Pacifica Faculty News
With Diversity Equity and Inclusion policies, programs, and initiatives under the microscope of legislative and political pressures across the higher education landscape, Pacifica Graduate Institute – with its motto to “tend to the soul in and of the world” – maintains its unwavering commitment to nurturing an environment in its depth psychological academic community where diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) are integral. This dedication is embodied in the announcement of its new Vice President of People, Culture, and Belonging, Deneatrice A. Lewis, MS.
As we celebrate Earth Day, we reflect on our collective and individual relationship with nature, our commitment to sustainability, and the ways we can continue to reduce our environmental impact and fight for the necessary changes to address the needs of our planet. At Pacifica Graduate Institute, we believe that promoting sustainability, protection, and restoration, as well as connecting with the awe and wonder of nature are essential parts of our mission of tending the soul of the world. We believe in the power of education to inspire positive change in the world and meet the urgent environmental challenges we face. Our programs encourage students to explore ecological sustainability, environmental justice, and social responsibility.
David Odorisio, Ph.D., currently the Co-Chair of Pacifica’s Mythological Studies program, will be leading the launch of a new M.A./Ph.D. program in Fall 2024, in Psychology, Religion, and Consciousness. This is the final part in a two-part interview
Connie Alexander-Boaitey is the co-founder of Gateway Educational Services, advocating for Santa Barbara’s underserved students through education. She is also the current president of the Santa Barbara NAACP. On April 20th, the NAACP is holding the “Black Women’s Health Equity Conference” in Santa Barbara, a free event for Black women from Santa Barbara, Ventura, Santa Maria & Lompoc. PGI President & CEO Dr. Leonie H. Mattison will be speaking at and participating in the conference. We’re delighted to hear more about Connie’s work in Part I of II of this interview, which is part of the Pacifica Soul Promise Series.
David Odorisio, Ph.D., currently the Co-Chair of Pacifica’s Mythological Studies program, will be leading the launch of a new M.A./Ph.D. program in Fall 2024, in Psychology, Religion, and Consciousness.
Connie Alexander-Boaitey is the co-founder of Gateway Educational Services, advocating for Santa Barbara’s underserved students through education. She is also the current president of the Santa Barbara NAACP. On April 20th, the NAACP is holding the “Black Women’s Health Equity Conference” in Santa Barbara, a free event for Black women from Santa Barbara, Ventura, Santa Maria & Lompoc. PGI President & CEO Dr. Leonie H. Mattison will be speaking at and participating in the conference. We’re delighted to hear more about Connie’s work in Part I of II of this interview, which is part of the Pacifica Soul Promise Series.
Juliet Rohde-Brown, Ph.D., is the Chair for the Depth Psychology: Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices doctoral specialization program at Pacifica Graduate Institute, and a mentor to many. She will be teaching the Pacifica Extension course, “Shadow and Society: The Forgotten Child in Collective Contexts,” on April 3, 10, 17, and 24, 2024. The class will be offered live on Zoom.
Gather a hundred people in a room and ask them to name a woman who they admire, and you will likely get a hundred different answers. Ask a Pacifica scholar to do the same, and you have Pacifica Extensions “Trailblazers, Renegades and Mystics” Series, featuring PGI faculty members delving into the lives of extraordinary women who have shaped history. In this thought-provoking, five-part series, Mary Wood, David Odorisio, Camille Harris, Emily Lord-Kambitsch, and Dylan Hoffman offer a depth psychological snapshot of trail-blazing women. These half-hour long talks, available free on Pacifica’s YouTube channel, illuminate the complexities, contributions and relevance of these women’s lives and work for the contemporary challenges we face today.
Patricia O. Katsky is a core faculty member of the Specialization in Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices and was formerly provost at Pacifica. We’re delighted to speak with her about her experiences in becoming a therapist and also about her years of service at Pacifica.
An Interview with Alisa Orduña, Ph.D.Alisa is a graduate of Pacifica’s specialization in Community, Liberation, Indigenous, and Eco-Psychology. She has been a practitioner, policy analyst, collaborator and thought leader in the urban community development field for the past 25 years
An Interview with Alisa Orduña, Ph.D.Alisa is a graduate of Pacifica’s specialization in Community, Liberation, Indigenous, and Eco-Psychology. She has been a practitioner, policy analyst, collaborator and thought leader in the urban community development field for the past 25 years
Pacifica is pleased to welcome Dr. Jenny Escobar to the position of Core Faculty in the M.A./Ph.D. Program in Depth Psychology with Specialization in Community, Liberation, Indigenous, and Eco-Psychologies specialization. Dr. Escobar began teaching this fall, and I’m delighted to find out more about her work.
