IPA PROCEDURES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF  
NEW PSYCHOANALYTIC GROUPS 

 
 

Paragraphs Contents 
1 Preamble 
2–5   Authority regarding new IPA groups 
6–16 New Groups Committees 
17–30 Study Groups 
31–39 Provisional Societies 
40 Note on associated organisations of the IPA 
Appendix 1 IPA Members of the American Psychoanalytic Association serving on IPA New Groups committees 
Appendix 2 Statements for signature by applicant groups 
Appendix 3 In Good Standing 

 
 
PREAMBLE 
 

1. Purposes of and procedures for new groups development: The IPA supports the formation and development of sound psychoanalytic organisations. Some applications for new groups arise as a result of disagreements within existing IPA Constituent Organisations: the IPA’s policy is that disagreements should be resolved amicably if at all possible and without sub-division of Constituent Organisations into separate groups. Where applications arise as a result disagreements, Site Visit and Exploratory Committees will be mandated to resolve such disputes it at all possible.  
 
AUTHORITY REGARDING NEW IPA GROUPS  
 
2. IPA progression: The usual process is: 
i) a group applies to become an IPA Study Group and is approved by the Board; 
ii) the Study Group is approved by the Business Meeting as a Provisional Society; 
iii) the Provisional Society is approved by the Business Meeting as a Component Society. 
In exceptional circumstances, it may be possible for a group to become a Provisional Society without first being a Study Group. (Please see the ‘Procedures for the Assessment of Established Groups wishing to Become a Part of the IPA First Becoming a Study Group’.) 
 
3. Three types of IPA Constituent Organisations: 
Component Societies, 
Regional Associations (of which there is only one, the American Psychoanalytic Association), and 
Provisional Societies. 
 
4. IPA approval of Provisional Societies: The Board, by two-thirds vote, may approve interim recognition to a Provisional Society, which will lapse unless ratified by the next Business Meeting. If they are not approved, the title lapses and the group returns to IPA Study Group status (but only if it was previously an IPA Study Group). 
 
5. Name of a group: The IPA is an association of Psychoanalysts, and this should be reflected in the title of all Constituent Organizations and Study Groups. The word "IPA" may not be used in either the group name or in addresses such as URLs. 
 
NEW GROUPS COMMITTEES 
 
6. Board authority for the International New Groups Committee: The Board of the IPA delegates most responsibility for the development of new IPA groups to its International New Groups Committee (ING). The members of ING ordinarily consist of the Chair of ING and the ING Co-Chairs for each IPA region. 
 
7. ING’s purpose: ING’s purpose is to stimulate the development of psychoanalysis by facilitating the development and progression of new groups, ensuring the proper development of a group’s capacity to work as a scientific professional society and to deliver high quality training programmes. 
 
8. Committee appointments: The Chair and Co-Chairs of ING are appointed by the President with the consent of the Board. ING Sub-Committees, Site Visit Committees, Exploratory Committees, Development Committees (see the ‘Procedures for the Assessment of Established groups wishing to become a part of the IPA without First Becoming a Study Group’), Sponsoring Committees and Liaison Committees are appointed by the President with the consent of the Board and on the advice of the Chair of ING.  
 
9. Committee definitions: 
a. IPA Site Visit Committee visits any group applying to be considered for group status within the IPA. There is no limit to the number of such visits that an IPA Site Visit Committee may make, although the costs must be approved in advance by the Treasurer (or by the Executive Committee, if they are projected to exceed US$5k). 
b. IPA Exploratory Committee is appointed for a specially mandated purpose to investigate issues which occur within IPA groups (other than groups applying for the first time for a group status within the IPA). A decision to send an Exploratory Committee may be initiated by the Board or the Executive Committee in response to a request from a group of Members or an IPA group or another group. There is no limit to the number of visits that an IPA Exploratory Committee may make, although the costs must be approved in advance by the Treasurer (or by the Executive Committee, if they are projected to exceed US$5k). 
c. IPA Sponsoring Committee assists a Study Group to achieve the standards necessary to apply for Provisional Society status, and to recommend the Study Group for Provisional Society status at the appropriate time. 
d. IPA Liaison Committee assists a Provisional Society to achieve the standards necessary to apply for Component Society status, and to recommend the Provisional Society for Component Society status at the appropriate time.  
 
10. Criteria for membership of the above Committees: Members of such committees shall be senior IPA Members in good standing (see Appendix 3). They will normally be Training Analysts or at a similar level, unless the expertise and experience of a member who is not a Training Analyst is required for non-training or non-institute matters. No committee shall have fewer than two Members, and it may have more according to its mandate. Members of committees shall be from different Constituent Organisations but, to avoid excessive costs, they should normally be selected from areas which are geographically close to the group being visited. 
 
