Apr30
An Online Event with Admissions Counselors
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.
Explore our M.A. in Counseling Psychology Programs
Not sure which program is right for you? Browse our other four specializations to find your match.
Department of Counseling Psychology
Focus on healing through social justice and structural change
Department of Counseling Psychology
Utilize drama and theatre to promote psychological health
Department of Counseling Psychology
Integrate creative expression with clinical and community practice
Department of Counseling Psychology
Incorporate the mind, body, and spirit into therapeutic practice
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
May14
A Faculty-Led Info Session with Jean-Paul Eberle and Christine Gindi
Oct11
Attend the Fall Open House on October 11, 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
Alumni News
Our Graduating Student Reflection Speech at the 55th Convocation Ceremony of California Institute for Integral Studies
Campus News
Spotlighting on the 6 degree programs in CIIS' School of Professional Psychology and Health