About CPPNJ

A Transformative Professional Journey

Psychoanalytic training engages both intellect and emotions in profound ways. CPPNJ enriches the training experience through formal and informal workshops, seminars, conferences, and social gatherings. We believe the most effective clinical training combines coursework, supervision, and personal analysis—all of which we offer to licensed therapists seeking to enhance their professional capabilities. Our program unfolds within a supportive community of candidates and faculty who become valuable peers and colleagues for years to come.

Our Rich History

CPPNJ’s roots trace back to New York City, where our organization began before expanding into New Jersey and merging with other institutions to form the comprehensive national center we are today. This evolution reflects our commitment to growth, integration, and excellence in psychoanalytic education and practice.

History, Mission, and Values

The Center for Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis of New Jersey (CPPNJ) was founded in 2009 as a result of a merger between two long-standing and well-respected psychoanalytic training institutes, The Contemporary Center for Advanced Psychoanalytic Study (CCAPS) and The Institute for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy of New Jersey (IPPNJ).   The mission of CPPNJ is to bring high quality, accessible and relevant psychoanalytic and psychodynamic training and continuing education to New Jersey.  Our further goal is to increase diversity and accessibility of psychoanalytic training and services to communities that have not previously been reached by the field.

There are three pillars of our institute that define our core mission and identity.  The first is our training programs providing opportunities for extended, in-depth study of psychoanalytic and psychodynamic orientations to clinical work.  The second is continuing education:  CPPNJ is dedicated to providing a variety of annual conferences, workshops, select seminars and mini-courses for all mental health professionals interested in learning more about psychoanalytic/psychodynamic topics.  The third pillar of our institute is our community of colleagues who share a similar outlook and range of interests in their profession.

These pillars both reflect and support a number of core values of our institute.  We strive to be a warm and welcoming community that fosters strong personal as well as professional connections.  CPPNJ and its forebears (IPPNJ and CCAPS) promoted an egalitarian atmosphere within the institute where all members and participants are, fundamentally, colleagues who come together to learn. The founders of our parent institutes tried to avoid replicating the rigid hierarchies they had experienced in their own training programs of the past.

CPPNJ values both comparative and integrative approaches to psychoanalytic thinking.

Our faculty are all trained and experienced psychoanalysts, supervisors, and published authors who bring a wealth of knowledge to the training of psychotherapists.  They represent a full range of psychoanalytic perspectives, including traditional, contemporary and emerging theoretical points of view.  Further, CPPNJ values approaches that integrate psychoanalytic thinking with other treatment orientations and modalities, including couples therapy, trauma-based treatments, DBT, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, EFT, short-term treatment, neuropsychoanalysis, existentialism and Buddhist psychology.  One of our most important values is that we are a continuous learning community:  the majority of our members are involved in one or more ongoing learning activities, including study groups, peer and mentor-led consultation groups, post-certification coursework and additional certificate training programs in specialty areas such as psychoanalytic supervision. 

CPPNJ is dedicated to diversity. 

Our community welcomes people of all races, beliefs, sexual orientations and gender identities.

CPPNJ values friendship and fun:  social gatherings are an important part of our institute life.

In addition to the spontaneous reunions we have all the time at workshops and conferences, there are three regular social events each year starting with the Fall Welcome Back Brunch, our Holiday/Winter Party and Graduation in June.   CPPNJ meetings and activities take place at a variety of locations throughout New Jersey.

Board of Directors/Governance