To become a Certified Jungian Analyst, candidates must complete extensive training at an institute approved by the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP). The Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts is unique among IAAP approved training institutes. The singular purpose of the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts is to ensure that no matter where you live you can train to become a Jungian analyst and join a vibrant Jungian society. Our training candidates are mental health professionals who come from all parts of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Grounded in personal analysis and clinical development, and augmented by a rich academic, clinical, and interpersonal atmosphere, the IRSJA program supports a full spectrum of students’ psychological and intellectual growth.
Our training is unique, and our schedule allows candidates to maintain full-time employment or private clinical practice. During the academic year training candidates participate regularly in a local seminar, usually in the city closest to home. Because these seminars take place one weekend a month in cities across the U.S., students can commute from just about anywhere in North America. You will find a list of links to all of our Regional Seminars by clicking on Training Seminars above.
Local seminars are taught by Jungian Analysts and scholars who represent a variety of perspectives, engage a broad range of topics, and relate them to Jungian theory. A seminar weekend might include an afternoon on Egyptian mythology, a day on Jung and alchemy, and the relevance of neurobiology to psychoanalysis. Reading, certainly from Jung’s Collected Works, is sure also to include Erich Neumann, Marie Louise Von Franz, and other past and current elaborators of Jungian theory. Candidates are afforded an exciting range of content, faculty, and theoretical orientations.
Twice a year the Society as a whole meets in cities across the country. Member analysts and candidates meet to fulfill major training requirements, learn, and enjoy community. At Society meetings candidates have the opportunity to meet and select their own guest faculty and case study facilitators from a wide range of analysts, including noted scholars and authors. They also attend presentations and lectures open to the entire community. By combining the best of an intimate local learning experience with study and supervision in the wider analytic community, the IRSJA training program offers an academic, clinical, and interpersonal atmosphere that supports deep learning and professional growth.
Although each person’s path through the program is unique, training generally takes between five and eight years. Although training expenses vary, $12,000 – $15,000 per year is a conservative estimate. Training expenses include one’s individual Jungian analysis and supervision throughout training, local seminar or colloquium fees, books, and travel expenses to two Inter-Regional meetings each year.
The process of training is divided into two major segments: pre-control and control. The pre-control stage focuses on the acquisition and integration of foundational knowledge of Jungian concepts. The candidate reads deeply, completes written assignments, makes case and other presentations in the local training seminar, and attends Inter-Regional meetings in October and April.
After a minimum of two years, the candidate may decide to sit for the Propaedeuticum Exam after consultation with analysts assigned to the candidate as advisors. The Propaedeuticum consists of five required exams at the spring meeting that, once passed, mark the end of the pre-control stage. Four oral exams test the candidate’s integration of major areas of Jungian thought; a written exam is completed ahead of time. Once a candidate has passed all five exams—which may take more than one effort—he or she has reached the control stage of training.
The control stage takes a minimum of two years and focuses on Jungian clinical practice. Individual supervision now takes place weekly, and participation in a control colloquium replaces the local training seminar. The colloquium focuses on case presentations and is led by a senior analyst. Colloquia usually meet four or five weekends a year at various locations. Face-to-face analysis continues, as does attendance at IRSJA meetings.
The control stage also includes completion of two major pieces of written work: three case analyses and a thesis. Each of these projects, undertaken either sequentially or simultaneously, is guided and evaluated by a committee of three analysts, some of whom the candidate selects. The case analyses allow the candidate to demonstrate application of Jungian theory to clinical practice. The thesis, an original piece of scholarship, examines a topic of particular and personal interest through a Jungian lens. Each of these endeavors must pass a final oral exam, and are the culmination of the training process. Their successful completion results in graduation and certification as a Diplomate Jungian Analyst.
IRSJA’s training program offers much more than certification. Life-long friendships are forged as candidates study, support, sympathize, and socialize with each other. For most, it is a profound adventure in individuation that also yields a lifelong community of friends and colleagues and connection to a worldwide community of over 3,000 Certified Jungian Analysts.
