The Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute has long supported efforts of the American Psychoanalytic Association to establish a procedure for certification in psychoanalysis. The current proposal before the Association as documented and outlined by Dr. Burness E. Moore in the July 1976 issue of the NEWSLETTER seems to us to be an unsuitable and ill-advised measure by which to accomplish this goal. In its present form the proposal would not only disenfranchise but further alienate the more than 800 graduates of the approved psychoanalytic institutes of the Association who, up to now, have not chosen to join the membership ranks of the parent organization. The proposal would tie in certification to a membership procedure which is already redundant and unsatisfactory.
The membership procedures for joining the American were developed by the Board on Professional Standards in an attempt to influence the level of education in the institutes. By this monitoring
of the individual graduate, the Board hoped to maintain high educational standards in the respective institutes, although there is grave doubt as to whether this procedure achieves its aims. (ref. Kris, A.: “The Problem of Membership in the American Psychoanalytic Association”; J. Phila. Assoc. for Psychoanalysis—III: 22-36, 1976.) In any event, the current membership procedure does not provide an adequate basis for certifying the mature and independent work of a psychoanalyst.
It is the position of the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute
That there is an urgent need for the American Psychoanalytic Association to establish a certifying board;
That certification and membership in the American Psychoanalytic Association should be kept separate;
That graduation from an approved psychoanalytic institute of the American Psychoanalytic Association should be the sole requirement for any “Grandfather Clause” for certification;
That the American Psychoanalytic Association should immediately establish a committee to formulate procedures for certification and recertification;
That certification and recertification should be a prerequisite for the appointment of Training and Supervising Analysts;
That the Board on Professional Standards develop direct methods for maintaining high educational standards in the institutes; and
That the Board on Professional Standards admit to membership in the American all graduates of approved institutes without further examination of their psychoanalytic education.
Charles E. Magraw, President,
Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute
S. Joseph Nemetz, Chairman,
Education Committee
William W. Meissner, Chairman,
Faculty
Edward M. Daniels, Past President
Paul G. Myerson, Past President