11. Committee reporting: Site Visit Committees and Exploratory Committees report to the Executive Committee and the Board, copied to the ING Chair. Sponsoring Committees and Liaison Committees report to the ING Chair.  
 
12. Term of office for Committee members: All committee Chairs, Co-Chairs and members serve as long as the President may determine and will be assumed to have submitted their resignations on the change of IPA administration. The new administration, with consideration for maintaining continuity, will re-appoint those persons who will best contribute to this continuity and add those it deems necessary to further the IPA’s objectives. In accordance with our Procedures, the President may require any committee member or chair to resign at any time without citing any reason. ING committees listed in paragraph 8 above should not serve for longer than 10 years in most circumstances. 
 
13. Conflicts of Interest: Members approached to serve on any ING Committees must disclose to the President any actual or apparent conflicts of interest regarding the proposed appointment. On receipt of such information, the President may choose not to make the appointment. Members will not normally be appointed to a committee where they are involved with the group in question through the provision of personal analysis, supervision, involvement in the group’s training programme or any similar contact with the group, social or professional, or its members. 
 
14. Special considerations applying to the United States of America: In the United States of America, the IPA operates under a judicially sanctioned agreement of 1989 whereby approval by, or affiliation with, the American Psychoanalytic Association is not a requirement for IPA affiliation with a psychoanalytic group. Accordingly, the IPA will not involve the American Psychoanalytic Association in screening or review of any United States-based application for IPA affiliation, nor will the IPA view affiliation with the American Psychoanalytic Association, or its possibility, as a factor in determining whether a group meets the criteria for IPA affiliation. The IPA may however consult other IPA Constituent Organisations in the United States of America while assessing groups for IPA status. 
 
15. IPA Members who are also members of the American Psychoanalytic Association and who serve on any ING Committee whose work is related to the United States of America will be asked, as a condition for serving on these Committees, to sign a document (Appendix 1) agreeing to abide by certain criteria which stem from the 1989 judicial agreement.  
 
16. IPA Board meetings: The President may invite the Chair of ING to attend Board meetings. 
 
STUDY GROUPS 
 
17. Criteria for Study Group status An IPA Study Group must be composed of at least four IPA Members. These Members must maintain membership in their IPA Constituent Organisation or be Direct Members of the IPA. They must live close enough to each other to enable the group to function as a cohesive unit, meet regularly and develop a strong training programme. All 4 Members must be actively involved in the group and its development.  
 
18. Application to become a Study Group and the information required A group may apply to become an IPA Study Group by emailing [email protected]. The application will be forwarded to the ING Chair and copied to the Co-Chair for the IPA region concerned. The following information is required in English: 
a. a letter from the head of the applicant group requesting the IPA to consider the group for IPA Study Group status, and listing all those members of the group who are intending to apply for IPA membership.

b. a statement (as set out in Appendix 2) signed by all members of the applicant group.

c. details of the applicant group’s history, organisation, and activities, including any documentation on the status of the applicant group such as its certificate of incorporation or equivalent if it is a legal body, and its constitution and bylaws or equivalent document.

d. details of any education and training programmes currently being offered by the applicant group (there can be no guarantee that training done before IPA affiliation will be granted IPA status).

e. details of the finances of the applicant group, including a copy of its accounts, if available.

f. for groups which contain fewer than four IPA Members, the group should send the Curriculum Vitae of up to four current members only that the group considers most qualified to meet the membership criteria under the IPA’s Equivalency Procedures. The Curriculum Vitae should include details on education and psychoanalytic training received, membership and professional activities, practice profile, publications and presentations, and administrative and committee responsibilities in the applicant group. In this case the Site Visit Committee will be additionally charged with considering members of the applicant group under the IPA’s Equivalency Procedures to evaluate individuals not trained by IPA Constituent Organisations but who believe their training is equivalent to IPA standards. 

The ING Chair and the ING regional Co-Chair will use this information and any other relevant information to establish whether to recommend to the President that a Site Visit Committee should be established. Meeting the criteria set out above is not in itself sufficient to ensure that a Site Visit Committee will be established, and in reaching its decision, ING will take into account factors such as the amount of IPA resources available to develop a new group, the relative priority of this application compared to other applications (no matter in what order received) including, for example, the availability of appropriately skilled and experienced IPA Members who are willing to support the development, the existence of other IPA groups in the same or a nearby location, etc. 

The ING Chair and the ING Regional Co-Chair will consult existing groups in a contiguous location regarding the suitability and advisability of the application.  
 
