Through its Education Commission, the Institut psychanalytique de Montréal is responsible for the training program leading to the practice of psychoanalysis in compliance with internationally recognized standards. The program has three components: personal psychoanalysis, supervised cures, and seminars. The IPM’s mission is to teach psychoanalysis and transfer psychoanalytic knowledge.
The IPM is the French-language branch of the Canadian Institute of Psychoanalysis, which provides training recognized by the International Psychoanalytical Association (IPA), founded by Sigmund Freud. Once they have completed their training, IPM graduates are eligible to apply for membership in the branch of their choice within the Canadian Psychoanalytic Society (CPS).
History
In Montreal, interest in psychoanalysis developed after the Second World War, with the arrival of several psychoanalysts who were trained abroad. In 1952, the Canadian Society of Psychoanalysts was formed in Montreal and, through the sponsorship of the British Psychoanalytical Society, it became a constituent of the International Psychoanalytical Association in 1957 and incorporated under the name Canadian Psychoanalytical Society. The Society founded the Canadian Institute of Psychoanalysis in Montreal in 1960 and assigned its teaching functions to the new body. In 1969, the Canadian Society was divided into linguistic and geographic branches. A local French-language branch and a separate English-language branch were formed in Montreal, while psychoanalysis spread elsewhere in Canada, particularly in Toronto, Ottawa, London, and Vancouver. French-language psychoanalysis in Canada benefited greatly from the gathering in Montreal of psychoanalysts trained in Paris, London, or the United States. The training offered at the Institut psychanalytique de Montréal is the only North American program that follows the French model for psychoanalytic training.