Where do Somatic Therapists practice?
The Somatic Psychology program prepares students to do excellent psychotherapy both in conventional clinic settings and private practice. Our students have worked in a variety of clinics and with diverse populations. The program gives a broad experiential and theoretical understanding of working with clients. It teaches a psychodynamic and family systems based approach to body oriented psychotherapy that covers issues as transference, countertransference, resistance, projection and intervention that can be widely applied.

Do you have to have your Certificate in Massage Therapy (CMT) before you can apply to the Somatic Psychology Program?
No, you do not have to have your CMT at the time of application, but you must have completed it by the first day of classes. For questions about CMT programs, please contact the admissions counselor for the Somatics program at 415.575.6152.

Is it possible to attend the program part-time?
Students enter the program in a cohort and are strongly encouraged to attend full-time.

Is it possible to attend the program only in the evenings and/or on weekends?
No, while you may have a few classes in the evening, classes are held on weekdays.

How long is the program?
The program is two and a half years for people going straight through. As with the Masters of Counseling Psychology programs at CIIS, there are 60 semester units of coursework. This includes one year of supervised practicum which may occur at our Center for Somatic Psychotherapy, the only academically based community clinic in the country that employs Somatic Psychotherapy in its work with clients, or at other practicum sites. The program is highly sequenced - one course building upon another - but many students choose to attend part-time and do so successfully.