19. Appointment of a Site Visit Committee and its mandate The ING Chair and the ING regional Co-Chair, will assess the information provided by the applicant group and may request further information. After this assessment, the ING Chair may recommend to the President that a Site Visit Committee be appointed. The mandate of a Site Visit Committee is: 

a. to inform the applicant group of the IPA’s standards, procedures, and requirements from inception to eventual appointment as a Component Society, including the IPA’s Rules and the relevant sections from the IPA’s Procedural Code.

b. to further consult affected or contiguous Constituent Organisations, and to report the views of such Constituent Organisations in the Site Visit report (this requirement is subject to restrictions in the United States of America – see paragraph 14 (above)).

c. to encourage and facilitate existing Constituent Organisations to engage on an institutional level with the applicant group. 

d. to inform the applicant group that, if appointed an IPA Study Group, it will be expected to pay all costs of the visits (at least twice a year) of the Sponsoring Committee itself, that is, travel, accommodation and subsistence and to assess the applicant group’s financial status to ensure that these financial responsibilities are reasonable ones for the group to assume. The IPA will cover the administrative costs such as email, telephone, and secretarial costs in setting up the visits and in assisting the Study Group between visits.

e. to review all the information provided by the group, and to ensure, at the end of the visit, that the group still wishes to proceed with its application.

f. to assess any members of the applicant group, including those whose Curriculum Vitae were submitted with the application, under the IPA’s Equivalency Procedures, and recommend to the Board such applicant group members as it considers appropriately qualified as IPA Direct Members.

g. in the case of an application from a group which is already part of an IPA Constituent Organisation, to attempt to resolve the disagreements within the Constituent Organisation which have led to the application to avoid where possible the sub-division of the Constituent Organisation into separate groups.

h. to prepare a report and recommend to the Executive Committee and the Board whether the applicant group should be approved as an IPA Study Group (assuming that it will have sufficient IPA Members based on recommendations under the IPA’s Equivalency Procedures if the required number does not currently exist). 
 
20. Costs of Site Visit Committees The costs of Site Visit Committees will be met by the IPA as outlined in the IPA’s financial procedures. 
 
21. Report of the Site Visit Committee and IPA approval or rejection The Site Visit Committee will report to the Executive Committee, copied to the ING Chair. If the Site Visit Committee recommends the group for Study Group status, the Executive Committee may consult the ING Chair and forward the report to the Board. The Board may: 
a. approve those recommended and assessed by the Site Visit Committee under the IPA’s Equivalency Procedures, as IPA Direct Members.
b. approve the applicant group as an IPA Study Group.
c. approve further site visits.
d. reject the application. 
 
22. Appointment of a Sponsoring Committee and its mandate After the Board has approved a group as a Study Group, a Sponsoring Committee is appointed by the President with the consent of the Board and on advice from the Chair of ING. The mandate for a Sponsoring Committee is: 
a. to visit the Study Group at least twice a year.
b. during the first visit to the Study Group, to thoroughly explain the sponsoring process and procedures within the IPA administrative structure.
c. to inform the group that the Sponsoring Committee does not have the authority to handle or advise on the handling of ethical complaints, and that any such complaints must be sent directly to the IPA’s Ethics Committee, or to the relevant Constituent Society if the accused is a member of a Constituent Society.
d. to consult with any affected or contiguous IPA Constituent Organisations in the service of facilitating development and integration of the Study Group within the same area. 
e. to establish and conduct a training programme when it is appropriate to do so.
f. to review any training already received by the Study Group members and determine future training requirements to meet IPA criteria.
g. to select and appoint Training Analysts, in line with the IPA’s Procedural Code document ‘Requirements for the Appointment of Training Analysts’ ensuring that a periodic review process is written into the group’s procedures.
h. to select, monitor, progress, and graduate candidates from the training programme when it is established.
to recommend to the Board such Study Group members as it considers appropriately qualified as IPA Direct Members.
I. to review and approve applications of IPA Members who want to join the Study Group.
j. to approve the list of Study Group IPA Members which will be published in the IPA Roster.
k. to give such advice and assistance as the Study Group may require.
l. to facilitate the development of a group so that it will be able to carry out the above and other functions autonomously.
m. to ensure the IPA Members of the Study Group remain members of their Constituent Organisations (and pay their IPA dues through those Constituent Organisations). In exceptional circumstances, where it is not deemed possible for the IPA Members to remain in the Constituent Organisation, the Sponsoring Committee may recommend them for Direct Member status. Those who are already Direct Members (and pay their dues directly to the IPA office) must remain as such until the Study Group attains Provisional Society status.
n. to explain the importance of work in group dynamics and help the group to arrange seminars on the subject from time to time (the ING will provide references to assist this).
o. to recommend the Study Group for Provisional Society status at the appropriate time.
p. to ensure that the Constitution and Bylaws of the group are adequate and include the authority to enable the Group to expel a group member should the need arise (this is expulsion from the group only and not as an IPA Member).
q. in the early stages of the Group's development the Sponsoring Committee should assist the new group to decide which model it will adopt. The decision should be reached as soon as possible but must consider the history and the characteristics of the group. 
 
