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Board of Trustees

Hon. Anthony DeLuca, Ph.D., Psy.D. ex officio
Antoinette DeLuca, Psy.D., L.H.D.
Susan Kavaler-Adler, Ph.D., Litt.D.
Angela Silverstein, L.H.D.
Rocco Spinelli, R.N., M.A.., D.D.
Steve Zuckermann, Ph.D. L.H.D.
Eric Gansberg, Esq. Counsel
Charles Weitman, J.D., LL.D., Esq.

Program In Psychoanalysis

Senior Faculty

Andrea DeLuca, M.S.Ed., M.S.W., Psa.D., L.H.D.
Anthony DeLuca, Ph.D.
Otto Ehrenberg, Ph.D.
Edward Emery, Ph.D
Susan Kavaler-Adler, Ph.D., Litt.D.
Zvi Lothane, M.D.
Inna Rosentsvit, M.D., Ph.D., M.B.A., M.Ed.
Sylvester Wojtkowski, Ph.D.
Steve Zuckermann, , Ph.D. L.H.D.

Adjunct Faculty

Richard Cohen, M.S.W., L.H.D.
Michael DeSimone, M.S.W., Ph.D.
Shirley Disu, M.A.
Doris Kimmich, M.S.W. , L.H.D.
William Nobel, D. Min.
Linda Orber, M.A.
Gloria Rich, Ph.D.
Carl Stallmann, Ph.D.
Sharon Weinstein, M.S. Ed.

Committees

Training

Richard Cohen, M.S.W.,
Andrea DeLuca, M.S.Ed., M.S.W., Psa.D., L.H.D.
Anthony DeLuca, Ph.D., Chair

Faculty & Curriculum

Andrea DeLuca, M.S.Ed., M.S.W., Psa.D., L.H.D.
Anthony DeLuca, Ph.D., Chair
Zvi Lothane, M.D.

Admissions

Richard Cohen, M.S.W. Chair
Anthony DeLuca, Ph.D.
Doris Kimmich, M.S.W.
Zvi Lothane, M.D.
Carl Stallmann, Ph.D.

Continuing Education

Anthony DeLuca, Ph.D.
Edward Emery, Ph.D., Co-chair
Steve Zuckermann, , Ph.D. L.H.D., Co-chair

Publications

Anthony DeLuca, Ph.D.
Edward Emery, Ph.D.
Zvi Lothane, M.D.

Ethics

Antoinette DeLuca, Psy.D., L.H.D.
Otto Ehrenberg, Ph.D.
Doris Kimmich, M.S.W.
Charles Weitman, J.D.
Steve Zuckermann,, Ph.D. L.H.D., Chair

In Memoriam
Michael Regan, M.Div., M.S.A., D.D., C.P.A.

History

The International School for Mental Health Practitioners first began offering advanced training courses for professionals on Staten Island in 1975 and then began workshops in Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1978. The School was provisionally chartered by the Regents of the University of the State of New York in 1981 and has been renewed by the State Education Department for the last quarter century. ISMHP was approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education of psychologists in 1982 and became a member organization of the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis in 2005. The Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Higher Education, Office of the Professions, New York State Department of Education has registered the psychoanalytic program as meeting the requirements towards the state license in psychoanalysis in November 2005. ISMHP offers workshops to diplomats at the United Nations and provides consultation gratis to third world countries on the setting-up of mental health education and programs.

Philosophy

International School for Mental Health Practitioners was founded in order to provide advanced training to all those engaged in the alleviation of emotional disorders. We are International because knowledge, wisdom and expertise are not limited by geographical boundaries or by time or place; we hope to assimilate the best that is available in an ongoing dialectic. We are a School
or a place where teacher and student may meet in order to learn; it is a place where ideas, theories and techniques, both old and new, are explored. No one school of thought is the repository of truth; history bears witness to this fact.

It is the purpose of the International School to make available to the students the major theories, techniques and practices of psychoanalysis. In this way, the practitioner may select which approach or combination of approaches he/ she is most comfortable with and will be of most benefit to the patient.

The School maintains a required educational curriculum which follows the guidelines of the New York State Education Department for a graduate to meet the educational requirements which are pre-requisite to the licensing examination and licensing in psychoanalysis.

“In a strange way the analyst becomes a silent actor in a play the patient is creating. The analyst does not act in the drama; he tries to remain the shadowy figure the patient needs for his fantasies. Yet the analyst helps in the creation of the character, working out the details by his insight, empathy and intuition. In a sense he becomes a kind of stage director in the situation- a vital part of the play, but not an actor. Or he is like a conductor of a symphony orchestra. He does not write the music, but he clarifies and interprets it. By the use of his creative imagination the analyst participates in the patient’s fantasies as a clarifier and interpreter, not as an accomplice or provocateur.” (Greenson, 1967).

