ICP is unique in offering a host of comprehensive and specialized services designed specifically to fit the needs of each individual and family. Our broad range of treatment services is provided in a non-institutional setting that reduces the stigma and shame associated with therapeutic treatment while fostering a supportive, caring, and respectful environment for the individuals and families we treat.
ICP provides on-going therapy services that focus on our clients’ needs. Our therapists make a long-term commitment to their patients. This is a unique aspect of care that differentiates ICP from other psychoanalytic centers. While many clinics rotate therapists, ICP’s therapists stay with patients for the entire time they need treatment. This is an unusual commitment, particularly among the Institute’s trainee therapists who continue to treat their patients under the auspices of ICP long after their training has finished. It is precisely this dedication that unites the ICP community and creates a sense of family among directors, staff, and therapists.
Experienced and professionally trained therapists offer both short-term problem-focused and long-term psychoanalytically-oriented treatment. ICP is committed to integrating contemporary treatment approaches and responding to the changing needs of our patients through the following divisions:
Four-Year Program provides training in psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy for qualified professionals. The four-year program training can lead to a New York state license as a Licensed Psychoanalyst. The program also aims to provide a full range of moderate-cost treatment services and a research setting in which knowledge of the therapeutic process can be advanced.
Two-Year Program provides an intensive introductory education in psychodynamic psychotherapy that combines course work, individual and group supervision, patient contact, and individual psychodynamic psychotherapy. The course work covers the essential concepts of psychodynamic psychotherapy with an emphasis on clinical application. Through class work and supervision, participants will be helped to develop their understanding of patients, their capacity for effective communication, and their ability for use of self in the treatment setting.
Adult Treatment Services (AT) provides a full range of psychotherapeutic services to adult patients at moderate costs. Individual psychotherapy (1-2 times a week), intensive analytic therapy (3-5 times a week), clinical evaluation and consultation, and a special program for full-time college and graduate students are offered. Careful attention is paid to matching clients to the right therapist and to developing collaborative relationships in which an open dialogue between clients and therapists can occur.
Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia (CSAB) was established as a division of the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy in 1979 and is the oldest non-profit eating disorders clinic in New York City. CSAB is a treatment and training center for people with eating disorders and the professionals who work with them. We employ an integrative approach that incorporates psychodynamic and behavioral therapeutic treatments to create an environment conducive to both symptom relief and recommencement of the patient’s psychological and physiological development. CSAB aims to provide effective treatment for eating disordered patients and their families, provide specialized training for professionals who treat people with eating disorders, and to increase community awareness about the growing incidence of eating disorders. Issues of eating disorders often present as symptoms of other ongoing psychological issues. These issues are addressed in individual, group, and family treatment modalities. Collateral contacts are frequently initiated and maintained with physicians, psychiatrists, nutritionists, dentists, and other medical professionals.
Child and Adolescent Treatment Services (CATS) is committed to fostering the healthy emotional development of children and adolescents through psychotherapy provided by experienced child therapists. We regard the child as part of a family and a community and believe that there is no single treatment that is best for all children and their families. To this end, consultation with parents, physicians, teachers, and tutors is considered vitally important.
Family and Couples Treatment Services (FACTS) was originally created to meet the needs of a growing number of couples and families seeking psychotherapy. Our philosophy is based on the recognition that human development is best understood within the context of family relationships – past and present. We therefore approach difficulties in living through a consideration of the family life cycle, especially how families negotiate their way through various transitions. FACTS is a treatment and educational resource committed to helping people deal effectively with the challenges of family and couples relationships. We view family therapy as a two-fold process that explores recurring interpersonal patterns and helps find active solutions to difficulties in relationships.
Psychotherapy Center for Gender and Sexuality (PCGS) provides affordable, informed treatment to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning (LGBTQ) individuals, couples, and families in a safe and nurturing environment. Members of the LGBTQ community confront unique emotional challenges that inform our treatment. While struggling internally for self-acceptance, LGBTQ-identified individuals face harsh external realities that challenge that very process. Therapists at PCGS are trained to understand the deep and complex issues which members of the LGBTQ community face throughout their lives. Our therapists also recognize that not all difficulties our clients encounter are related to sexual orientation or gender identity and we provide comprehensive treatment services to support the whole person, couple or family. We strive to create a safe and supportive atmosphere where our clients’ confidentiality is assured. PCGS has expanded its training program to include a certification program and specialty in the training and treatment of the trans population.
Trauma Studies Center During the past twenty years, our understanding of trauma’s impact on the mind and body has vastly increased. To address the needs of trauma survivors, the mental health community has developed a range of new trauma-specific treatments. Our Training Program’s mission is to integrate contemporary trauma theory and practice into a coherent learning sequence. We bring together current theories on body, mind and brain, set in an analytic framework, to understand trauma and to train therapists in effective trauma treatment.
Sex Therapy Training Program (STP) Starting in 2016 as joint endeavor between PCGS (Psychotherapy Center for Gender and Sexuality) and FACTS (Family and Couples Treatment Services), ICP inaugurated its certificate program in sex therapy in 2022 as part of its ongoing Sex Therapy Training Program. STP therapists use a biopsychosocial approach to explore sexual issues, integrating both psychodynamic and cognitive-behavioral perspectives. Our certificate in sex therapy combines didactic and clinical training and covers a wide range of topics that span assessment, case formulation and treatment planning. Close attention is paid to the development and deepening of the therapeutic alliance and the processing of clinical material that happens both in the room and connected to homework assignments completed in between sessions.