23. Authority & responsibility of the Sponsoring Committee When it is first established, the Sponsoring Committee and not the Study Group is authorised to:  
a. create and approve the content and procedures of the training programme within the Study Group.
b. select the faculty for the training programme and the candidates for training.
c. monitor candidate progress.
d. approve candidate graduation.
e. appoint Training Analysts and determine all policies affecting them, including the establishment of a re-evaluation procedure.
f. accept IPA Members of other IPA groups into the Study Group.
g. review and approve all existing rules, policies (including the ethical standards and procedures) and the constitution and bylaws of the Study Group, including any changes proposed to these documents.
h. recommend the Study Group members for IPA Direct Membership.
I. require the Study Group to prepare minutes of significant meetings and copy them to the Sponsoring Committee.
j. require that any individual work of a Sponsoring Committee member with the Study Group should be within the terms agreed by the Sponsoring Committee.
k. recommend the Study Group for Provisional Society status. 

The Sponsoring Committee must report significant issues and any concerns to the relevant ING regional co-chair. 

The Sponsoring Committee may, over time, delegate authority to the Study Group to take responsibility for some or all the functions listed in (a) to (g) (above), provided the Sponsoring Committee supervises such functions and intervenes when it believes they are not being conducted appropriately. When appointed as a Study Group, it is the responsibility of the Study Group to ensure that the IPA Members of the Study Group are aware that they must remain members of their IPA Constituent Organisation, and pay their IPA dues through these Organisations, or continue as Direct Members, and pay their IPA dues directly to the IPA office, until such time as the Study Group attains Provisional Society status. A Study Group does not provide access to IPA membership and may not admit persons to IPA membership under its own auspices. Training Analysts in a Study Group may not train candidates of more than one IPA group at the same time. 
 
24. Costs of Sponsoring Committees The applicant group will have been informed by the Site Visit Committee during the process of becoming a Study Group that it will be expected to pay all costs of the visits of the Sponsoring Committee itself (i.e., travel, accommodation, and subsistence) – in exceptional circumstances, the IPA’s policy on Subsidies to Visiting Committees may be relevant. The IPA will cover the administrative costs such as email, telephone, and secretarial costs in setting up the visits and in assisting the Study Group between visits as outlined in the IPA’s financial procedures.  
 
25. Reports of Sponsoring Committees The Chair of each Sponsoring Committee will prepare a report in English to the Chair of ING, copied to the regional Co-Chair and to the IPA office, following each visit (to be conducted at least twice a year). The Chair of ING will consult the regional Co-Chair and summarise the reports of Sponsoring Committees at each of the IPA Board meetings, drawing the Board’s attention to any matters of concern. The ING Chair will inform ING and the Chairs of Sponsoring Committees of any Board comments or actions resulting from these reports. Copies of Sponsoring Committee reports and any related papers will be made available to Board members on request. The Chair of ING will inform the President immediately he or she receives Sponsoring Committee reports which give rise to matters of serious concern and not wait until the next Board meeting. 
 
26. Copying of Sponsoring Committee reports Sponsoring Committee reports will not be copied to Study Groups. They may only be copied to the Board, ING, ING regional sub-committees and the IPA office unless there is a legal requirement to copy them to others. However, the Sponsoring Committee will inform the Study Group of the general contents of all its reports (excluding confidential information on individuals) and discuss areas for improvement. The Sponsoring Committee will inform the Study Group that it does not have final authority regarding the Study Group, which lies ultimately with the Board. When in doubt, the Chair of the Sponsoring Committee should consult the regional ING Co-Chair. 
 
27. Termination or Suspension of a Study Group The Board, by vote of a majority of its entire voting membership, may suspend, restrict or terminate the status of a Study Group, for violation of or failure to meet IPA Criteria, after a hearing at which the Board considers the report of its fact-finding Committee or agent and the Study Group has been given an opportunity to present its position. 
 
28. Application for Provisional Society status A Study Group can be considered for Provisional Society status no less than five years from the Board’s approval of the Study Group, provided this period includes the minimum of four years of training seminars delivered to candidates as outlined in paragraph 29(b) (below) and the graduation of at least one candidate. 