Facility

International School for Mental Health Practitioners has been located in the same building for nearly thirty years. The facility has ten rooms: treatment rooms, class rooms, a secretarial station with modern office equipment, computer room for students, closed circuit t.v. rooms, modest library with psychoanalytic periodicals and books, art gallery and cloistered garden. With the growth of the internet, every student has the largest library collection in the world at his /her finger tips. A seminar is provided, in addition to the required course Information Systems and Computer Applications, where internet resources for psychoanalytic research are provided.

The Psychoanalytic Program

The training in psychoanalysis is an intensive three year program in which the student obtains a general understanding of the major psychoanalytic theories and techniques as well as ample opportunity to practice under supervision of senior psychoanalysts. ISMHP is well aware of situations where certain disorders and particular patients may not be amenable to psychoanalysis alone. Accordingly. the last course in the program is “Integration: Psychoanalysis and Multi-modal Therapies.” Here the student learns, from the academic standpoint, how to integrate psychoanalysis with other forms of therapy and to put into practice with patients the theoretical material learned. Concern is always maintained for scientific methodology and ethical issues.

And perhaps most importantly, this learning experience takes place within the matrix of the student being an analysand thus continuing the classical wisdom of “Know thyself;” and ancient oaths: ” But from what is to their harm or injustice, I will keep them;” and biblical insights: ” Physician heal thyself;” ” Why look at the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but not consider the beam that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me pull the mote out of your eye; and there is a beam in your own eye? Hypocrite. First cast out the beam from your own eye; and then you will see clearly how to cast out the mote from your brother’s eye.”

1. Patients are assessed and evaluated by the Institute’s licensed staff and assigned to students.
2. Students provide service in the Institute’s offices under the supervision of a licensed professional qualified to practice psychoanalysis.
3. Students never provide services in a private office which the student owns or operates.
4. Payment for services is made to the Institute which may provide a stipend to the student,
and
5. Communications and written materials clearly state to the patient that the treatment is being provided by a student and that the student is supervised by a licensed professional who is qualified in the practice of psychoanalysis.

Admission

Applicants may be those licensed from any of the related health service professions with a master’s degree or those who hold a master’s degree from a regionally accredited university or the foreign equivalent with a minimum 3.0 index. It is highly recommended, but not required, that the applicant already have two years of supervised experience in psychotherapy. Since research is an important part of the curriculum at ISMHP, the applicant must have completed a course in Information Systems and Computer Applications or the equivalent. Where this skill is missing, ISMHP will provide the course before or during the first semester. Or the student may demonstrate proficiency by passing the CLEP examination in this area; ISMHP will provide direction on this procedure.

The Admissions Committee is composed of members representing the major mental health disciplines. If there is no committee member from the applicant’s discipline, a psychoanalyst from that discipline may be added to compose a panel of three. The Dean, for serious cause, may reverse the decision of the committee. An applicant may appeal a negative decision of the Admissions Committee and a new panel be appointed. The decision of the second panel is final.
An applicant may re-apply, unless otherwise informed, after one year.

Applications are made to the Admissions Committee, ISMHP, 2295 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, New York 10314.

Training Program

The training is designed to further the acquisition of psychoanalytic skill and knowledge through:
1. Course Work
2. Supervision
3. Personal Psychoanalysis

The organization of the courses is governed by the ideas that learning is most meaningful when it arises directly from the problems and challenges of clinical practice. Through the coordination of clinical material, related theory, and personal experience, the process of learning is guided by therapeutic and personal needs.

Fees

1. A 100. Application Fee must be included with the application form.
2. Required Admissions Committee Interviews is $150 due at the time of application.
3. Student Appeal Reevaluation is $300.
4. Registration / Maintenance is $100 per semester (4 semesters/ year) till program is completed.
5. Course Tuition is $700 per course (45 clock hours); Weekly group/lab component of each course is $20 / session to ISMHP. $700 for Information Systems & Computer Applications course, if not taken before admission.
6. Psychoanalytic Supervision Fee: This fee is paid directly to the supervisor by ISMHP. However, the student is expected to pay a supervision tuition fee of $50 for each session to ISMHP toward meeting the total supervision fee.
7. Personal Psychoanalysis fee is arranged with Training Analyst within guidelines of ISMHP. (sliding scale)
8. The students renders 300 clock hours of treatment of patients as part of the supervised educational requirement; all fees generated from patients are payable to ISMHP.
9. Refund Policy: Application Fee, Admissions Committee Interviews, Registration / Maintenance, lab, and supervision are all non-refundable. Tuition is 90% refundable before the first class; 50% refundable before the first quarter of semester; and no refund after the first quarter.
10. Psychoanalysis 509 Research, Law, Ethics is twice the amount of the current course rate and may be in partial payments distributed over the three years.
11. Incomplete Course Work: Under extraordinary circumstances and reasons, ISMHP may grant a student an Incomplete (INC) for a course not completed on time. There is a $25 fee charged for each week during the incomplete status. The extension may not exceed 15 weeks; beyond that time for good cause a “W” (Withdraw) is entered; for insufficient cause an “F” is recorded; and the course needs to be repeated with full tuition fee in both cases.

