The Impact of Graduation from Analytic Training

While many aspects of psychoanalytic training have been critiqued and researched, strikingly little has been written about the criteria for graduation. Whether graduation marks the certification of competency or a transition to a new phase of analytic education is still debated among faculty. It is generally accepted, however, that developing proficiency as an analyst requires time beyond formal training. Candidates' experience of graduation and its impact on personal and professional life have never been studied.

This study was designed to examine the experience of graduation, particularly in the first year after analytic training. We sent graduates of the Columbia University Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research from 1997 through 2001 an anonymous questionnaire about their first year after analytic training. Questions focused on the impact of graduation on time availability, net income, professional advancement, and sense of personal and professional autonomy.

Seventy-two percent (23/32) returned the survey. We found that in the first postgraduate year graduates had more income, a mean net increase of $30,000 per year, and more available time, a mean net increase of 16.5 hours per week. The majority of the total time gained resulted from the ending of classes, together with related travel and preparation (69%, 11.5/16.5 hours). Much less time was gained because of completing control cases (4%, 0.6/16.5 hours) or stopping supervision (12%, 2.0/16.5 hours). The 61% of our sample who ended their training analysis in the first postgraduate year also gained further time (15%, 2.5/16.5 hours). In addition, there were financial benefits, which resulted primarily from seeing more patients during the time made available with the end of classes. Graduates most valued their sense of professional accomplishment and ability to spend more time with their families. Although graduates also experienced relief from evaluation pressure, they did not rank it high in im