I’m often asked: how does one become a Jungian analyst in Canada? I hope to provide a succinct answer here, as I describe my experience training through the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts (OAJA) Analyst Training Program.
The journey of becoming a Jungian analyst contains many twists and turns, most of which are shaped less by the program itself and more by your own individuation process. While attending the training program, it became clear each person’s experience was entirely individual and often dictated by personal, professional, and financial circumstances. However, all of us were guided by the following milestones. While it was occasionally unclear when or how you would arrive at each step, they remained the constant on all of our journeys. I hope the outline below will give you a clearer sense of the path ahead.
Application
Important: Applications are to be received by November 15th.
At the moment, Canada has one school where you can become a certified Jungian analyst – the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts (OAJA) Analyst Training Program. It’s worth noting there has been a movement to establish a Pan Canadian school, however this is still in development (to be confirmed at the IAAP Congress 2025). Check their website for future updates.
Any applicant is required to have a graduate degree to indicate their ability to work thoughtfully and independently.
Becoming a Jungian analyst is an extensive process that begins with your own analysis. To apply to the training program at the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts, you require a minimum of 100 hours of your own individual analysis. This must be completed with an International Association of Analytical Psychology (IAAP) certified Jungian analyst. While other modalities of depth psychology may reference Jungian perspective, the IAAP is the only organization that certifies Jungian analysts. Therefore, it is important for you to ensure your analyst is affiliated prior to embarking on this multi-year commitment.
Once you have acquired your hours of personal analysis you can apply to become a training candidate. This requires three references and a personal essay. The personal essay is meant to demonstrate your ability to engage in symbolic material and the life experience you have that has led you to this vocation.
If your application is accepted, you will be assigned to a Selection Committee. This is a group of three analysts who you will interview with throughout your training, however, most importantly for this stage, they will determine whether you are accepted into the program or not. This is determined through two interviews with each Selection Committee member. Once completed they will discuss whether you have been accepted or rejected into the program. If the decision is not unanimous then an additional set of interviews will be conducted with a new Selection Committee member. If you do not receive entrance into the program you are often given specific standards that could be rectified for your admission at a future date.
Stage One
As a Stage One Candidate, you will be expected to attend seminars, engage in readings, and do presentations. This stage is designed so you might expand your knowledge of Jung and Jungian theory in preparation for your Stage One Exams (more on that later). From this moment onward, you are encouraged to set your own pace and follow your personal analysis to engage with material more thoughtfully. As one analyst once told me: “Nothing that is meant for you will pass you by.” I found that to be true. Eventually through your own process you come to find meaningful relationships (and thereby working definitions) of shadow, anima, animus, the Self, etc.
Note: it is important to keep good records of your course attendance, this will serve for future exam applications and CRPO course hours.
Personal Analysis
In Stage One, you will be required to complete a minimum of 150 hours of personal analysis, this is in addition to the 100 hours+ prior to training.Selection Committee Meetings
Symbol Paper
In both Stage One and Two, candidates are required to complete a Symbol Paper, which is a reflective piece that explores a symbol of personal significance in your own individuation journey. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate your ability to engage symbolically and to articulate how a particular symbol has functioned in your psyche over time. This might include material from dreams, active imagination, creative work, or life experiences in which the symbol has emerged and evolved. You must select a supervisor who will also be your reader. As this is your choice, it is up to individual preference. Who’s counsel would you benefit from? Who has demonstrated a similar set of interests based on their teaching?
Exams
After a minimum of two years or 4 semesters as a Stage One Candidate and the successful completion of your Symbol Paper, you are now eligible for Stage One Exams – the Propadeutikum (German for preparatory course). There are 7 exams (6 oral, 1 written) on Jungian theory. The exams are as follows:
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Fundamentals of Analytical Psychology
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Interpretation of Dreams
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Interpretation of Fairy Tales and Mythology
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Cultural Anthropology
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Comparative Religion
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Psychopathology
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Comparative Theories of Neurosis
While applying for exams you select which examiner you would prefer for which exam, you are given a first and second choice. It’s important to reach out and ask each potential examiner how they conduct the exam, as it is individual. Some may ask for an essay to discuss on the day, others expect to quiz you on definitions, others still may simply discuss the subject matter. Determining the examiner that is right for you is very important.
Note: your past or present personal analyst cannot be your examiner – this occasionally can require a bit more strategic planning with your examiners.
Exams can be taken in one sitting or two. If you choose to spread them between 2 sittings you are required to complete them all within 2 years.
Stage Two
Once you have successfully passed your Stage One Exams, you will meet with the Director of Training, who will offer an orientation. It is best to have read the Rules and Regulations ahead of time and come prepared with questions and concerns. They will likely give you this handout. This is your guiding light to graduation. Every objective between here and graduation is noted, simply follow along and you’ll find yourself holding your diploma in no time (fine print: may vary case to case).
