Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis (MIP)

The Manhattan Institute for Psychoanalysis (MIP) is a psychoanalytic training institute and low-fee treatment center in New York City, founded in 1980 ^[4][2]. Its theoretical framework is contemporary interpersonal psychoanalysis situated within the broader relational tradition, and its curriculum covers classical psychoanalytic thought, object relations, the evolution of interpersonal thinking, and contemporary relational models ^[4][2]. The Institute offers four training tracks — a certificate program in psychoanalysis, a licensure-qualifying program, a two-year certificate in trauma studies, and a one-year program in psychoanalysis and the sociopolitical world ^[2][1]. It is a not-for-profit institution chartered by the Board of Regents of the State University of New York ^[2].

History

MIP was founded in 1980 by a group of seven colleagues who began planning a new institute in 1978 ^[4][2][5]. According to Irwin Hirsch, one of the founders and the Institute’s first director, the Institute was established with the goal of making training in interpersonal psychoanalysis available to nonmedical candidates, including social workers and psychologists ^[6][5].

Key developments in the Institute’s history include:

• 1989 — the Institute began offering specialty training in trauma, described on its blog as among the first postgraduate institutions to do so ^[7].
• 2012 — the Licensure Qualifying Program (LQP) was created, following New York State’s implementation of Article 163 in 2010, which established psychoanalysis as a licensed profession ^[6].
• 2020–2021 — in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, the Institute’s Committee on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) convened a town hall and an ongoing racial dialogue group, and the One-Year Program was redesigned around psychoanalysis and the sociopolitical world ^[8][9][10].

Directors of the Institute over time have included Irwin Hirsch (first director), Debora M. Worth (2007–2012), John Turtz, Steve Kirschner, Veronica Csillag, Chaim E. Bromberg, Lorraine Caputo, David M. Castro, and Stefan R. Zicht ^{[11][12][13][14][5][15][16][17][18][19]}.

Training programs

MIP offers four training pathways ^[1][20]:

• Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis (CPP) — a five-year program for licensed clinicians seeking full psychoanalytic training, leading to a Certificate in Psychoanalysis ^[20].
• Licensure Qualifying Program in Psychoanalysis (LQP) — a foundational year followed by a five-year course of study, structured to meet New York State educational requirements for licensure as a psychoanalyst ^[11][20].
• One-Year Program in Psychoanalysis and the Sociopolitical World (OYP) — a virtual one-year certificate program ^[20][21].
• Certificate Program in Trauma Studies (CPTS) — a two-year virtual certificate program in the psychoanalytic treatment of trauma ^[20].

The Institute states that it is the only institute in the United States to offer a two-year virtual program studying trauma from a psychoanalytic perspective ^[4]. Training components vary by program and may include coursework in theory and clinical technique, supervision, ongoing personal analysis, and individual or group case consultation ^[4]. Classes are described by the Institute as small and discussion-based, often meeting in practitioners’ offices rather than lecture halls ^[4].

MIP does not grant academic degrees, and states that it is not affiliated with the similarly named Manhattan Institute for Policy Research ^[20].

Licensure Qualifying Program

The LQP is intended for applicants who seek licensure as psychoanalysts in New York State and is open to professionals holding a master’s-level or higher degree from a program approved by the New York State Education Department ^[11]. The degree need not be in a mental health field ^[20]. Program requirements include ^[11]:

• Foundational First Year — courses in the history of psychoanalytic ideas, psychiatric and psychoanalytic assessment and case formulation, diagnosis, research in psychoanalysis, and mini-courses on substance use and psychopharmacology ^[11][22].
• Coursework — following the foundational year, four years of classes with two courses per trimester, each meeting for ninety minutes over ten weeks on Thursday evenings ^[11].
• Personal analysis — a minimum of 300 hours at a frequency of three times per week, beginning no later than September of the second year ^[11].
• Supervised psychoanalytic experience — a minimum of 200 hours of individual supervision distributed among at least three supervisors, with at least 50 hours per supervisor and, per state regulations, at least 100 hours with one supervisor ^[11].
• Control cases — at least one patient seen twice weekly for a minimum of 300 hours, and at least one patient seen three times weekly for a minimum of 400 hours; all patients are referred by the Institute’s clinical services and seen in person ^[11].