If the Sponsoring Committee agrees in principle that this requirement has been met, but subject to a final visit to prepare a report, the Study Group may apply for Provisional Society status provided it does so at least three months before the Business Meeting at which the application is to be considered. 
The application should be sent to the IPA office in English. In special circumstances, the ING Chair may agree that the documents be submitted in French, German or Spanish. The application should include: 
a. a letter from the President of the Study Group requesting the IPA to consider the Group for IPA Provisional Society status, and listing those members who are intending to apply for IPA membership.

b. a statement (as set out in Appendix 2) signed by all members of the applicant group. 

c. a copy of the Society’s Constitution and Bylaws and Ethical Code. 

The ING Chair will consult the regional ING Co-Chair and the Chair of the Sponsoring Committee and may request the Sponsoring Committee to visit the Study Group to prepare a report, which should cover the requirements in paragraph 29 (below) and be delivered to the IPA office at least six weeks before the Business Meeting. 
 
29. Report by the Sponsoring Committee The Sponsoring Committee’s report must provide evidence that: 
a. the Group has attained and can maintain the minimum Membership of at least 10 IPA Members in good standing (see Appendix 3), at least four of whom are recognised as competent to conduct training analyses.

b. the training conducted by the Study Group meets IPA criteria, and that it has the capacity to conduct the organisational and educational functions of an Institute in an autonomous fashion and has graduated at least one candidate.
  
c. the group provides an organized scientific life such that it fulfils the IPA’s goal of fostering the development and communication of psychoanalytic knowledge, given that its scientific life together with the training of candidates constitute the primary purpose of an IPA Constituent Organization.
 
d. the quality of the Study Group’s Governance and administration is adequate to resolve professional and administrative problems, and that the Study Group complies with all other relevant IPA criteria, including the IPA’s Ethical Principles and Procedures.

e. the Group is financially secure and has attained incorporation as a membership organisation when possible under the laws of its territory. In jurisdictions that distinguish between business and not-for-profit corporations and allow choice, an IPA Constituent Organisation shall be a not-for-profit corporation.  

f. the Group has made demonstrative efforts to communicate and consult with contiguous existing IPA organisations where applicable to facilitate integration and participation within the relevant country’s IPA context.  
 
30. Transition to a Provisional Society If the Sponsoring Committee recommends the Study Group for Provisional Society status, the ING Chair will forward the Sponsoring Committee report and recommendation to the Executive Committee, which may forward it to the Board. The Board may either: 
a. by a two-thirds vote, approve recognition to the group as an Interim Provisional Society which will lapse unless ratified by the next Business Meeting; or 

b. reject the application. 
 
PROVISIONAL SOCIETIES 
 
31. Criteria for Provisional Society status A Provisional Society: 
a. is to be composed of at least ten IPA Members in good standing (see Appendix 3), at least four of whom are recognised as competent to conduct training analyses. 

b. must be competent to further the objects of the IPA.

c. must comply with the IPA’s Rules, Procedural Code, and applicable criteria, including those for training and qualifying persons for the practice of psychoanalysis.

d. must have attained incorporation as a membership organisation when possible under the laws of its territory. In jurisdictions that distinguish between business and not-for-profit corporations and allow choice, an IPA Constituent Organisation shall be a not-for-profit corporation. 
 
32. Appointment of a Liaison Committee and its mandate A Liaison Committee of an Interim Provisional Society or a Provisional Society will be appointed by the President with the consent of the Board and on advice from the Chair of ING either when the Board has approved an Interim Provisional Society or when the Business Meeting has approved a Provisional Society. The mandate for a Liaison Committee is: 

a. To continue to apply the IPA’s Equivalency Procedures. 
b. To visit the Provisional Society at least once a year (or, if required, more frequently in the initial years in the case of Provisional Societies that were not previously IPA Study Groups). 

c. To monitor and evaluate all aspects of the Provisional Society’s functioning. 

d. To require the Provisional Society to revise any of its governance documents, procedures, standards, criteria, or activities where the Liaison Committee believes they fall short of IPA criteria, and to report to the Chair of ING in writing on each occasion it makes such a requirement. 

e. To ensure the Society understands that the Liaison Committee does not have the authority to handle or advise on the handling of ethical complaints, and that any such complaints must be handled by the Society’s Ethics Committee or, if for some reason this is not possible, be sent to IPA’s Ethics Committee to ask for their assistance. 

f. To recommend the Provisional Society for Component Society status at the appropriate time.  

g. To ensure that the Constitution and Bylaws of the Provisional Society include the authority to enable the Society to expel a member should the need arise.  

h. to ensure the Group has made demonstrative efforts to communicate and consult with contiguous existing IPA organisations where applicable to facilitate integration and participation within the relevant country’s IPA context.  

