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Saybrook University

The world's premier institution for humanistic studies, Saybrook is global community of scholars and practitioners dedicated to education that creates a humane and sustainable world.

Accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), Saybrook University offers three degrees in the psychology program: the Master of Arts (MA), the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) and the Doctor of Psychology (PsyD).

Saybrook is a unique institution of student engaged learning in a rigorous course of study. The University's programs are deeply rooted in the humanistic tradition and a commitment to help students develop as whole people – mind, body, and spirit – in order to achieve their full potential. Psychology degrees are offered in the University's Graduate College of Psychology and Humanistic Studies and LIOS Graduate College.

Saybrook's learning model enables working professionals with a full life to successfully pursue their academic and career goals. Students have the benefit of working online combined with personal engagement with the faculty in and face-to-face learning with the faculty in a variety of residential formats. Faculty advising, counseling, and mentoring is the hallmark of Saybrook's learning model. Whether working independently or with a cohort group of students, faculty are dedicated to facilitating an intellectual dialogue with graduate students about engaged learning. All degree programs have residency requirements. The frequency of these varies by program. Residential conferences provide continuity and opportunities to reconnect in person with the community of faculty and students.

Scholarship Opportunities

Saybrook Graduate School offers new student scholarship program for new graduate students. Students who are awarded a scholarship must have outstanding merit and continue to show ability to complete a Saybrook degree program in a timely manner with a minimum of 12 units completed for the first academic year. Contact us today to find out more details!

Graduate College of Psychology and Humanistic Studies: Master of Arts (MA) & Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology

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The uniqueness of the College's psychology programs lies in their heritage of humanistic, existential, transpersonal and phenomenological psychology. Key founders and early contributors to this tradition include such thought leaders in psychology as Carl Rogers, Rollo May, Abraham Maslow, James Bugental, Charlotte Buhler, and Virginia Satir. These and other leaders in humanistic and transpersonal psychology came together to challenge the dominant behaviorist and psychoanalytical theories, and other models of inquiry into human experience. Today the College's faculty, alumni, and students continue to question, critique, and offer alternatives to many of the axioms of mainstream academic psychology and professional practice, including those of the now predominant bio-medical model. Through creativity, sound research, scholarly writing, and integrative professional and clinical practice, members of the Saybrook community keep alive the spirit of innovative and creative approaches to the increasingly complex issues of our times.

The College's psychology degree programs are designed for individuals with interest in cutting-edge research, clinical methods, and professional practices based on expanded definitions of health and well-being that embrace ethnocultural diversity and a worldview focused on a collective global society. Its flexible program is well suited to people interested in research, teaching, health care, clinical practice, community development, consultation, mediation and conflict resolution, human resources, and counseling to name a few possible career paths. Students in the master's or doctoral degree in psychology work with faculty to refine their academic and professional development goals. Students may also focus their plan of study by selecting a specialization or concentration. In addition, those wishing to develop clinical knowledge and skills can take clinical courses and earn practica credits.

Students who earn a master's degree at Saybrook can transfer all credits toward a Saybrook PhD. Students pursuing a general (non-specialization) master's degree or doctoral degree in psychology may focus their studies in any of the five concentration areas:

• Consciousness and Spirituality
• Humanistic & Transpersonal Psychology
• Integrative Health Studies
• Organizational Systems
• Social Transformation

Students interested in applied psychology for clinical practice and licensure should consider the College's PsyD, PhD Psychology – Clinical Psychology Specialization or MA Psychology – Marriage and Family Therapy Specialization.

Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology & Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology – Jungian Studies Specialization

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In partnership with the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Houston, Saybrook offers both an MA and PhD in Psychology with a specialization in Jungian Studies. These programs focus on the collected works of C. G. Jung whose insights into the human condition, the operations of the psyche, and its implications for cultural expression are timeless and, in many respects, are yet to be fully discovered and appreciated. The goal of the curriculum is to introduce students to the primary materials, promote understanding of concepts and their practical applications, and deepen their insight into the processes of both the personal and the cultural psyche.

The Jungian Studies specialization is designed for clinicians who are seeking to deepen their understanding of the dynamics of the psyche, for those in the Saybrook PsyD program who desire to add a depth dimension to their work and for those who wish to be stimulated by psychodynamic perspectives as a catalyst for personal growth. While other programs in clinical training and academic preparation are available, no other program offers such a rich mixture of in-person and at distance learning from master teachers and mentors.

Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology - Creativity Studies Specialization

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Tapping into creativity--or our originality of everyday life--is increasingly important for both individuals and society. Living in a world that is complex and changes at an increasing speed challenges all of us to develop our unique abilities. The importance of understanding and encouraging creativity has been widely recognized in many fields including education, business, healthcare, government, the arts and science.

Students will receive a theoretical and practical understanding of the creative process. Key aspects of creativity investigated will include significant theoretical models, psychological components, sociological implications, factors that encourage and discourage creativity, creativity in organizations and creativity in specific domains. Students will also develop a range of skills from working with individuals and organizations to enhance the creative process, to facilitating institutional creativity in business organization, to leading groups in effective collaboration, to teaching at the college level.

