234093, with a ruling year of 1977 ^[3]. Figures reported to the IRS by tax year ^[3]:

• 2023: total revenue $243,080; total expenses $266,554; total assets $135,998
• 2022: total revenue $254,801; total expenses $239,020; total assets $139,204
• 2021: total revenue $310,218; total expenses $273,233; total assets $147,610
• 2020: total revenue $393,109; total expenses $369,703; total assets $134,920
• 2019: total revenue $336,096; total expenses $343,368; total assets $117,432
• 2018: total revenue $307,125; total expenses $344,612; total assets $151,753

Members pay dues to the Society, with the IPA dues and a PEP-Web fee collected separately ^[40]. The Society also solicits donations for general support, a Scholarship Fund and the Laura Benedek Fund, which provides each incoming candidate of the Integrated Training Track in DC and NY with a book ^[28].