The Depth Psychology with Emphasis in Psychotherapy is now accepting applications for fall 2012.
At the heart of Depth Psychotherapy, we discover a radical connection to the living psyche that reaches beyond the individual and crosses the boundaries of time and culture. Depth Psychology taps into lived experiences of the psyche that reach beyond the individual person and cross the boundaries of time and culture. It requires a shift in the center of our attention.
Rooted in a profound commitment to psyche, the Depth Psychology with Emphasis in Psychotherapy Program draws on three important streams of knowledge: Jungian and psychoanalytic theory and practice; current psychological research, including the latest developments in fields such as neurobiology and complex adaptive systems theory; and the perennial wisdom found in the world's myths, literature, art, and spirituality. Students are challenged to find and develop their own unique talents as psychotherapists by reimagining the practice of psychotherapy for the 21st century.
Courses are offered in the following three areas:
• Theory and Traditions of Depth Psychotherapy
• Psychotherapy Informed by the Humanities and Interdisciplinary Studies
• Integrated Praxis: Research and Casework
The curriculum is designed for students who have completed sufficient coursework for licensing at the master's level. This foundation allows for an emphasis on experiential learning supported by approaches to research which are similarly experiential and psyche-centered.
The Ph.D. in Depth Psychology with Emphasis in Psychotherapy includes three years of course work and the successful completion of an original dissertation.
"Paraphrasing Wilfred Bion's summary of his life as a psychoanalyst, it is the therapists responsibility to 'make the best of a bad job.' Psychotherapy is a meeting of two personalities which will likely lead to an emotional storm with an uncertain outcome. There is risk for both parties. The experience is a thrilling mutual descent into the unconscious. The education at Pacifica is designed to help each student discover the unique healing music hidden in our own developmental history. To expand our awareness and build the mental muscle to live in the transference field in an empathic and transformative manner."—ALLEN BISHOP, PROGRAM CHAIR
