September 22, 2024

ACPEinc Report to the Psychoanalytic Consortium

On March 4, 1994, on a motion by Crayton Rowe of the National Membership

Committee on Psychoanalysis (NMCOP), the Consortium sought to establish a

not-for-profit body that would accredit psychoanalytic institutes. This independent

corporation became the Accreditation Council for Psychoanalytic Education, Inc.

(www.ACPEinc.org), incorporated in 2001, the same year the Standards of

Psychoanalytic Education were ratified.

As soon as it became independent of the Consortium, the new corporation had

responsibility for maintaining or amending the Standards. The component

organizations of the Consortium contributed well over $100,000 to serve as seed

money for the new ACPEinc. Organizations contributed in proportion to the

numbers in their membership. Additionally, the Groups for the Advancement of

Psychoanalysis and Psychoanalytic Psychology (GAPPP) contributed significant

start-up funds.

The first president of ACPEinc was Nathan Stockhamer. He was succeeded by

Sheila Hafter Gray who was elected twice and served until her death in 2021.

William MacGillivray is the current president. The ACPEinc maintained the

Standards for Psychoanalytic Education as the basis for its site visits and review of

applicants performing site visits, collecting data, and accrediting institutes in

keeping with its mandate. Approximately twenty-five programs were accredited

by ACPE over twenty-five years, although it averaged about twelve programs at

any given time. To assure complete independence for ACPEinc, a firewall has

existed between the Consortium and ACPEinc since its incorporation in 2001.

A major goal of, and rationale for, the ACPEinc was to seek recognition as an

accrediting body by the US Education Department (USED). Despite completing

several applications, the USED determined that we did not meet the so-called

“federal link,” which is a sufficient provision in policy or law that makes an

agency eligible for USED recognition. As a result of this, many programs decided

that continued membership in ACPEinc was not in their best interests. This was

especially true for our California programs who were caught between a demand

from the California oversight board that required accreditation by a USED

recognized agency.

While this disappointment was a major factor in many of the resignations, there

were at least two other reasons. First, ACPEinc had originally budgeted for a

membership of 30-40 members and our yearly maintenance fees were set below

our operating costs. In recent years, we had to raise our fees substantially and this

imposed a financial burden on some programs. Finally, it seems accurate to say

that many programs were always going to resist having an outside agency evaluate

implementation of their psychoanalytic education standards. The original impetus

to have all psychoanalytic education adhere to the Standards for Psychoanalytic

Education diminished over the years.

Currently, ACPEinc continues its operations, although reduced in membership. We

plan to continue operations for our participating organizations, although we will

not re-accredit them or take on new programs to accredit. Unless our plans change,

ACPEinc will cease operations at the end of 2028.

The ACPEinc has also partnered with Austin Riggs Center to establish the Sheila

Hafter Gray Memorial Lectures, making use of funds originally raised to promote

psychoanalytic research by candidates. These lectures will carry on the mission of

ACPEinc to promote psychoanalytic education and especially psychoanalytic

research in the wider psychoanalytic community.

The Board of Trustees would like to thank the Psychoanalytic Consortium for its

support and interest in the work of ACPEinc for over twenty years. We still believe

there is a need for a consistent set of standards for psychoanalytic education as a

way to present a clearer definition of psychoanalytic education for the public,

legislators, and candidates in training.

Sincerely,

William MacGillivray, PhD, ABPP

President, ACPEinc