About the Program - Somatic Psychololgy

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.

Explore Our M.A. Programs

Not sure which program is right for you? Browse our other four specializations to find your match.

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Department of Counseling Psychology

Community Mental Health

Focus on healing through social justice and structural change

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Department of Counseling Psychology

Drama Therapy

Utilize drama and theatre to promote psychological health

Department of Counseling Psychology

Expressive Arts Therapy

Integrate creative expression with clinical and community practice

Department of Counseling Psychology

Integral Counseling Psychology

Incorporate the mind, body, and spirit into therapeutic practice

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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.