Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center (PPSC)

The Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Study Center (PPSC) is a psychoanalytic training institute and low-fee treatment center in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, founded in 1986 ^[7][1]. It offers three- and four-year certificate programs in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis, a license-qualifying program that prepares non-licensed candidates for the New York State licensing examination in psychoanalysis, and one-year certificate programs, alongside a sliding-scale treatment service staffed by candidates under faculty supervision ^[7][1][8]. The institute describes itself as multi-theoretical, teaching Contemporary Freudian, self psychological, relational/interpersonal, Kleinian, Winnicottian, intersubjective, attachment, Jungian and modern psychoanalytic orientations ^[7]. It is listed by the New York State Education Department Office of the Professions as an approved entity for the provision of professional services and is a state-approved provider of continuing education for several mental health professions ^[2][9].

History

New York State provisionally chartered PPSC as a training institute in 1986 ^[7]. According to the institute, its founders, Judy Levitz and Lee Crespi — both openly lesbian analysts trained in different psychoanalytic traditions — sought to create a school open to students and faculty of diverse sexualities, genders and races, and one that would teach a wide multiplicity of psychoanalytic ideas at a time when openly LGBTQ+ candidates were tacitly or explicitly barred from training at many institutes and patients with complex trauma, substance use or psychotic symptoms were often described as "non-analyzable" ^[7]. The institute states that no other multi-theoretical institute in New York or elsewhere teaches as wide a range of perspectives ^[7].

PPSC names Levitz and Crespi as Founding Directors, and identifies the committee of analysts who worked with Levitz to create the institute in 1986 as Alan Cauldwell, Lee Crespi, Austin Galvin, Carole Katz, Marilyn LaMonica and Pamela Rosenblum ^[6][3]. Distinctive features of the program include weekly written reflection papers known as "logs" and a final graduation paper ^[7]. The institute has offered full- and part-time training since its founding, and since the COVID-19 pandemic has taught through hybrid classrooms ^[7].

Institutional records list conferences and lecture series held from 1989 onward, including a long-running series on contemporary approaches to gender and sexuality (1997–2002), the work of a Committee on Psychoanalytic Addictions Treatment (from 2003), and events honoring Lawrence Epstein (2007), Martin Bergmann (2008), Paul and Anna Ornstein (2009), Frank Lachmann (2012), Edward Khantzian (2013), Fred Pine (2014), Sheldon Bach (2017) and Judith Kuspit (2020) ^[7][10]. Following the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, the institute states that it expanded efforts to engage communities of color and populations under-represented in psychoanalysis through scholarship funding, curricular revision and monthly workshops ^[7]. In 2026 PPSC marked 40 years of operation ^[3].

PPSC reports that since 1986 it has provided therapy to more than 10,000 clients, trained more than 100 psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic psychotherapists, and that community members have produced more than 250 publications; on the same page, which lists awards through 2025, it reports 75 faculty members and supervisors working with 60 full- and part-time candidates ^[11].

Training programs

• Four-Year Program in Psychoanalysis — courses in contemporary Freudian, modern analytic, object relations, relational and self psychological schools, with advanced integrative seminars and advanced electives in the fourth year; classes may be taken full- or part-time ^[8][12].
• Three-Year Program in Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy — for already-licensed candidates, drawing on contemporary Freudian, modern, object relations, interpersonal, relational, intersubjective and self psychological thought ^[8][13].
• License-Qualifying Certificate of Completion Program in Psychoanalysis (LP) — for non-licensed candidates from allied fields and other master’s-level applicants, providing the education and experience needed to sit for the New York State License in Psychoanalysis examination ^[14][8].
• Child and Adolescent Therapy Program — a one-year certificate program covering early childhood, the school-age child and adolescence, taught remotely on Wednesday evenings and carrying 48 CE credits ^[15].
• Clinical Journeys — a one-year certificate program of three eight-week trimesters introducing psychoanalytic models, offered by Zoom on Tuesday evenings and carrying 48 CE credits ^[16].
• Clinical Journeys 2: Evolution of Technique — an optional second year open only to Clinical Journeys graduates, in which students join psychoanalytic candidates for the required Evolution of Technique course; two 12-week semesters, 36 CEs ^[17].
• MSW Intern Program — an academic-year placement for advanced social work graduate students combining a caseload of two to five weekly clients in the Treatment Service, weekly individual and group supervision, and a weekly didactic seminar ^[18].

Coursework for the first three years (six semesters) is the same across the three psychoanalytic programs, while personal analysis, control supervision and clinical requirements differ; the final year of the four-year and LP programs emphasizes comparison and synthesis of major orientations along with specialized study courses and electives ^[19]. The LP program adds coursework in ethics, research, socio-cultural influences and child abuse, and prerequisite classes in development, assessment, and psychodynamic theory and technique for candidates without prior mental health experience ^[19][14]. Most courses run 12 weeks at 1.5 hours per session ^[19]. Candidate classes are scheduled on Monday afternoons and evenings from September through May ^[20].

