Feb22
Attend the Spring Open House on February 22, 2025 to get to know your admissions counselors and learn more about CIIS' bachelor's, master's, and Ph.D. programs.
Community Mental Health
Healing through social justice and structural change.
The Community Mental Health M.A. was developed in partnership with public and non-profit mental health agencies. It integrates the fundamentals of psychotherapy with cultural humility and an understanding of the impact of trauma and social systems on the individual psyche.
In Their Own Words
Hear what our faculty and students have to say
CIIS’ Community Mental Health program integrates the fundamentals of psychotherapy with cultural humility and an understanding of the impact of trauma and social systems on the individual. Developed in partnership with public and non-profit mental health agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area, this program is one of five offered through the Counseling Psychology department at CIIS.
In order to provide students with the strongest possible foundations, the program incorporates social justice perspectives, cultural understanding, and multifarious theoretical approaches including psychodynamics, Family Systems Therapy, trauma-informed therapies, and recovery and resiliency models of treatment. Through ongoing work in community settings, CIIS faculty help to ensure that the program design continues to meet the needs of community agencies. Our flexible weekend format allows working students to maximize educational outcomes to maintain a healthy work/life balance.
Close Video
What is Community Mental Health?
What is Community Mental Health?
What is Community Mental Health?
The Community Mental Health master's program at CIIS trains students to become licensed therapists and leaders in empowering disenfranchised communities. Our graduates are a driving force in meeting the needs of and creating change for populations who have been underserved and overlooked by traditional counseling services.
Our Counseling Psychology M.A. Programs
Which one of our five unique specializations is right for you?
Expressive Arts Therapy
Integrate creative expression with clinical and community practice
Integral Counseling Psychology
Incorporate the mind, body, and spirit into therapeutic practice
Faculty in Conversation
Our faculty are committed to many fields of meaningful inquiry, including social justice advocacy for Native American communities, social sustainability in the context of intentional community, and the discourse on capitalism and the American Dream.
On Building a Values-Driven Healing Practice in a Profit-Driven World
In this episode of the CIIS Public Programs Podcast, core faculty Elizabeth Markle talks with somatic psychotherapist, author, and podcaster Laura Mae Northrup about her latest book, Radical Healership, in which Laura offers an authentic, spiritually grounded approach to finding a true path to working in a healing profession.
Intergenerational Trauma, Resilience, and Collective Healing
In a series of video workshops, Community Mental Health Chair Kini Chang introduces concepts of intergenerational trauma and how to heal cycles of cultural, familial, and historical harm.
On Native Sovereignty
Listen to this illuminating conversation with core faculty, Lazzuly Mello, and Gregg Castro, t'rowt'raahl Salinan/rumsien-ramaytush Ohlone, Cultural Director for the Association of Ramaytush Ohlone for about the complexities of native sovereignty from his perspective as a member and advocate for multiple California tribes.
Our Upcoming Events
Mar11
A Faculty-Led Info Session with Elizabeth Markle and Lea Graham
Mar20
A Free Online Overview with Jennifer Gruczelak and Michelle Domingo
Our Program in Action
Alumni News
At each CIIS Open House event, a community panel of faculty and alumni discusses what drew them to CIIS and their experiences at the University.
Faculty News
A free online workshop series on intergenerational trauma with Kini Chang, LMFT, Chair of the M.A. in Counseling Psychology concentration in Community Mental Health.
Alumni News
Community Mental Health alumna Nichole Pettway on using her experiences to help others navigate uncharted waters