Membership Categories

There are three categories of membership in CFAR which are as follows:

A. Affiliate Membership

Clinicians fully trained psychoanalytically in another tradition who follow CFAR's Clinical Seminar Programme for a period of one year or non-clinicians from related fields who follow CFAR’s Psychoanalytic Studies programme for a minimum of one year. There are two classes of Affiliate Members, called Clinical Affiliate and non-Clinical Affiliate respectively. Applications for Affiliate membership must be made to the Training Committee with full details of participation in CFAR and previous training and/or research. Those wishing to apply for Affiliate membership register on the Affiliate Track for a period of at least one year.

B. Associate Membership

There are four categories of Associate Member:

1 Clinical Affiliates who have: - done a further year of the clinical seminar programme - been in supervision for one year - written one paper.

2 Non-clinical Affiliates who have followed CFAR’s Psychoanalytic Studies programme for a further two years and written two papers. They may then become a non-clinical Associate.

3 Psychoanalysts trained elsewhere within the Lacanian tradition. Such members are eligible for election to Full Membership after two years of work with CFAR in their Associate Membership role. This needs to include involvement in CFAR's seminar programme both as a participant and teacher.

4 CFAR Trainees, having completed four years of the Training Programme plus two papers, may choose to move to Associate Membership status without completing the requirements for Full Membership. Clinical Associate Members have voting rights at the AGM after one year and may apply for full Membership after two years.

C. Full Membership

The following may apply for Full Membership:

1. Trainees who have fully completed CFAR's Training Programme.

2. Associate Members who have completed CFAR's three year Programme, plus a minimum of eighteen months' weekly supervision with two analysands, plus two papers.

3. Clinical Affiliates who have become Associates and then complete another year, plus one year's supervision, plus two papers.

4. Analysts trained in the Lacanian tradition, based on their continuing participation in and contributions to CFAR as Associate Members.  

Membership Application Procedures

When an application to join the CFAR training is received, the following procedures take place:

The form is read by all Training Committee members and either taken forward or blocked. If taken forward, two interviews take place, one with two Training Committee members, one with one Training Committee member. The conditions of possibility for an analytic trajectory are studied on an individual basis (personal, geographical, financial) together with a consideration of commitment to Freudian-Lacanian psychoanalysis. If the response is positive but there is a lack of clinical and/or academic base, then the Introductory Programme is recommended. If clinical and/or academic base is sufficient, then there can be a direct passage to training. In each case, it is stressed that entry to training does not guarantee anything or necessarily result in clinical activity.  

When an application is made by a trainee for membership of CFAR:

Four papers are submitted, following the details set out in CFAR's brochure, together with tutor/supervisor reports. Two cases supervised for at least 18 months. The application should be discussed with the trainees tutor, and a letter sent to the Training Committee detailing involvement with CFAR and explaining their candidature.

When an application is received, the following procedure takes place:

Three Training Committee members read the papers. If all agree, then the candidate is passed to membership. If not, further discussion takes place in the Training Committee. If outstanding questions are not resolved here, the candidate is invited to participate in further  procedures, such as the revision of paper/s, new paper/s, interview/s, clinical talk/s. If the response to the application is negative, the Training Committee discusses with the candidates tutor and tries to supply the most constructive response possible in each case.

The main criteria involved in assessing applications are:

- Ability to present clinical material.

- Ability to link clinical material to theoretical considerations.

- Demonstration of some elasticity in technique, in contrast to dogmatic application of inappropriate working methods.

- Transmission of an idea of candidates relation to psychoanalysis.

Registration on any of CFAR's membership tracks does not automatically guarantee membership. Each candidature will be reviewed by the Training Committee.