These functions are to be exercised by the Liaison Committee and may not be carried out by the Provisional Society. 
 
33. Authority of the Provisional Society A Provisional Society is authorised to train and qualify persons for the practice of psychoanalysis and conduct all its own affairs. 
 
34. Costs of Liaison Committees The Provisional Society will pay all the costs of the visits of the Liaison Committee (i.e., travel, accommodation, and subsistence) – in exceptional circumstances, the IPA’s policy on Subsidies to Visiting Committees may be relevant. The IPA will cover the administrative costs such as telephone and secretarial costs in setting up the visits and in assisting the Provisional Society between visits as outlined in the IPA’s financial procedures. 
 
35. Reports of Liaison Committees The Chair of each Liaison Committee will prepare a report in English to the Chair of ING, copied to the regional Co-Chair and to the IPA office, following each visit (to be conducted at least once a year). The Chair of ING will consult the regional Co-Chair and summarise the reports of Liaison Committees at each of the IPA Board meetings, drawing the Board’s attention to any matters of concern. The Chair of ING will inform ING and the Chairs of Liaison Committees of any Board comments or actions resulting from these reports. Copies of Liaison Committee reports and any related papers will be made available to Board members on request. The Chair of ING will inform the President immediately he or she receives Liaison Committee reports which give rise to matters of serious concern and not wait till the next Board meeting. 
 
36. Copying of Liaison Committee reports Liaison Committee reports will not be copied to Provisional Societies. They may only be copied to the Board, ING, ING regional sub-committees and the IPA office unless there is a legal requirement to copy them to others. However, the Liaison Committee will inform the Provisional Society of the general contents of its reports (excluding confidential information on individuals) and discuss areas for improvement. The Liaison Committee will inform the Provisional Society that it does not have final authority regarding the Provisional Society, which lies ultimately with the Business Meeting. When in doubt, the Chair of the Liaison Committee should consult the regional ING Co-Chair. 
 
37. Application for Component Society status A Provisional Society cannot normally be considered for Component Society status until at least four years from the Business Meeting’s approval of the Provisional Society (but, in exceptional circumstances, and where the Provisional Society contains a substantial majority of members who were previously IPA Members of IPA Component Societies, the Board may recommend Component Society status to the Business Meeting after two years from the Business Meeting’s approval of the Provisional Society). If the Liaison Committee agrees in principle that this requirement has been met, but subject to a final visit to prepare a report to the Board, the Provisional Society may apply for Component Society status provided it does so at least three months before the Business Meeting at which the application is to be considered. The application should be sent to the IPA office in English. In special circumstances, the ING Chair may agree that the documents be submitted in French, German or Spanish. The application should include: 
a. a letter from the President of the Provisional Society requesting the IPA to consider the Group for IPA Component Society status. 

b. a statement (as set out in Appendix 2) signed by all members of the Provisional Society. 

c. a copy of the Society’s Constitution and Bylaws and Ethical Code. 
 
The ING Chair will consult the regional ING Co-Chair and the Chair of the Liaison Committee and may request the Liaison Committee to visit the Provisional Society to prepare a report to the Board, which should be delivered to the IPA office at least six weeks before the Business Meeting. 
 
38. Report by the Liaison Committee In order to recommend the Provisional Society for Component Society status, the Liaison Committee’s report must demonstrate that: 
a. the Group has at least 10 IPA Members in good standing (see Appendix 3), at least four of whom are recognised as competent to conduct training analyses. 

b. the training conducted by the Provisional Society meets IPA criteria, and that it has the capacity to conduct the organisational and educational functions of an Institute in an autonomous fashion, including the graduation of candidates. 

c. the group provides an organized scientific life such that it fulfils the IPA’s goal of fostering the development and communication of psychoanalytic knowledge, given that its scientific life together with the training of candidates constitute the primary purpose of an IPA Constituent Organization. 

d. the quality of the Provisional Society’s Governance and administration is adequate to resolve professional and administrative problems, and that the Provisional Society complies with all other relevant IPA criteria, including the IPA’s Ethical Principles and Procedures. 

e. the Society is financially secure and is maintaining incorporation as a membership organisation when possible under the laws of the territory. In jurisdictions that distinguish between business and not-for-profit corporations and allow choice, an IPA Constituent Organisation shall be a not-for-profit corporation. 

f. the Society will abide by IPA procedures where the Component Society contains and will continue to contain members who are not IPA Members. 
 
39. Transition to a Component Society If the Liaison Committee recommends the Provisional Society for Component Society status, the ING Chair will forward the Liaison Committee report and recommendation to the Executive Committee, which may forward it to the Board. The Board may either: 
a. recommend the Provisional Society to the Business Meeting as a Component Society; or 

b. reject the application. 
 