As part of Pacifica’s Journeys of the Soul Conference, an immersive weekend of learning and connecting at Pacifica Graduate Institute to be held September 29 – October 1, Susan Rowland, Ph.D., a faculty member of Pacifica’s M.A. in Depth Psychology and Creativity with Emphasis in the Arts and Humanities department, the 2023 C.G. Jung Award…
As part of Pacifica’s Journeys of the Soul Conference, an immersive weekend of learning and connecting at Pacifica Graduate Institute to be held September 29 – October 1, Bayo Akomolafe, Ph.D., an adjunct lecturer at Pacifica, a poet and the Executive Director and for The Emergence Network, will offer a special long-distance welcome and introduction…
As part of Pacifica’s Journeys of the Soul Conference, an immersive weekend of learning and connecting at Pacifica Graduate Institute to be held September 29 – October 1, Dick Russell, an award-winning investigative journalist and author of a biographical trilogy, The Life and Ideas of James Hillman, will be participating in an author salon with…
As part of Pacifica’s Journey week, an immersive week of learning and connecting at Pacifica Graduate Institute to be held September 27-October 1, Roland Palencia, documentarian and filmmaker, will be a featured presenter, screening the groundbreaking, PBS co-produced documentary film UNIDAD: Gay and Lesbian Latinos Unidos and discussing his longtime activism and advocacy within the…
Dr. Fanny Brewster, Ph.D., is the author of Race and the Unconscious: An Africanist Depth Psychology Perspective on Dreaming, as well as being a core faculty member of Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Depth Psychology with Specialization in Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices Program. She will be participating in the launch of her book on Friday, August…
An article featuring recent work by Pacifica adjunct faculty Victoria Stevens. Victoria is an adjunct faculty member in the Depth Psychology with Specialization in Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices program.
David M. Odorisio, PhD, is Co-Chair and Associate Core Faculty in Pacifica’s Mythological Studies graduate degree program. David is editor of A New Gnosis: Comic Books, Comparative Mythology, and Depth Psychology. I’m delighted to speak with him about his new book.
Pacifica is proud to share the announcement of two new faculty emeriti, the highest recognition bestowed upon retiring faculty.
Joanna Gardnener is an alumni of and adjunct professor at Pacifica Graduate Institute, in the Mythological Studies specialization. She is also the co-founder of the Fates and Graces Mythologium, which will be held July 28-30, 2023, in Carpinteria, CA
The Board of Directors of the International Association for Jungian Studies (IAJS) has recently conducted a vote, and it is with great pleasure that we announce the recipient of this year’s prestigious C.G. Jung Award is Pacifica Graduate Institute’s very own Dr. Susan Rowland, Core Faculty and Advisor in Research and the Humanities in our…
I do not intend to, nor can I, speak of Judaism or Jewishness for all Jews; rather, here I intend to share my perspective as a Jewish person. In its history spanning millennia, Jews from all over the world have forged their own understandings. Growing up, Judaism to me came to mean valuing knowledge and…
Camille Jarmie Harris, Ph.D. has recently joined the faculty at Pacifica in the Clinical Psychology program. This is Part II in the conversation I had with Dr. Harris about her work and teaching in hermeneutic analysis.
Introducing Our Esteemed Program Chairs at Pacifica Graduate Institute. At Pacifica Graduate Institute, we are privileged to have a distinguished group of Program Chairs who lead our renowned graduate degree programs with expertise, vision, and a deep commitment to the exploration of depth psychology, mythology and the humanities. Get to know our esteemed Program Chairs…
Camille Jarmie Harris, Ph.D. has recently joined the faculty at Pacifica in the Clinical Psychology program. I’m excited to hear more about her work and teaching in hermeneutic analysis.
Evolution and Growth in the Integrative Therapy and Healing Program: An Interview with Juliet Rohde-Brown, Ph.D. Juliet Rohde-Brown, Ph.D. is the Chair for the Depth Psychology: Integrative Therapy and Healing Practices doctoral specialization program at Pacifica Graduate Institute. I’m delighted to speak with her to hear about the program’s evolution and growth.
Congratulations to David M. Odorisio, PhD, Co-Chair of the Mythological Studies program, on his recent publication, “A New Gnosis: Comic Books, Comparative Mythology, and Depth Psychology”.
Mary A. Wood, Ph.D., is the Chair of the M.A. Depth Psychology and Creativity with Emphasis in the Arts and Humanities program, which is currently accepting applications for Spring and Fall. She will be presenting the webinar “World-Bridging and Shapeshifting: Soul, Image, and Imagination in Gloria Anzaldúa, James Hillman, and C.G. Jung” on January 13th.…
Having come through the pandemic as a strong community at Pacifica, there is a delight and a joy in convening once again on campus for the 2022-23 school year, which our reopening conference, “Portals to the Imaginal: Re-Visioning Depth Psychology for the 21st Century”, will celebrate. Emily Chow-Kambitsch, Co-Chair and Associate Core Faculty in our…
I do think the psyche is so mysterious that we need symbols—both imaginal and material—to mediate our relationship with the unknown. But such symbols aren’t of our making, not things we construct for ourselves in an attempt to make sense of the psyche. That kind of attempt would be useless in terms of understanding the…
Dr. Corbett serves as a professor of depth psychology at Pacifica Graduate Institute. He is the author of several books, the most recent of which is The God-Image from Antiquity to Jung. I am delighted to speak to him about his work with the God image in the context of Jung’s scholarship.
Mary Antonia Wood is the Chair of the M.A. in Depth Psychology and Creativity with Emphasis in the Arts and Humanities at Pacifica Graduate Institute, and has published The Archetypal Artist: Reimagining Creativity and the Call to Create, a book that addresses the confluence of Jungian and archetypal psychologies, the artist, the shaman, and creativity…
Susan Rowland, core faculty at Pacifica Graduate Institute, and author of The Sleuth and the Goddess in Women’s Detective Fiction, among other works of academic writing and fiction, has just had a new book published by Chiron Publications, The Sacred Well Murders. “A simple job turns deadly when Mary Wandwalker, novice detective, is hired to…