At the end of the foundational year, a separate admissions process determines readiness to continue, requiring a written statement and a meeting with the Training Committee and the program directors ^[11]. Candidates must also complete state-mandated online courses in Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting and in Ethical Conduct and Scope of Practice ^[11]. Candidates who have completed all Institute requirements by the end of their fourth post-foundational year may petition the Training Committee for documentation needed to apply for a Limited Permit from NYSED ^[11].

One-Year Program

The One-Year Program is delivered virtually, with classes on Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time across three ten-week trimesters running from September to June ^[21]. Students also attend a weekly Affective Learning Group and complete 30 hours of weekly individual case consultation, presenting their own patients ^[21]. The Institute states the program was developed in collaboration with CORE from an anti-racist and anti-oppressive lens, with coursework on race and intersectionality, immigration, intergenerational trauma, and the climate and environmental crisis alongside clinical sequences on the psychotherapeutic relationship ^[23]. A certificate is awarded on completion, and continuing education credit is available to New York–licensed professionals with full attendance ^[21].

Admissions

Application requirements differ by program. Materials commonly requested include education and professional experience history, licensure and malpractice insurance information, a personal statement on the applicant’s interest in psychoanalysis, and letters of recommendation ^{[24][25][26][27]}. The CPP and LQP applications request three letters of recommendation — one addressing academic performance and two addressing professional experience — and note that references from personal analysis should not be included ^[25][27]. The One-Year Program application requests two references ^[24]. The Trauma Studies application additionally requests a curriculum vitae and copies of the applicant’s license and malpractice insurance ^[26].

Application fees are:

• $75 — Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis ^[28][25]
• $75 — Licensure Qualifying Program ^[29][27]
• $75 — Certificate Program in Trauma Studies ^[30][26]
• $50 — One-Year Program ^[24][31][21]

One-Year Program applicants must be at least master’s-level licensed mental health professionals and must submit undergraduate and graduate transcripts; all applicants are interviewed by Institute representatives and must carry their own professional liability insurance ^[21].

As of the 2026–27 admissions cycle, the LQP page stated that the incoming class had been accepted and directed prospective applicants to check back in early 2027 for the 2027–28 academic year ^[11]. The One-Year Program listed an application deadline of June 20, 2026 ^[21].

Scholarships

The Institute states that it offers need-based financial assistance and scholarships in each of its programs, as well as equity-based scholarships designated for BIPOC candidates ^{[25][26][27][11]}. Scholarships are awarded by each program once a cohort is fully accepted ^[11]. According to the Institute’s statement on anti-racism, funded scholarships for students of color were offered beginning in the 2021–22 academic year ^[10].

Tuition and fees

• Tuition, Licensure Qualifying Program — $3,750 for the 2026–27 academic year, assessed annually and due one week before the start of each trimester ^[11].
• Tuition, One-Year Program — $3,750 for the 2025–26 academic year, due no later than two weeks before classes begin ^[21].
• Supervision, LQP — $75 per session, paid to the Institute ^[11].
• Case consultation, One-Year Program — $75 per hour ^[21].
• Late payment fee — $100 ^[11].

Tuition and fees are subject to change pursuant to a resolution of the Institute’s Board of Trustees ^[11]. Analytic fees for personal analysis are paid directly to the analyst at a level negotiated with that analyst; the Institute maintains a list of faculty and graduate analysts willing to accept a reduced fee for candidates demonstrating financial need ^[11]. Under the LQP refund policy, candidates who withdraw from coursework before the fourth week of a trimester receive a full refund, and those who withdraw before the sixth week for personal emergency reasons receive a total refund for that trimester ^[11]. Graduates of the One-Year Program who continue into the Certificate Program in Psychoanalysis receive a one-time tuition rebate of $300 toward their first trimester ^[21].

Fees for continuing education seminars have varied by offering; for example, a 2019 six-hour course was listed at $180, with a reduced rate of $120 for candidates ^[32].