Certificate requirements, described by the institute as minimum standards subject to review by candidates’ advisors and the PPSC Training Committee, include:

• Three-Year Program — completion of coursework; 225 hours of personal analysis (90 at twice weekly, 45 prior to admission); 135 hours of individual supervision; 400 hours of clinical control cases, one including a patient seen twice weekly for at least a year; case presentation and paper ^[13].
• Four-Year Program — four years of coursework; 405 hours of personal analysis (one year at three times weekly and two years at twice weekly), with 45 hours prior to admission; 360 hours of supervision at twice weekly for full-time candidates; 810 clinical control case hours; case presentation and paper ^[12].
• License-Qualifying Program — four years of coursework plus ethics, research, socio-cultural influences and child abuse; 405 hours of personal analysis; 360 hours of supervision, with an additional 45 hours for those without prior clinical experience; 810 clinical control case hours; case presentation and paper ^[14].

Graduates of the Three-Year Program may apply coursework, supervision and analysis credits toward the Four-Year Program requirements ^[12][13].

Admissions

• Applicants to the Four-Year and Three-Year programs are expected to hold a doctoral or master’s degree in psychology, social work, education, counseling, nursing or an allied field that qualifies for licensure under New York State law ^[21].
• Applicants to the License Qualifying Program are expected to hold a doctorate or master’s degree in other fields, which may include health-related degrees that do not qualify for separate licensure, or degrees in the humanities, arts or business ^[21].
• Application materials include a form, resume, three professional letters of reference (personal analysts not accepted), transcripts, information on the applicant’s analyst’s credentials, and a one-page statement of interest ^[21].
• Two separate personal interviews with PPSC staff are arranged after the file is complete; an additional individual or group interview may also be arranged ^[21].
• The one-year programs (Clinical Journeys and the Child and Adolescent Therapy Program) have separate admissions procedures ^[21].

Recommendations for part-time or provisional matriculation may be made where more analysis, supervision or clinical experience is considered beneficial, with readiness for full-time matriculation assessed by the Training Committee at the end of the first year ^[21]. Clinical Journeys requires as minimum eligibility a master’s degree or current enrollment in a master’s program, plus client-facing work to draw on during the course ^[16]. For the Child and Adolescent Therapy Program, master’s-level applicants and those enrolled in a post-graduate program are prioritized ^[15]. The institute states that it does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, national or ethnic origin, or analytic orientation in the administration of its admissions and education policies ^[21].

Tuition and fees

• Psychoanalytic program applications carry a non-refundable application fee of $150 ^[21].
• One-year program applications carry a non-refundable $50 application fee, payable by Zelle ^[16][15].
• Clinical Journeys tuition was $650 per trimester, totaling $1,950 for the year, for the cycle applied to between May 15 and August 15 ^[16].
• Clinical Journeys 2 tuition for 2026–27 is $700 per semester, totaling $1,400 for the year ^[17].
• Child and Adolescent Therapy Program tuition was $650 per trimester for the cycle with an August 15, 2025 application deadline ^[15].
• PPSC Annex webinars cost $60 for regular admission and $40 for students ^[9].
• A PPSC Learning Lab session scheduled for April 25, 2026 was priced at $45 regular admission and $30 for students and Refugee Support Program volunteers ^[22].

Diversity Scholarships are available to prospective candidates from populations the institute describes as historically under-represented in psychoanalysis — people of color, recent immigrants, and those who are the first in their families to attend college ^[23]. The grants aim to cover the cost of the first three years of class tuition in the psychoanalytic programs, up to a maximum of 24 classes, and do not cover supervision or personal analysis; applicants must first be accepted into the three- or four-year program and then write to the Diversity Scholarships Committee, with a stated deadline of July 15, 2025 ^[23]. The scholarships originated in donations from the family of a PPSC alumna dating from 2010 and have been augmented since 2020 by annual gifts from faculty and administration ^[23].

Clinical services

PPSC’s Treatment Service has provided low-cost psychotherapy since 1986 and is staffed by PPSC candidates working under faculty supervision ^[7][5]. Fees are set in conjunction with the therapist based on the client’s ability to pay, and both longer-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy and shorter-term treatment are offered ^[5]. The service accepts Aetna, NYU and Marymount student insurance plans, and states that out-of-network services may be reimbursable by other insurers ^[5]. Intake enquiries are handled by voicemail at (212) 633-9162, with a stated response time of one business day ^[5].