 
NOTE ON ASSOCIATED ORGANISATIONS OF THE IPA 
 
40. The IPA’s Rule, Rule 5, Section C states: ‘Associated Organisations. The Board may, from time to time, establish relationships with other groups and create guest study groups. The terms of any such relationship shall (a) make clear that the other group, body, or association is not a Constituent Organization of the IPA and, therefore, is not authorized to train or qualify psychoanalysts or Members of the IPA, or exercise any other IPA authority of a Constituent Organization and (b) be subject to periodic review and revision by the IPA.’ Procedures covering Associated Organisations of the IPA (such as Guest Study Groups and Allied Centres) are covered in other entries to the IPA Procedural Code. 

Record of changes 
Originally approved by the Executive Council in New York, December 1999.  
Preamble and Board Provisional Society entry approved by the Executive Council in Nice, July 2001. 
Complete revision of document approved by the IPA Board in Paris, November 2004. 
Minor changes approved by the IPA Executive Committee, 12 December 2004. 
Appendix 2 approved by the IPA Executive Committee, 20 February 2005. Please note that statement 2 of Appendix 2 should not be used until the Executive Committee or the Board have approved a procedure which will determine the conditions that the signatories will be agreeing to comply with. 
Changes made by Executive Committee on 12 December 2004 and Appendix 2 plus changes to paragraphs 34c&d and 54c&d approved by the Board in July 2005. 
Change to 45b to allow groups that have not been an IPA Study Group to be approved for Interim Provisional Society status by the Board when Criteria are clearly met, January 2006. 
Changes to reflect the movement of the authority to approve Direct Member status from the Business Meeting to the Board approved by Membership ballot June 2009. 
Addition to Sponsoring and Liaison Committee mandates to ensure C&B is adequate and includes the possibility to expel a member should the need arise – approved by the Board July 2009 
Addition of need to assist the group to decide which education model it will adopt added to the mandate of the Sponsoring Committee (paragraph 26) – approved by the Board January 2011 
Addition of the provision that allows the Sponsoring Committee, in exceptional circumstances, to recommend IPA members for Direct Member status when it is not deemed possible for the IPA Member to remain in a Constituent Organisation (paragraph 26, l) – approved by the Board July 2013 
Complete revision of document approved by the IPA Board in Buenos Aires (September 2014) 
Additions to paragraphs 22 and 23 referring to periodic re-evaluation procedure guidelines for Regional Institutes and Study Groups, approved July 2015. 
Amendments to paragraphs 17 (Criteria for Study Group Status) and 22 (Appointment of a Sponsoring Committee and its mandate), approved June 2016. 
The requirement that all Study Group members reside in the same country was deleted from the Criteria for Study Group status, approved January 2017. 
Removal of the term “Broomhills,” approved January 2017. 
Revisions to procedures for approving the costs of Site and Exploratory Committee visits, approved January 2018. 
Removal of paragraphs 32 to 36 (pertaining to groups applying to become an IPA Provisional Society which have not previously been an IPA Study Group), approved January 2020. 
Amendments, approved December 2020: i) addition to the mandates for all ING Committees making it clear that the ING has no authority to advise on, assist with, or handle Ethical complaints, and ii) addition to the declaration form signed by applicant groups and groups applying for change of status to ensure that any legal proceedings are carried out in the UK under English law.  
Amendments approved June 2023 to clarify the consultancy process with established IPA groups already existing in the same country/area of an applicant group. 


 APPENDIX 1 
IPA Members of the American Psychoanalytic Association serving on IPA New Groups or Site Visit Committees 

 
See Paragraph 14 above. Any IPA Members who are also members of the American Psychoanalytic Association (ApsaA) and who serve on any IPA Committee involved in New Groups work in the United States of America will be asked, as a condition for serving on these Committees, to sign a document agreeing to abide by certain criteria which stem from the 1989 judicial agreement. This agreement states that approval by, or affiliation with, the American Psychoanalytic Association is not a requirement for IPA affiliation with a psychoanalytic group. 
 
To ApsaA Members of New Groups and Site Visit Subcommittees 
 
Dear Dr.  
 
As a member of the IPA New Groups Committee and/or a member of one of its evaluative site visits or other committees, I am required to confirm you are aware of, and agree to abide by, pertinent IPA criteria. These criteria are set out in the IPA’s Rules and Procedural Code, including the “IPA Procedures on the Development of New Psychoanalytic Groups,” and in this Agreement. 
 
