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Student Success at Pacifica

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A Sense of Belonging Here

Many students and alumni have said that when they start their academic careers at Pacifica, they did so because it felt like they had found their calling, or that they had come home. Some say that is due to the tranquil and meditative environments our campuses provide for learning and growth. Another reason, however, is due to the cohort learning model we use at Pacifica.

When you join your cohort at Pacifica, you join an inclusive learning community of students, which you are a part of throughout your entire academic career here. Each member of the cohort is encouraged to listen, think deeply, and participate in meaningful discussions while at Pacifica, both in-person in classrooms or in our online learning management system, Desire to Learn (D2L). Bonds can remain strong throughout the cohort experience and beyond. Many alumni still keep in touch with their cohort members long after graduating. In addition to the bonds formed by it, the Pacifica cohort model also provides the following beneficial and positive outcomes:

  • Learning perspectives: recognizing and appreciating different views of other individuals.
  • Communication skills: the model helps with personal and professional interactions and interpersonal dynamcis at school, work, and home.
  • Networks: the relationships cohorts build can result in a network that extends beyond the classroom throughout your time at Pacifica, and beyond.
  • Safe and shared experiences: each member of a cohort is seen as a teacher and learner and encouraged to support everyone’s contributions to the group, and to problem-solve together.
  • Consistency: the model provides consistent class composition and configuration in core courses, and provides a non-competitive course enrollment environment.
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William James Jones, Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology Graduate, Explains Why He Chose Pacifica

The Value Proposition of Attending Pacifica

Over 4,500 of our graduates have flourished in careers such as:

  • Healthcare services
  • Business development
  • Education
  • Community and social services
  • Media and communication
  • Arts and design
  • Consulting
  • Military and protective services
  • Human resources
  • Operations

Our students transform into experts in their fields, becoming practicing licensed clinicians, award winners, advocates, and entrepreneurs. Learn about the successful careers of our graduates on LinkedIn, and our Alumni Association’s website.

We believe in educating our students within a transformative environment. We also teach and encourage our students to use their imagination, and to be receptive to the individuation process at Pacifica, because both can help unlock students’ innate potential and spur professional ideas for current or future careers. We do not externally train our students for careers that will remain static, but we internally prepare our students for what may happen in their futures.

When you come to Pacifica, you will join a community including these alumni:

Career Outcomes

Students at Pacifica are prepared for job opportunities that include:

  • Therapists and counselors- both in private practice and in behavioral health settings in organizations, either in-person or online.
  • Psychologists – both in private practice and in behavioral health settings in organizations.
  • Corporate or government (both local and federal) sectors – for example, see Indeed.com’s listings for available government MFT openings in CA. These include working for counties, as well as hospitals, community mental health organizations, and employee assistance programs.
  • Non-profit work – positions that require emotional intelligence, calmness, self-knowing, team work, and working with leadership.
  • Education (from K-12 up to higher education)- this can include counseling services, crisis hotline work, interventions, and student services/support for the LGBT community, sexual assault survivors, suicidality, substance abuse, relationship issues, and stress management.
  • Human resources management – managing team dynamics, enriching personal growth and development of employees, and therapy-related modalities that help boost employee morale.
  • Leadership positions – managing is counseling, with compassion. Leading is coaching, by example, and providing balance. These positions often also require knowledge of group dynamics, team development, systems, family dynamics, motivation, persuasion, and persistence.
  • Coaching and consulting – an option that doesn’t require licensure, and clients who may not have mental health difficulties. Coaches are still needed for life/work balance, business, spirituality, life itself, managing change and transitions, and meeting goals and objectives.
  • Teaching and publishing – this can include teaching in the humanities, social sciences, and other disciplines such as psychology, human development, personal development, sociology, and anthropology, in secondary schools, community college, college, or university settings. Publishing can be via traditional publishing, self-publishing, or on blogs, social media, and websites dedicated to the subject matter that interests you.
  • Working with aging populations and hospice – this includes past midlife and late adulthood, and life satisfaction from a clinical framework. It also includes the concepts of long term marriage, self forgiveness, and elder care/advocacy.

In addition to those outcomes, the Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices specialization has produced Subject Area Streams that students may concentrate in, as has the Somatic Studies specialization.

Helping You Succeed

Students and graduates of Pacifica have access to a strong and connected student support structure composed of the following parts:

  • Alumni Association – Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Alumni Association supports our alumni in pursuit of developing their intellectual, spiritual, altruistic, and professional capabilities.
  • Disability Services – the goal of Disability Services is to equalize the learning environment for students with disabilities.
  • Financial Aid – the Financial Aid Office is committed to making financing an education as manageable as possible.
  • Guest Services – they host students in an environment that promotes academic growth and personal comfort.
  • Information Technology Help – I.T. is committed to advancing the use of its technology to enhance the quality, reliability, and effectiveness of the educational experience for all our students.
  • Library Assistance – our Library offers a number of services designed to meet your research needs; these include circulation services, interlibrary loans, reference assistance, and special collections access.
  • Office of the Registrar – the Registrar’s office provides a variety of services related to the creation and maintenance of academic records, and is committed to addressing the needs of students in a timely, personable manner.
  • Student Accounts – the mission of Student Accounts is to provide support and assistance for students in meeting financial obligations while pursuing their education.
  • Writing Tutors – we provide access to numerous online writing resources, as well as writing tutors, free of charge to currently enrolled students who need help with course papers.

Each of these departments has staff who are friendly, knowledgeable, caring, but also committed to our students’ success, and to the mission and core values of Pacifica.