The PPSC Refugee Support Project (RSP) was formed in response to the war in Ukraine and other humanitarian crises as a network of volunteer clinicians, asylum advocates, translators, resettlement volunteers and administrative volunteers providing crisis and support services to refugees, their families and service workers ^[24]. Volunteer clinicians donate one or more hours of pro bono support and must hold appropriate licensure, insurance and supervision; asylum advocates are referred for asylum-specific training through the Weill Cornell Center for Human Rights ^[24]. The project offers one to five pro bono sessions, after which clients may continue with the therapist at an affordable fee or be referred elsewhere ^[25]. A 2025 program update reports that RSP expanded beyond the Ukrainian refugee population to clients from Nigeria, Haiti, Venezuela, Russia, the Republic of Guinea, Jamaica, El Salvador and the Middle East, with more than 20 referrals since June 2025, and lists referral sources including Catholic Charities, East Village Neighbors, Team TLCNYC, Emma’s Torch and Ark Immigration, plus new collaborations with AAPIPNA in Spain and the Synagogue Coalition on the Refugee and Immigration Crisis ^[26]. A related initiative, "RSP on the Move," supports therapy groups for caregivers of neurodiverse children in Ukraine ^[27]. Project materials are published in English, Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian ^{[28][24][29][30]}.

Continuing education

• The PPSC Annex presents Friday-evening Zoom webinars for mental health practitioners on complementary modalities, theories and techniques, each providing two CE credits ^[9].
• The PPSC Learning Lab offers seminars and short-term courses for health and wellness practitioners, teachers, parents, nurses, counselors and therapists on topics such as trauma, parenting, creative arts therapies and special-needs education ^[22].
• The Annex also collaborates with Modern Sex Therapy Institutes to provide two AASECT CE credits for presentations focusing on sexuality ^[9].

Registration for both series is handled through Eventbrite ^[22][9]. Announced Annex programs for spring 2026 included presentations by Tom Wooldridge (February 26), Jessica Benjamin (April 24) and Diane Austin (May 8) ^[9].

Affiliations and accreditation

• New York State Education Department Office of the Professions — lists PPSC as an approved entity, waiver number 182, with a current waiver period of January 10, 2026 to January 31, 2029 ^[2].
• New York State Education Department State Board for Mental Health Practitioners — approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychoanalysts (#P-0040), licensed mental health counselors (#MHC-0166), licensed creative arts therapists (#CAT-0083) and licensed marriage and family therapists (#MFT-0119) ^[9].
• New York State Education Department State Board for Social Work — approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers (#0054) ^[9].
• New York State Education Department State Board for Psychology — approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists (#PSY-0118) ^[9].
• Modern Sex Therapy Institutes — collaborating provider for AASECT CE credits on presentations focusing on sexuality ^[9].

The Office of the Professions record lists the professional services to be offered at PPSC by qualified individuals as licensed master social work, licensed clinical social work, licensed mental health counseling, licensed marriage and family therapy, licensed creative arts therapy, licensed behavior analyst, licensed psychoanalysis, psychology and certified behavior analyst assistant ^[2]. The same record lists an additional setting, certificate number 26, at 138 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10001 ^[2]. Completion of the LP program qualifies a candidate to sit for the New York State licensing examination in psychoanalysis ^[21][14].

Governance

PPSC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization ^[3]. Its 2026 administration listing names:

• Board of Directors — Joan Brady, Richard Daniele, Valerie Frankfeldt, Dorothy Gloster, Wendy Justus, Judy A. Levitz (Founding Director), Joan O’Donnell, David Pauley (Executive Director) and Panthea Saidpour ^[6].
• Executive Director — David Pauley, LCSW, who also chairs the Executive Committee ^[6].
• Deputy Director and Director for Academic Programs — Lauren Ginsberg, LCSW ^[6].
• Associate Executive Director for Finance and Director of the Treatment Service — Amy Harris, ATR-BC, LCAT ^[6].
• Director of Training — Renée Obstfeld, Ph.D., LP, LCAT; Dean of Admissions — Deborah Silver, LCSW; Dean of Students — Fred Aiese, LCSW; Co-Deans of Faculty — Susie Greenebaum, LCSW and Nathan Rice, LCSW ^[6].
• Program directors — Tamar Efrat (License in Psychoanalysis Program), Marisa K. Mickel (Clinical Journeys), Susan Sherman and Ruth Wyatt (Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy Program), and Katie Bellas (Intern Program) ^[6].

A Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DIB) Committee meets on the first Friday of each month from September through May; its mission statement commits the institute to examining sociopolitical context, including the legacies of colonialism and racism, within the frame of psychoanalytic work, and to expanding conceptions of gender and sexuality ^[31].

Finances

PPSC accepts individual donations by PayPal, Venmo, Zelle and check, and states that contributions are deductible to the degree permitted by tax law ^[3]. Its published donation levels range from $25–49 (funding an intake interview for a new Treatment Services client) to $20,000 and above, which the institute states will be devoted to creating an endowment ^[3]. A Founders’ Circle, named in honor of Judy Levitz and the founding committee, recognizes donors contributing $5,000 or more in a calendar year and provides free access to Annex and Learning Lab events during the current academic year ^[3]. A full one-year Diversity Scholarship is listed at $4,000 and a scholarship covering the entire analytic program at $12,000 ^[3]. Separate donation channels exist for the Refugee Support Project ^[32][3].