About CIPS

The Confederation of Independent Psychoanalytic Societies (CIPS) is an organization of psychoanalysts and psychoanalytic societies, founded in 1992 to represent the interests of psychoanalysts belonging to independent societies of the International Psychoanalytic Association (IPA) in the United States. CIPS constituent societies include the Psychoanalytic Center of California (Los Angeles), the Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies (Los Angeles), Northwestern Psychoanalytic Society (Seattle), and the Institute for Psychoanalytic Training and Research (New York). In addition, CIPS hosts a Direct Member Society, composed of individual IPA members, within its organizational structure. Organizational membership in CIPS is open to all IPA component and provisional societies, as well as all IPA study groups in the United States. Direct membership (individual membership) in CIPS is open to all members of the IPA who are not otherwise affiliated with CIPS through membership in CIPS constituent society. All candidates at CIPS societies are Affiliate Members of CIPS. At the present time, CIPS has a total of 600 members.

CIPS societies are united by a shared history of institutional independence and a common culture of academic freedom and interdisciplinary collaboration. While all CIPS societies are committed to maintaining the high training standards of the IPA, CIPS imposes no requirements beyond those mandated by the IPA. Through its policies and programs, CIPS supports responsible innovation, respecting the need of each constituent society to develop in accordance with its own unfolding experience, while promoting collegial dialogue and collaboration between members and member societies.

CIPS is governed by a President and Secretary, elected by a vote of the membership, and by Board of Directors, appointed by each the member societies, including the society of Direct Members. The development and administration of CIPS activities are also carried out by a growing number of standing committees and work groups.

The CIPS Mission

The organizational mission of CIPS, embodied in its bylaws, include the following purposes:

1. to represent its membership and component societies in matters pertaining to the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA)
2. to represent its membership and component societies in matters pertaining to IPA training standards and their implementation and application to health care
3. to represent its membership and component societies in matters pertaining to public policies and legislation pertinent to psychoanalysis.
4. to promote scientific exchange among component societies and between those societies and other organizations.
5. to promote public interest in psychoanalysis, its efficacy and validity.
6. to encourage and facilitate the formation of psychoanalytic groups and their application for affiliation with the IPA.