Personal Analysis
In Stage Two, you will be required to complete a minimum of 150 hours of personal analysis, this is in addition to the 150 hours+ acquired during Stage One.
Client Work
The defining difference between Stage One and Stage Two is that you are now able to see clients yourself. This represents a significant shift in responsibility and should be approached with care. You will be required to obtain insurance and attend both group and individual supervision. For every 3 hours you see a client you are required to see a supervisor for 1 hour. Supervisors are individually selected by you, so inquire with analysts you feel you could learn from and be sure to ask their rate – there is no set amount and it is up to the Supervisor’s discretion how much they charge per hour. Of the 100 hours minimum of supervision you require, 50 must be completed with an OAJA analyst. After that, you can supervise with any IAAP supervisor for the remaining hours.
Note: although the frequency of supervision can be lessened from 3:1 to 4:1 after completing 100 hours, supervision is required until you successfully graduate from the program. This is particularly important to consider when budgeting.
Although you are required to have a minimum of 300 total client hours, to ensure Advanced Training Candidates have experience with long term analysis they are required to have 3 cases over 20 hours, 1 case over 50 hours, and 1 case over 80 hours. This stipulation often has graduates exceeding the required total client hours. While in the First Stage I had attended the graduation of a colleague and marveled at their ability to get through what seemed like an insurmountable task. I asked, “what is your advice for getting clients?” The response was, “beg, borrow, or steal.” While recent trends have increased public interest in Jungian analysis, it remains uncertain who will seek this form of therapy or for how long.
Word Association Experiment(S)
One expectation of client work is the completion of the Word Association Experiment. This was developed by Jung whereby the Analyst says a word from a from a standardized list of 100 words, and the client is asked to respond with the first word that comes to mind. By timing this process, as well as noting certain peculiarities (rhyming, silence, physical reactions, and so on) Jung was able to define what he termed a complex. This experiment is incredibly helpful to determine certain issues as of yet unknown (unconscious) to the client. Once completed you are expected to write an anonymized paper and present the case of what complexes came forward.
Symbol Paper II
At the Stage Two level, the Symbol Paper often takes on deeper resonance. Many candidates find that the research, reflection, and symbolic investigation in this paper naturally becomes preliminary work for their thesis. Exploring a symbol that has gripped you can lead directly into the core questions, themes, and psychological dynamics you want to investigate more fully.
Thesis
Another notable difference between Stage One and Stage Two is the completion of your Thesis, or, as one analyst fondly referred to it, “the Crowning Glory.” This is where you get to dive deeply into your interests through a Jungian lens. This is required to be a minimum of 90 pages and is meant to demonstrate in depth knowledge of Jungian theory through personal and client work. Like with any graduate program, selecting the right supervisor for this is of the utmost importance. Try to find someone who is familiar with your subject matter or aligns with your vision. Ask what expectations they have and how often you should be meeting. As with all processes in the Analyst Training Program, these decisions are based on your discretion, so finding the right fit is essential.
As you can see, Stage Two is filled with various demands and requirements prior to graduation. It is helpful to keep attending to something when one feels out of sync or unavailable to you (be that client hours or inspiration for your thesis). Once you have successfully completed your flow chart (hurray!) you will now contact your Selection Committee for potentially the last time and formally request permission to sit your final exams.
Exams
You will go through a process similar to the Stage One exams, but with a shift in focus and a few new subject areas. Most notably, you will engage in an in-depth Thesis Discussion, where your written work is explored with your advisor and two readers. Additionally, you will be required to write up 5 of your long term cases through an analytical psychology framework. The exams are as follows:
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Interpretation of Fairy Tales and Mythology
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Interpretation of Dreams
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Case Studies
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The Process of Individuation
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Expressive Arts in the Analytic Process
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Thesis Discussion
Just like the Stage One exams, these can be taken in one sitting or two. If you choose to spread them between 2 sittings you are required to complete them all within 2 years.
Graduation
Once you have successfully passed your final exams, a vote will be held by the members of OAJA to determine whether you have the full support of the community to join them. If affirmed, you will cross the final threshold: after many years of study, analysis, and inner work, you will become a Jungian analyst.
Congratulations.
This moment is not just a professional achievement, it is a symbolic one. It marks the culmination of one journey, and the quiet beginning of another.
If you’ve made it to the end of this post, it’s likely that you’re already looking inward and drawn to something that can’t quite be explained, but insists on being followed. As Jung wrote:
Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.
Becoming a Jungian analyst is not only a professional path, it is a lived process of awakening. Of coming into relationship with your inner world. Of learning to see symbolically, to suffer consciously, and to hold space for transformation: your own, and eventually others’. May this be the beginning, or the deepening, of that path. And may you find the companions, questions, and symbols that guide you along the way.
