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National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis

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National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis
Organization details
TypePsychoanalytic society and training institute
Founded1948
Founder(s)Theodor Reik
Key figuresTheodor Reik
OrientationFreudian with diverse contemporary orientations
Institutional context
AffiliationIndependent; member of NAAP, ABAP, IFPE
Relation to IPAIndependent (advocates lay analysis)
Operations
HeadquartersNew York City, United States
Geographic scopeNational (United States)
Training functionPsychoanalytic training institute open to medicine, psychology, social work, and humanities
PublicationsThe Psychoanalytic Review
Websitehttps://npap.org


The National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis (NPAP) is a psychoanalytic training institute and professional membership organization headquartered in New York City, founded in 1948 by Theodor Reik.[1][2] Established in response to the controversy over lay analysis, NPAP pioneered training for non-medical professionals from medicine, psychology, social work, and the humanities, following Sigmund Freud's support for such practices as articulated in The Question of Lay Analysis (1926).[3]

NPAP holds historical significance as one of the oldest and largest independent psychoanalytic institutes in the United States advocating for the professionalization of psychoanalysis beyond medical exclusivity, influencing numerous successor organizations and contributing to state licensing for psychoanalysts.[1][4] It maintains affiliations with the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis (NAAP), the American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis (ABAP), and the International Federation for Psychoanalytic Education (IFPE).[1]

History

Precursors and Origins

NPAP originated amid tensions over lay analysis in the United States, where medical dominance restricted psychoanalytic training primarily to physicians, contrary to Freud's endorsement of non-medical analysts like Reik.[2][3] Reik, a direct analysand of Freud exiled from Europe due to Nazi persecution, arrived in New York and gathered a small group of student analysts frustrated by exclusionary policies of established bodies like the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA).[1][3]

Founding (1948)

NPAP was formally organized in 1948 by Theodor Reik and his students, with incorporation as an educational membership association under New York State laws in 1950.[1][3] The founding reflected a commitment to Freud's vision in The Question of Lay Analysis, emphasizing that medical training was unnecessary—and potentially limiting—for psychoanalytic practice.[3] Initial efforts focused on establishing a training institute open to diverse disciplines.

In the ensuing decades, NPAP grew amid dissensions, spawning institutions such as the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (IPTAR), the New York Freudian Society, and the New York Center for Psychoanalytic Training.[3] It received an Absolute Charter from the New York State Board of Regents and, by the 2000s, became license-qualifying for Licensed Psychoanalysts (LP) in New York, the first state to grant such recognition.[1][4]

Organizational Structure

NPAP operates as a dual entity: a membership association and a separate NPAP Psychoanalytic Training Institute, divided to ensure accreditation independence.[1][4] Governance follows a professional association model with a board, committees for training and accreditation, and monthly scientific meetings.[3]

Membership Categories

Membership is open to graduates of accredited institutes, with categories including full members, candidates in training, and grandfathered professionals. The organization emphasizes diversity across theoretical orientations.[2]

Accreditation

NPAP affiliates with ABAP for independent accreditation of training institutes, safeguarding educational standards and public protection.[4]

Training and Formation

The NPAP Training Institute provides comprehensive psychoanalytic training to prepare candidates for professional practice, requiring personal analysis, seminars, and supervised cases.[2][1] Unlike IPA-affiliated groups, it admits candidates from medicine, psychology, social work, and humanities master's holders, without medical prerequisites.[3]

Training includes four-times-weekly analysis, theoretical coursework, and clinical supervision. Since the 1960s, NPAP has operated the Theodor Reik Clinical Center for low-cost psychoanalytic psychotherapy.[3] The curriculum supports Freudian foundations alongside object relations and self-psychology.[3]

Key Concepts / Theoretical Orientation

NPAP adheres to a Freudian tradition while embracing contemporary psychoanalytic diversity, including object relations theory and self-psychology.[2][3] Core to its mission is the principle of lay analysis, viewing psychoanalysis as an autonomous discipline not subordinate to medicine, as defended by Freud.[3] This orientation informs its inclusive training and advocacy for licensure.

Notable Members

  • Theodor Reik: Founder, author of Listening with the Third Ear (1956), key proponent of lay analysis.[3]

Influential figures trained or associated include founders of IPTAR and other New York institutes.[3]

Publications

NPAP publishes:

  • The Psychoanalytic Review, the oldest continuously published psychoanalytic journal in the United States (established 1913, merged with NPAP's Psychoanalysis journal).[2][5]
  • News and Reviews, an in-house journal for updates and proceedings.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 "Our History". NPAP. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 "National Psychological Association for Psychoanalysis". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "NAAP History". NAAP. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
  5. ↑ "Home". NPAP. Retrieved 2026-01-31.
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