Coming soon.
Commitment to Educational Excellence: Continuously improve and address the evolving needs of the population we serve to deliver pertinent clinical training with psychoanalytic/psychodynamic underpinnings.
- Foster a climate of critical thinking and the courage to engage with the evolving nature of psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, systemic and other mental health theories and clinical practice.
- Develop new cutting-edge training programs that adapt to the evolving needs of our diverse community.
- Maintain an ever-present focus on accessibility, efficiency and adaptability.
Dedication to Achieving Exceptional Treatment Standards: Engage and maintain a best practices model that optimizes the experiences and outcomes and meets the unique needs of the New York City community we serve with excellence.
- Best Practices for Patient Care: Commitment to a learning environment that prepares therapists to integrate and implement evolving understanding of good clinical practice.
- Providing evidence-based and culturally sensitive mental health care that meets the highest standards of patient well-being.
- Maintaining focus and continuously improving accessibility to care including commitment to sliding scale fees.
Establishment of an environment of trust, transparency, respect, communication, and collegiality.
- Trust: Foster an environment of trust and confidentiality, where all individuals feel safe to share and receive support.
- Transparency: Openly communicate policies, decisions, and initiatives to ensure clarity and understanding among our community on a consistent basis.
- Communication: Encouraging open dialogue and active listening to promote understanding and collaboration among diverse perspectives.
- Respect: Value and respect the unique identities, experiences, and cultures of all individuals, promoting a sense of belonging.
- Collegiality: Foster social and professional connections and a meaningful community of colleagues.
Advancement of a just and inclusive learning and treatment environment, including continuous commitment to accessibility to educational and therapeutic services.
- Examine the existing power system: Actively working to identify and address systemic biases, inequalities, and privileges, including those stemming from white privilege.
- Address Past and Ongoing Harm: Acknowledging historical injustices and actively addressing any harm caused by our organization, while working to prevent further harm.
- Ongoing Actionable DEI Initiatives: Continuously implement meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives that drive positive change.
- Examine and address issues around conduct and ethics implementing a code of ethics and conduct and procedures for addressing violations and complaints.
- Foster, encourage and support the development and orderly succession of new leadership both within ICP and in the mental health community generally.
- Foster a climate of critical thinking and the courage to engage with the evolving nature of mental health theory and clinical practice
- Address both local and global crises when our expertise as healers is needed.
Invest in a solid organizational structure that promotes diversity and financial inclusion.
- Financial Restructuring: Invest in financial expertise to guide ICP, ensuring equitable distribution of resources to bolster DEI initiatives, increase access to high-quality care, and provide fair and competitive compensation.
- Development, Fundraising and Public Relations to secure the future of ICP. Develop ongoing and consistent strategies in collaboration with stakeholders and the community to proactively raise funds and resources that support our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in mental health, ensuring accessible and high-quality training and care for all individuals.
- Demonstrate ongoing commitment to operational Excellence (policy, process, standards, finance).
Founded in 1971, the Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy (ICP), a not-for-profit organization, is one of New York’s oldest and largest training and treatment facilities. We offer post-graduate training for therapists in addition to a full range of quality mental health services at low to moderate cost.
For fifty years, ICP has been addressing the needs of the community through the creation of innovative new programs such as:
- 1975 – Low-cost therapy for financially struggling college students
- 1976 – A multi-disciplinary child and adolescent therapy program
- 1979 – The first outpatient eating disorders program in the city
- 1982 – One of the city’s first family and couple treatment programs in an analytic institute
- 1982 – One of the city’s first support groups for HIV patients
- 1985 – A psychotherapy program designed specifically to address the psychological needs of artists
- 1997 – An innovative program pioneering affirmative psychotherapy for the LGBT population
- 2006 – After organizing one of the city’s largest post-9/11 counseling interventions, a new program for the treatment and study of trauma
- 2008 – Clinical conferences, ongoing education and treatment for the transgender community, including psychological evaluations for gender affirming surgery
- 2010 – A multi-year collaboration with CUNY's Hunter College to de-stigmatize mental health issues in college students
- 2017 – A sex therapy collaborative (STC) to provide clinical training in the practice of non-binary, inclusive sex therapy
- 2018 – A collaboration with Columbia University on the treatment of pervasive grief disorders
- 2018 – A 2-year sex therapy certificate program, providing the first sliding-scale sex therapy option available in New York City
- 2020 – Began offering scholarships specifically for the BIPOC community. Most training divisions now offer at least one BIPOC scholarship each academic year.
