About the NJ Institute for Training in Psychoanalysis

The NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE

The New Jersey Institute for Training in Psychoanalysis is a nonprofit organization founded in 1972. Our mission is to provide professional training in the theory and practice of psychoanalysis and psychotherapy and to apply these principles to therapeutic services for the public, offering treatment for children and adults at reduced fees, to the benefit of underserved communities.

The New Jersey Institute offers comprehensive psychoanalytic training in a supportive environment, preparing our Candidates to effectively meet the challenge of in-depth clinical practice. Our program is the first formal psychoanalytic training program for non-medical professionals in the State of New Jersey to be accredited by the American Board for Accreditation in Psychoanalysis, Inc. (ABAP). NJI is a psychoanalytic community of Candidates, Members and Faculty in which professional relationships and personal friendships are developed and sustained. In addition, NJI is committed to being a heterogeneous and inclusive community. Diversity benefits the entire community by providing a wider range of perspectives and experiences. We embrace a broad definition of diversity: a community comprised of people with different racial, cultural, economic and religious backgrounds.

Why Study Psychoanalysis?

We offer a wide range of high quality of teaching and practice opportunities in our programs.

Originating in Freud’s groundbreaking contributions and refined and developed through the last century and up to today, psychoanalysis represents the foundation and cornerstone of nearly all psychotherapeutic treatment and theory. With its reliance on talk therapy, the psychoanalytic method remains on the cutting edge of effective, substantive mental health intervention.

As a therapy, psychoanalysis is based on the recognition that individuals are often unaware of many of the factors that determine their emotions and behavior. These unconscious factors may create states of unhappiness or confusion, sometimes in the form of recognizable symptoms and at other times as troubling personality traits, leading to problems in work or in love relationships, disturbances in mood and self-esteem, or perhaps a sense of general overall dissatisfaction.

CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOANALYSIS

Child and adolescent psychoanalysis is an offshoot of the adult psychoanalytic approach, sharing a common theoretical framework for understanding psychological life while also using additional techniques and measures to deal with the specific capacities and vulnerabilities of children. For instance, the young patient is helped to reveal his or her inner feelings and worries not only through words, but also through drawings and fantasy play. In the treatment of all but late adolescents, parents are usually consulted to round out the picture of the child’s life and functioning. The goal of child and adolescent analysis is the removal of symptoms and of the psychological roadblocks that interfere with normal development.

GROUP PSYCHOANALYSIS

Group psychoanalysis represents one of the major technical innovations in psychoanalytic treatment over the last 100 years. Built on psychoanalytic developmental theory, the psychoanalytic group experience offers patients a unique opportunity to experience and explore both inner emotional concerns as well as important relational issues in the context of a safe, private and open atmosphere. Group work can be highly effective with deep seated character and socially based conflicts and symptoms.

As a standard approach the individual participates in both group and individual psychoanalysis. Working in tandem such as this can prove highly effective and efficient at facilitating personal growth and insight. Individuals often participate in weekly group meetings (4 to 9 participants) along with their individual sessions.

Non-Discrimination Policy

NJI does not discriminate with regard to race, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, age, creed, military status, genetic information, employment status or any legally protected category in admission of Members and Candidates; selection, assignment and promotion of faculty and administrative staff; application of scholarship programs; evaluation of Candidates in their progress through the Training Program; membership policies; referral services and all other aspects of NJI function . NJI does not tolerate bullying nor harassment of any nature.