by James Hillman, Ph.D.
On the twenty-fifth anniversary of Pacifica Graduate Institute, James Hillman, Ph.D. gave a talk about the ways that Pacifica serves, promotes, and sparks the development of the education of the soul. What follows is a transcription of his talk.
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By Nadia Thalji, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute
In these moments of challenges, I find comfort in recalling the holding space that Pacifica provided, and continues to provide, through lasting friendships and companionship. I recall the life-changing encounters with my fellow classmates, and the precious sharing and witnessing of each other’s unfolding.
The exposure to new concepts, teachings, and discussions. The generous exchanges with professors, mentors, and librarians. The smiling cooks who prepared delicious meals to soothe our mind and bodies after intense classes. The birds and trees that brought beauty, balance, and proportion every day.
Read MorePosted in: Alumni, clinical psychology
by Dr. Oksana Yakushko, Chair of Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program
Pacifica’s Clinical Ph.D. program prepares individuals to engage in varied roles available to psychologists, including in varied clinical practice settings, academia, business consulting, non-profit work, writing, and engaging in innovative work in the world.
I'd like to introduce one of our alumni, Dr. Bryan McNutt, who was recently published “Principles for Addressing Implicit Organizational Trauma” in The Journal of Employee Assistance.
Read MorePosted in: Alumni, clinical psychology
by Peter M. Rojcewicz, Ph.D., Provost, Pacifica Graduate Institute
Animae mundi colendae gratia—for the sake of tending soul in and of the world—the motto of Pacifica Graduate Institute took root in the 1970s from the impetus to serve those who needed counseling outreach in response to the Vietnam war. Joseph Campbell and James Hillman, pioneers in the field of depth psychology, visited Pacifica during its genesis and offered guidance to the school’s founders. The work of Marion Woodman was also influential in creating a respected and accredited graduate school firmly rooted in the traditions of depth psychology. Pacifica has grown to encompass two beautiful campuses with nine graduate degree tracks, and over 3,500 active alumni in the world. And we are still innovating new ways for depth psychology to address the concerns of the world we live in.
The breadth and depth of Pacifica’s academic resources dovetail with our mission. Joseph Campbell’s 3,000-book library was donated to Pacifica by his widow, Jean Erdman, who entrusted Pacifica with carrying Campbell’s work into the future. OPUS Archives and Research Center houses the collection here, as well as other rare and significant collections in the fields of mythology, archetypal psychology, and world culture. Among the exceptional holdings of OPUS are the collections of Marija Gimbutas, James Hillman, and Marion Woodman. As part of Pacifica, you are not just engaging with depth psychology in an intellectual sense, but in the tangible legacy of some of the most influential scholars in the field.
Read MorePosted in: Ladera Lane Campus, Lambert Road Campus
Posted in: Joseph Campbell, James Hillman, Marion Woodman, Stephen Aizenstat
An Interview of Stephen Aizenstat by Angela Borda, Part I of II
Stephen Aizenstat, speaking at the Barrett Center, Pacifica
Read MorePosted in: Joseph Campbell, Marion Woodman, Stephen Aizenstat
by Dr. Oksana Yakushko, Chair of Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program
It has been my privilege to serve as a Chair of Clinical Psychology department and its Ph.D. program over the past eight years. I came to Pacifica over 10 years ago, leaving behind a tenure track job at an APA-approved doctoral program in psychology. Although I was productive and encouraged in my research on immigration, qualitative research, gender studies, and career development, I also felt progressively pushed toward a vision of psychology that was all about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). At that time, the funding streams were diverted to STEM topics alone, and I found myself facing the vision of psychology work that felt stripped of humanity, complexity, depth, and relationships.
Read Moreby Dr. Oksana Yakushko, Ph.D., Chair of Clinical Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute
The Clinical Psychology program at Pacifica began in the context of offering depth psychological education (Jungian, post-Jungian, psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, humanistic-existential) to applicants across the country and the world. Individuals entering our degree program sought to learn about working with and studying human experiences in an educational setting grounded in depth theories and human science traditions. Pacifica’s Clinical Ph.D. program remains a beacon of such educational offerings because dominant psychological perspectives have become even more distant, often inimical, to depth psychological standpoints.
Read MorePosted in: clinical psychology, Dr. Oksana Yakushko, Ph.D.
Part III of III
by Angela Borda
I was fortunate to recently sit down with Professor Bennett, an integral member of Pacifica’s faculty, for many years the Co-Chair of the M.A. in Counseling Psychology, and now the Chair of a new program Pacifica will be proud to offer in Fall 2020, the PsyD in Counseling Psychology. This is part 3 of a three-part interview.
How long is the PsyD Program and is clinical training required?
The PsyD is designed to be completed in four years total: three years of curriculum plus one year of pre-doctoral internship. The PsyD will require students to complete 1000 hours of practicum, generally during years two and three of the program, followed by 1500 hours of internship generally taking up year four of the program. Read More
Part II of III
By Angela Borda
I was fortunate to recently sit down with Professor Bennett, an integral member of Pacifica’s faculty, for many years the Co-Chair of the M.A. in Counseling Psychology, and now the Chair of a new program Pacifica will be proud to offer in Fall 2020, the PsyD in Counseling Psychology. This is part 2 of a three-part interview.
what is so unique about the new PsyD in Counseling Psychology program?
It’s a rare opportunity to get doctoral level training in applied professional psychology that’s informed by psychodynamic depth-psychological principles. I would say that psychodynamic perspectives have become scarce in higher education, and this program uniquely combines an applied clinical focus to valuable perspectives that reflect the role of the unconscious and imaginal to our individual and collective psychological lives. I would say that the new PsyD reflects the momentum of a long-established highly successful M.A. program that has a proven history of providing both sophisticated clinical training that allows graduates to hit the ground running in a variety of applied clinical settings, while also training our students to be able to tolerate strong emotional experiences and to develop and elaborate capacities for interpersonal attunement.
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