In an action that was hailed as an important step forward in the development of child analysis, the Board on Professional Standards, at its December 14th meeting, unanimously adopted a set of Training Standards in Child Analysis. The adopted Standards were contained in a final draft submitted by the Committee on Child Analysis, chaired by Dr. Albert Solnit. Dr. Solnit and his Committee (consisting of Drs. William R. Adams, Anne Benjamin, Eveoleen N. Rexford, Calvin F. Settlage, Heiman Van Dam, and Grace McLean Abbate)
had undertaken the formulation of standards after the Board had voted, in December, 1965, to approve the principle of providing recognition to approved training programs in child analysis.
The Board's approval was the culmination of more than a decade of discussion in various bodies of the Association about the need to establish a clear set of standards as a means of strengthening the sound development of child analysis.
The report which was adopted consisted of two documents: one of training standards and the other of “enabling considerations.” The training standards set forth the conditions necessary for conducting training programs in child analysis, the requirements for admission to such a program, the requirements for completion of training, and the requirements for supervisory faculty. The “enabling considerations” outline ways of enabling training programs to begin and maintain a high quality of training while working towards the attainment of the training standards.
In both the report and the discussion in the Board, it was emphasized that the intent of the Standards is to facilitate the establishment and maintenance of programs of excellence, and that while specific requirements are indicated, the specificity should be considered as subordinate to the kind of flexibility necessary for the development of good programs.