Award of Excellence Recipient

The ACP Awards Committee is pleased to announce the 2026 Award of Excellence recipient is

Mel Bornstein Clinic

Mel Bornstein Clinic Mission Statement

The Mel Bornstein Clinic for Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy (MBC) is a nonprofit clinic located in Farmington Hills, Michigan, allied as a sister organization to the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute (MPI). Its mission is to provide high quality psychotherapy and psychiatry to patients of all ages and incomes throughout Michigan. As a graduate-level training center, the Clinic emphasizes a holistic understanding of human psychology and, through treatment and training, enhances the quality of life across the state.

Founded on Philanthropy and a Commitment to Access

For nearly fifty years, Mel Bornstein, M.D. has been a highly esteemed member and leader of the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute and Society — a Training and Supervising Analyst whose influence on the education of future psychoanalysts, both locally and nationally, has been profound. When it became clear that MPI could no longer financially sustain its reduced-fee Treatment Clinic, Dr. Bornstein and his wife Audrey stepped forward with a founding gift of $50,000 to establish a free-standing, not-for-profit clinic in its place. Their generosity drew many others to follow, and the American Psychoanalytic Foundation provided an additional grant toward its establishment.

That founding gift reflects something larger than philanthropy — it embodies the Bornsteins' deep belief in the healing power of talk therapy and their conviction that psychoanalytic care should not be reserved for those who can afford private fees. Today, the Clinic accepts most insurances, offers sliding-scale fees for the uninsured, and serves children, adolescents, adults, and families across southeastern Michigan from offices in Farmington Hills and Ann Arbor. Therapists are carefully selected for their skill and compassion, and are guided by experienced psychoanalysts affiliated with MPI.

The Mel Bornstein Clinic stands as a living testament to the idea that access, expertise, empathy, and inclusivity are not competing values — they are inseparable ones. In honoring the Clinic with the 2026 Award of Excellence, the ACP recognizes an organization that has made the psychoanalytic tradition not only clinically rigorous, but genuinely available to the communities it serves.

Find out more about The Mel Bornstein Clinic Here