ICP was one of the first NYC institutes to offer a low-cost college psychotherapy service, low-cost treatment for artists, low-cost therapy for trauma, and one of the first to fully integrate a family and couple therapy program into an analytic setting.
In the nineties, ICP initiated one of the country’s first gay and lesbian psychotherapy programs. In the immediate aftermath of September 11th, ICP trained and supervised over 75 therapists to provide crisis counseling. As a result, the Institute began a dedicated trauma studies program. In the past decade, continuing its tradition of innovation, ICP initiated psychological services or clinical education addressing the unique needs of 21st century young adults, including complex bereavement, multi-cultural issues, psychotherapy for older adults, and services for transgender individuals seeking gender-affirming surgery.
The Institute has continued to grow and evolve. ICP currently provides 650-700 hours of therapy and has 300 clinical team members, which include therapists, supervisors, trainees, and faculty members.
During the past 40+ years, we have treated over 35,000 patients.
For the first 25 years, ICP was completely self-sufficient, without benefit, endowments, or outside contributions. Our extraordinary growth was built by relying on our excellent word-of-mouth reputation.
As the community’s needs have grown and incomes have decreased, ICP has responded by seeking outside funds and starting new innovative programs. To date, our funding efforts have resulted in significant contributions from:
- New York Community Trust-multiple grants
- Henry van Ameringen; Annual grant for our PCGS Services
- The Rapoport Foundation
- New York State
- United Way
- Marsh & McLennan Companies
- The Stonewall Foundation
In addition to providing comprehensive psychotherapeutic services, the Institute operates a renowned graduate training program for mental health professionals. ICP’s dual mission of training and treatment on a large scale with multiple areas of expertise and clinical approaches is almost unparalleled in the tri-state area. Six of our treatment divisions have corresponding certificate training programs with various approaches for master level graduates. This comprehensive treatment and training model has been a leader in the field, unique among a handful of NYC psychoanalytic institutes.
At ICP, our mission is to keep adapting our approach to fit patient needs as they evolve in an expanding society. This is demonstrated in the Institute’s commitment to cross-fertilization and training opportunities between its programs. Collaboration among faculty, trainees, and therapists enables the Institute to continually refine its approaches to reflect the emerging needs of patients and the community, all provided by faculty and staff that virtually donate their time and expertise.
ICP distinguishes itself by offering a comprehensive range of specialized advanced training programs and psychotherapy services that are tailored to meet the unique needs of of a diverse population of both clinicians and patients. Our treatment is provided in a supportive, caring, and respectful environment that reduces the stigma that may be associated with therapy and is based on best practice models that promote mental wellbeing and life satisfaction. Our rigorous and cutting-edge training programs are designed to provide deeper clinical theory, modalities and knowledge in the field of psychotherapy to enhance a clinician’s ability to effectively help and support their patients. Our training programs also create a sense of community that fosters connectedness, collegiality, and a home base for continuing education and socializing with peers and mentors.
One of the key aspects that sets ICP apart is our long-term commitment to our clients. Our Institute ensures that clinical work is conducted under the supervision of licensed and experienced professionals. Our therapists and graduate level interns come from diverse backgrounds, with some currently pursuing their graduate degrees or completing licensing requirements. Our therapists endeavor to stay with their patients for the entire duration of their treatment. If this is not possible after the therapist’s graduation, then ICP takes every step to provide a seamless transition to another qualified therapist. This sense of continuity and commitment creates a strong bond within the ICP community.
The Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy is dedicated to promoting inclusivity and accessibility in the mental health field. Our goal is to foster diversity and careers of mental health professionals who can then bring their knowledge and expertise to a wide range of New Yorkers. In order to do so, ICP offers full tuition scholarships exclusively for BIPOC applicants.
These scholarships are available for five programs:
- Psychoanalytic Program
- Family and Couples Treatment Service Program
- Psychodynamic Psychotherapy Program
- Sex Therapy Program
- Trauma Studies Center Program
Determination of the scholarship recipient(s) is based on criteria provided by each program.
Please see our
Scholarships and Tuition Assistance page for more information on BIPOC scholarships.
In addition to BIPOC scholarships,
ICP also extends financial assistance to individuals of any background who demonstrate a financial need. This assistance is solely based on the assessment of financial need, and submission of relevant financial documents is required. Please see the
Scholarships and Tuition Assistance section on each program’s training page for more information on applying for financial assistance.