Compliance

ISMHP, in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendment of 1973, does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex or physical or mental handicap in any of its policies, practices and procedures. These policies and procedures include, but are not limited to admission, employment, financial aid, and educational services.

Course Work

The minimal program consists of ten courses, each consisting of 45 clock hours. The schedule of the three years illustrates the distribution of courses over time. Each course provides specific requirement information, such as examinations and term paper and how evaluation of the student is made. Exams are graded by the entire faculty. There is a Group / Lab section attached to each of the courses wherein application of specific theoretical material is explored. The candidate is not required to discuss material that she / he wishes to treat solely in the private dydactic analysis. Contents of the Group / Lab portion are not discussed outside the Group / Lab nor used in evaluating the candidate in any way. In addition, at the end of each course, the student submits an evaluation of the course and instructor.

In special cases, work taken at other registered institutes, before matriculation at ISMHP, may be credited, if they match our program.

Supervised Analysis

There must be 150 clock hours of supervised analysis of the student’s psychoanalytic cases as follows: 50 clock hours of individual supervision with one supervisor working on one case; and at
least 100 clock hours of individual supervision with another supervisor working on one or more additional cases. Supervisors are assigned by ISMHP.

Clinical Experience

There is required at least 300 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in the practice of psychoanalysis. Please note: a total of 1500 hours of supervised clinical experience in psychoanalysis are required for licensing but not ISMHP graduation. Of the 1500 hours, 750 hours may be in “professional development.” ISMHP will attempt to provide this additional experience but cannot guarantee that the volume of patient referral will always be available within the intensive three year educational program. Other resources might be called upon to meet the missing hours.

Personal Psychoanalysis

The personal psychoanalysis must be with one having a certificate in psychoanalysis approved by ISMHP. Candidates must have a minimum of 300 clock hours of personal psychoanalysis. The Training Psychoanalyst will not report to the School on the progress of the candidate nor will he /
she participate in administrative decisions with respect to the candidate. A training psychoanalyst must be so designated at this School or at a recognized institute who has had ten years of experience. Analysts from outside the School must be approved by the Dean. Previous analysis will be accepted at the discretion of the Dean. An extensive list of Training Analysts is provided to the student.

Requirements for Graduation

1. Successful completion of all required courses (450 clock hours) and “B” average is required in course work. In addition, the student must have two hours in Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment. ISMHP recommends this be completed at the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (212) 233 5500 x 219 or another approved agency.
2. Successful completion of 150 clock hours of supervised analysis of student’s psychoanalytic cases.
3. Successful completion of 300 clock hours of supervised clinical experience in the practice of psychoanalysis.
4. Completion of 300 hours of personal psychoanalysis.
5. A detailed proposal for a Doctoral Dissertation in Psychoanalysis including the Methodology to be employed, if you were to carry out the proposal.
6. The evaluations of the Instructors, Supervisors, and Dean are submitted to the Board of Trustees for final approval.

Upon meeting the requirements, the candidate will receive at graduation the Advanced Certificate in Psychoanalysis approved by the New York State Office of Higher Education.

To meet the experience requirement for licensure as a Psychoanalyst, you must complete at least 1,500 contact hours of supervised experience in the practice of Psychoanalysis. The experience may only be completed under a limited permit issued by the Department or as part of the licensure qualifying education program, for experience in New York; experience completed in other jurisdictions must be completed legally in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction. You and your supervisor must submit documentation of completion of a supervised experience of at least 1,500 clock hours providing Psychoanalysis in a setting acceptable to the Department. Supervised experience obtained in the education program required for licensure as a psychoanalyst may meet all or part of this requirement but must be documented by the supervisor on Form 4B.

The practice of psychoanalysis is defined as:
– the observation, description, evaluation, and interpretation of dynamic unconscious mental processes that contribute to the formation of personality and behavior in order to identify and resolve unconscious psychic problems which affect interpersonal relationships and emotional development, to facilitate changes in personality and behavior through the use of verbal and nonverbal cognitive and emotional communication, and to develop adaptive functioning; and
– the use of assessment instruments and mental health counseling and psychotherapy to identify, evaluate and treat dysfunctions and disorders for purposes of providing appropriate psychoanalytic services.

Not less than 750 clock hours of such required experience must consist of direct contact with clients. The remaining experience may consist of other activities that do not involve direct client contact, including but not limited to, supervision, personal analysis and professional development.

Doctoral Program

Students may apply to the joint doctoral program of Ignatius University (Doctor of Psychoanalysis, Psa.D. ) and Sofia University (Doctor of Philosophy, Ph.D., in psychoanalysis) in their second year of the program.