A Faculty-Led Info Session with Terese Gjernes and Nita Sims
Somatic Psychology
Honoring the whole person lived experience.
A forerunner in the discipline of somatic psychology, our master's degree prepares students to use embodied approaches to psychotherapy. Our pedagogy is whole-person oriented, combining academic rigor, experiential learning, and community engagement with spiritual traditions from across the globe.
CIIS' Somatic Psychology program draws on developmental and sociocultural perspectives, exploring how embodied emotion, expression, identity, and interaction are formed in individuals, families, and communities. Our graduates are trained as conscientious and culturally aware experts in approaches to psychotherapeutic embodied cognition.
Our Counseling Psychology M.A. Programs
Which one of our five unique specializations is right for you?
Faculty Research and Scholarship
Our faculty have a wide range of research interests, including early childhood mental health, somatic and movement therapy in foster and adoptive care systems, and queer theory.
On Why Anxiety Can Be Good For You
In this episode of the Public Programs Podcast, professor Deanna Jimenez talks with Dr. Tracy Dennis-Tiwary about her latest book, Future Tense. They explore anxiety in a new way to offer hope to those suffering from it along with a way forward to better managing anxiety to spark creativity and joy for a more productive life.
Mindfulness and Nonviolent Communication
Listen to this talk between professor Terese Gjernes and author Oren Jay Sofer in about the qualities of our attention and how to incorporate a fully body perspective of mindfulness into our communication skills.
Our Misak Identity Is the Spinal Cord of Our Education
In this oral history exploration by faculty Patricia Rojas-Zambrano and her colleague, they share about Misak educational leader and co-founder of the Misak University, Gerardo Tunubalá Velasco. The article reflects on his efforts to create and sustain an autonomous educational system that guarantees the rights and dignity of Indigenous peoples in Colombia and beyond.
Our Upcoming Events
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.
Our Program in Action
Our Graduating Student Reflection Speech at the 55th Convocation Ceremony of California Institute for Integral Studies