MA in Clinical Psychology, Spiritual and Depth Psychology Specialization

Integrating applied mindfulness, analytic therapy, and diversity consciousness.

The Spiritual and Depth Psychology Specialization explores the intersections between mindfulness-based therapy, Jungian-based analytic psychology, and socio-cultural diversity consciousness. Students are supported in developing integrative psychotherapy techniques rooted in both traditional and evidence based practices of the East and West honoring body-mind-spirit wellness.

This degree is offered by AU Los Angeles.

Program Overview

Founded in 2010, the Spiritual and Depth Psychology (SDP) Specialization provides you with a forum to investigate, study, and practice tools for personal growth, discovering your own voice and gifts as a therapist, as well as furthering your appreciation of social and cultural identities. Spiritual and depth psychological therapeutic techniques are able to compassionately reach unconscious levels of family, community, and cultural trauma, helping to restore mental wellness that can be both meaningful and sustaining.

Courses are taught by instructors who are active contributors in the field of Spiritual and Depth Psychology, committed to advancing effective, inter-culturally informed psychotherapeutic practices. The faculty embrace proactive engagement in dialogue on diversity, which specifically includes the affirmation of women, people of color, LGBTQ communities, socio-economically vulnerable, and others often underrepresented in the mental health field and in the training of psychotherapists.

The Spiritual and Depth Psychology Specialization supports our students’ professional development through:

• Core courses (in Applied Mindfulness and Intercultural Depth Psychological techniques), field work, and course-related research that support you in developing your own voice and unique strengths as a training integrative psychotherapist.
• Learning in skills and theoretical knowledge that enhance clinical training and often allow for distinctive abilities such strategic uses of mindfulness applied to anxiety and stress reduction, advanced abilities to meaningfully engage underlying emotional content, deep historical material, helpful in trauma and addiction recovery.
• Augmenting core skills through our elective courses such as: Equine Assisted Therapy, Jungian Dream work, and Mindfulness-based Relapse Prevention. SDP also supports our internationally classes in mindfulness studies in Kyoto, Japan, and Toulouse, France.
• Building connections with the larger SDP community of current students, alumni, and professionals through regular community dinners and networking as well as professional speaking events by leaders in the field.

Degree Requirements

Specialization Courses (17 units)

• Intercultural Transpersonal and Depth Psychology
• Frontiers in Integrative Depth Psychology
• Life as Practice: Inner Work/Social Resp/Comm Srvc
• Mindfulness in Clinical Practice
• Transference/Countertransference & Psyche
• SDP Electives (3 quarter units)

For detailed curriculum and degree requirements, please visit the AULA catalog.

Admissions / Cost / Aid