Integral Counseling Psychology

Program Overview

For nearly 50 years, CIIS’ Integral Counseling Psychology program has trained students in a vision of psychotherapy that combines major spiritual traditions of the East and West and contemporary psychoanalytic, humanistic, systemic, multicultural, and transpersonal psychologies.

As part of CIIS’ Counseling Psychology department, the Integral Counseling Psychology program adheres to the guidelines of the California Board of Behavioral Sciences, while also emphasizing the integral philosophy of the late Haridas Chaudhuri. We define integral as “essential to wholeness” and incorporate this view into therapeutic practice that recognizes all aspects of a person’s being.

Our graduates are trained to become licensed therapists who go on to work in private practice, schools, and non-profit organizations. Our faculty have a variety of research interests, among them ecopsychology, trauma theory, dreams and imagination, mystical practices, work with incarcerated people, LGBTQIA+ and activist communities, psychedelic assisted therapy, and Transpersonal, Jungian, and Gestalt psychologies.

Developing strong clinical skills is the core of our curriculum. In addition to coursework, students engage in a year-long practicum at one of our six award-winning Integral Counseling Centers or another site of their choosing. Graduates of the program are able to conceptualize frameworks and appropriate interventions; diagnose, assess and make practical treatment plans; and attend to the needs and goals of the client, including being able to identify client strengths, resilience, worldview, and resources. 

Diversity Awareness  

The Integral Counseling Psychology program is committed to discussing multiculturalism as an essential part of psychology. We understand the fundamentally Eurocentric context within which most Western therapeutic models developed, and we explore the impact of power and privilege on those in the dominant and nondominant cultures. Students will have the opportunity to actively explore their own filters and biases, while being challenged to understand differentness and develop competencies in applying diversity sensitivity to clinical practice. 

A hallmark of the Integral Counseling Psychology program is significant personal growth. Through experiential and dyadic learning, collaborative discussions, and reflective papers, students combine inner experience and personal development with preparation to work as a therapist. 

Career Paths

CIIS’ Integral Counseling Psychology students are trained to become Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (MFTs) and Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors (LPCCs) who understand family and community systems, attachment theory, contemporary trauma theory, cultural/racial dynamics, and transpersonal concepts as a means of treating families, couples, and individuals from varying populations and demographics.

The Integral Counseling Psychology program graduates practice in:

• Private practice
• Schools and other education oriented settings
• Community non-profits
• Hospitals, clinics, and other in and outpatient settings
• Government agencies

This program meets the educational requirements for California's Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) license and California's Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) license.

CIIS is one of the largest educators of MFTs, and is also the leader in pass rates among larger schools in California.