Master of Arts (MA) in Psychology - Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) Specialization

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The Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) licensing specialization program offers the current year educational requirements needed to sit for the California Marriage and Family Therapy license examination. The program complies with the requirements of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (sections 4980.37 and 4980.40). This program may also be compatible with marriage and family therapy licensure requirements in other states.

Grounded in an integrative humanistic and transpersonal tradition, Saybrook's MFT program focuses on personal growth and family dynamics, helping people to find their own voice and also to understand themselves as part of a family, a community, a multicultural world. The program addresses the emerging issues of racial and ethnic diversity, gender and age, honoring the multiplicity of ways that family and relationship are defined within cultures.

Full-time students can complete the MFT specialization in two years within four semesters. Students with work and family responsibilities typically choose a moderated schedule of five or six semesters. All three options are full-time.

The MFT specialization offers a comprehensive program that balances face-to-face learning with online learning and research. Foundational courses occur in virtual classrooms where students participate as a cohort. Clinical skills are developed in seminars and workshops during Residential Conferences. The research project allows in-depth exploration of an individual area of interest. Thus, students develop the conceptual and clinical skills to interact effectively with others and to help clients achieve healthy, life-affirming relationships.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Psychology – Clinical Psychology Specialization

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The doctoral degree in psychology with a specialization in clinical psychology is an academic degree that focuses on clinical psychology with an emphasis on humanistic and transpersonal perspectives. It is a more structured program than the non-specialization doctoral degree in psychology as it offers clinical psychology courses in all of the standard domains recommended by American Psychological Association (APA). This program can provide those who may not intend or need to use the degree to qualify for licensure with an experience that further develops their clinical knowledge, expertise, and professional capacities. Students who wish to use the degree as a basis for qualifying for a license to practice clinical psychology must become and remain familiar with the education and training requirements for licensure prescribed by the state legislature and/or board of psychology of the state where they intend to seek licensure. Students are required to complete both a clinical practicum and a pre-doctoral clinical internship as part of their training.

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

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Our Doctor of Clinical Psychology (PsyD) is an innovative program designed to prepare the next generation of humanistic practitioner-scholars and shape the future of clinical practice. Students who participate in this program will gain the skills and knowledge needed to

• Promote health and wholeness as practitioners
• Pursue rigorous research as scholars
• Effect positive change through service and leadership in their chosen clinical field

The Clinical Psychology PsyD program's content is unique in emphasizing four key themes: an integrative humanistic approach to the self as healer, identity development across the lifespan, multicultural perspectives, and a mind-body-community-spirit perspective. These themes address the whole person and provide the competencies that are sought after in today's market.

The program is also distinguished by its option for students to choose a clinical specialization area. Example specialization areas include:

• Adolescence
• Geropsychology and Late Adult Life
• Integrative Health and Mind-Body Medicine
• Jungian Psychology
• Integrative Mindfulness and Mindfulness-Based Therapies
• Trauma and PTSD

The program's delivery mode addresses the needs of today's students who are often juggling work and family responsibilities. A blended classroom and online format makes maximal use of the student's time while fulfilling the residence requirements of the American Psychological Association (APA). In-residence learning occurs at conveniently clustered week-long and weekend conferences with the balance of coursework completed at a distance. All residential learning occurs at Saybrook's campus in San Francisco, California.

The Saybrook PsyD program is a cohort residential program for those entering with a bachelor's degree that is comprised of 4 years of course work that is completed in residence and at a distance, plus a fifth year comprised of the internship and dissertation. Time to completion for students entering with a bachelor's degree is anticipated to require the full 5 years. As a cohort-based clinical program, Saybrook's model balances its in-residence requirements with distance learning to offer maximum flexibility for working adults to pursue a PsyD while ensuring comprehensive support of clinical training outcomes.

LIOS Graduate College: MA Psychology, Systems Counseling

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LIOS Graduate College (formerly the Leadership Institute of Seattle) is a center for progressive education that is unsurpassed in the Pacific Northwest. Our mission is to promote healthy, just, and sustainable human systems by educating people to live and lead with integrity.

The College's MA Psychology, Systems Counseling program is a residential program, taught in Seattle, that prepares students for an outstanding career as licensed mental health counselors or licensed marriage and family therapists. The program focuses on developing the self of the therapist, creatively engaging in relationships with clients, and blending systemic counseling theories.

The Systems Counseling degree includes two curriculum components: Core and Professional. The Core curriculum is emphasized during the first year and develops membership and leadership skills, focusing especially on the understanding of self. The Professional curriculum is a dynamic, experiential-based training program blending theory, hands-on practice and continual feedback.

Students participate in internships during their second year. The 9- to 18-month supervised clinical internship, set up in a variety of community settings, requires a minimum of 600 hours of internship time. Students participate in ongoing consultation groups with faculty consultants concurrent with the internship.

Information

If you are interested in this school and would like to find out more, please Request Information from Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center.