Clinical services

The Institute operates a treatment center providing psychoanalytic psychotherapy to individuals in the New York metropolitan area ^[2][1]. Treatment is offered on a sliding scale by advanced candidates and graduates under supervision, serving both community access and clinical training ^[1]. The clinic is located in Chelsea, across from the Fashion Institute of Technology ^[1]. Patients are asked at intake about availability and preferred session frequency of once, twice, or three times weekly ^[33]. Candidates in the LQP see clinic-referred patients in person at the Institute’s offices, and unlicensed candidates must remain in Institute supervision as long as they work with Institute-referred patients ^[11].

The treatment center’s administrative procedures include signed treatment agreements, informed consent under the No Surprises Act, release-of-information and audio-recording consents, monthly invoicing and remittance, progress notes, and a termination-of-treatment summary ^[34]. The clinic is directed by co-directors Naomi Cutner, LCSW, and Connie Drogoul Bickson, LCSW ^[3].

Governance

MIP is administered by the Co-Directors and a series of committees, with graduates, candidates, and faculty invited to participate; the Institute describes itself as non-hierarchical and committee-driven ^[4][2]. Governance roles as listed by the Institute include ^[3]:

• Institute Clinical Co-Directors — Chanda Griffin, LCSW, and Julie Hyman, LCSW ^[3]
• LQP Co-Directors — Kathryn Moreno, LP, LCAT, LMHC, and Lindsay Nejmeh, LMHC ^[3]
• OYP Co-Directors — Chanda Griffin, LCSW, and Julie Hyman, LCSW ^[3]
• Treatment Center Co-Directors — Naomi Cutner, LCSW, and Connie Drogoul Bickson, LCSW ^[3]
• Board of Trustees — Debora Worth, LCSW (President); Diane Barclay, LCSW (Treasurer); Jim Traub, LCSW (Secretary); with additional trustees Valerie Bryant, Blair Casdin, Cynthia Chalker, Chanda Griffin, Irwin Hirsch, and Julie Hyman ^[3]
• Director of Training — Elke Epstein, PhD ^[12]

Standing committees include the Curriculum Committee, Admissions Committee, Training Committee, Colloquium Committee, Membership Committee, Fundraising Committee, and the Committee on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) ^{[11][2][12][8]}. A student cooperative known as SCOOP provides a formal channel between candidates and Institute leadership; according to its former co-chair, the group has contributed to updated program manuals and improved communication between candidates and faculty ^[35]. The Certificate Program in Trauma Studies is overseen by its own steering committee together with directors of admissions, curriculum, and mentorship ^[3].

Institutional commitments

Following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, the Institute issued a statement affirming its support for the Black Lives Matter movement and condemning discrimination and violence against Asian Americans ^[10]. In that statement the Institute says it aspires to be both a center for psychoanalytic education and a model of a contemporary anti-racist psychoanalytic community, and describes concrete measures it has taken: expanding and diversifying its Board of Trustees, holding public colloquia on racism and immigration, adding a required course on Race, Ethnicity, and Class to the curriculum, convening CORE’s "Dialogues on Race," reviewing curricula in the CPP/LQP and Trauma Studies programs, and offering funded scholarships for students of color from 2021–22 ^[10]. The Institute also states that it admits students without regard to race, religion, sex, age, creed, color, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, HIV status, marital status, citizenship status, or military/veteran status ^[2].

Publications and events

The Institute publishes Analysis Now, a blog founded in 2015 featuring essays and clinical reflections by faculty, candidates, graduates, and members ^[36][37][1]. Founded during her candidacy by Blair Casdin, the blog has since been edited by a succession of community members ^[12][36][17]. The Institute also hosts a Colloquium Series and Seminar Series during the academic year, along with workshops, open houses, and members-only gatherings; many programs are approved for continuing education credit for licensed clinicians ^[1][20]. Colloquium podcasts have been produced in conjunction with the New Books Network ^[2].

Finances

The Institute is a not-for-profit institution and states that it relies on contributions to maintain and expand its activities, with contributions being tax-deductible ^[2][1]. Information about contributions may be obtained by contacting the Fundraising Committee through the Institute ^[2].