For new groups in the United States, the IPA continues to honour the provisions of a 1989 judicial decree, which required that, subject to the IPA’s general standards (a) IPA affiliation be available to all qualified psychoanalytic groups, whether or not they are affiliated with the American Psychoanalytic Association, and (b) that IPA membership be available to all psychoanalytically qualified psychologists and others who are members of such groups. 1 
 
Accordingly, members of the IPA’s New Groups Committee and others who help it discharge its functions may show no preference or favouritism to psychoanalytic groups in the United States that are members of the American Psychoanalytic Association vis-a-vis groups that are not. Therefore, to comply with IPA criteria, you and each other IPA participant (1) may not and will not serve the American Psychoanalytical Association as an officer, director, or member of a committee with any similar jurisdiction, (2) will not join or continue to serve as an IPA participant at the request of the American or any of its affiliated bodies or entities, (3) will, in serving the IPA, observe all pertinent IPA criteria and directives, in contrast to those of the American Psychoanalytic Association or any other entity, whether or not affiliated with the IPA, and (4) treat in strict professional confidence all information and documents that reach you in serving the IPA. 
 
By your signature below, you agree to abide by the above criteria. On behalf of the IPA, let me express my great appreciation for your volunteering your valuable time, expertise, and wisdom. 
 
Sincerely 
Chair, International Psychoanalytical Association, New Groups Committee 
 
Agreed:  
 
_____________________________ ________________ 
Committee Member Date 


APPENDIX 2 
Statement for signature by applicant groups 

 
The statement below should be signed by members of groups applying: 
a. to become a Study Group of the IPA (see paragraph 19(b) (above)); or 
b. to become a Provisional Society of the IPA (see paragraph 29(b) (above)); 
c. to become a Component Society of the IPA (see paragraph 38(b) (above)); 
all of whom are or are seeking to become Members of the IPA. 
___________________________________________________________________________ 
 
Statement To be signed by members of the applicant group who are or are seeking to become Members of the IPA 
 
Full name and address of the applicant group: 
 
 
We the members of the above group, and individually listed below, wish to apply for Study Group/Provisional Society/Component Society (delete as appropriate) status within the International Psychoanalytical Association. The list below includes those who are or are seeking to become Members of the International Psychoanalytical Association.  
 
We all agree, as a condition of consideration as an IPA Study Group/Provisional Society/Component Society (delete as appropriate), that if approved for such status we will: 
 
1. Comply with the IPA’s Rules, Procedural Code, and any applicable IPA criteria, including, but not limited to: 
a. The IPA’s Ethical Principles and Procedures. 
b. The IPA’s Procedures on the Development of New Psychoanalytic Groups.  
c. The IPA’s Procedures regarding groups which contain members who are not and do not currently plan to apply to become Members of the IPA. 
d. The IPA’s Procedures regarding the payment of IPA dues. 
 
2. Comply with the requests and requirements of the appointed Sponsoring Committee to the Study Group, or the appointed Liaison Committee to the Provisional Society as outlined in the IPA’s Procedures on the Development of New Psychoanalytic Groups. (Delete if application is to Component Society status.) 
 
3. Pay such costs as are requested by the IPA for the appointed Sponsoring Committee to the Study Group, or the appointed Liaison Committee to the Provisional Society. (Delete if application is to Component Society status.) 
 
4. Agree that any litigation the group may undertake (or to which the group is a party) in connection with (i) the IPA or (ii) Membership of the IPA or (iii) any disciplinary action taken by the IPA in relation to the Group, will be in the High Court in London, England, which shall have sole jurisdiction over any legal disputes. The laws of England shall apply. 
  
List of members of the group who are or are seeking to become members of the IPA and their signatures 
 
 
 APPENDIX 3 
 
“IN GOOD STANDING” 
 
The expression ‘in good standing’ applies to any IPA group seeking advancement to Provisional or Component Society status. In this context the expression ‘in good standing’ shall mean those IPA Members, by or for whom dues are payable, (a) whose dues have been paid for the calendar year/s prior to and including the year in which the Business Meeting is to consider the application, by 30 June immediately before the Business Meeting, or (b) are Members in good standing, possibly of a group, who or which received and complied with special payment arrangements with the Treasurer, whereby some or all of their dues for the calendar year/s to and including the year in which the Business Meeting is to consider the application are not yet payable by 30 June immediately before the Business Meeting. 
 
The following specific procedures will apply in relation to IPA group advancement: 

a. The Treasurer will inform any groups seeking advancement at a Business Meeting, and which are in arrears regarding IPA dues when the application is received, of IPA policy regarding ‘in good standing’. 

b. Groups seeking advancement must comply with the policy prior to 30 June before the Business Meeting. Any that do not do so, will not have their application for advancement considered by the Business Meeting.