Certificate Program Emphases
1. Bridge Building Dialogues
Description:
This emphasis prepares participants to facilitate depth-oriented dialogue across ideological, cultural, political, and intergenerational divides. Grounded in existential–humanistic psychology and the psychology of polarization, students learn to design and lead conversations that foster empathy, mutual recognition, and social repair.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Explain psychological and existential roots of polarization and fragmentation
Facilitate relationally safe, presence-centered dialogue
Apply structured dialogue models in community and organizational settings
Integrate self-awareness practices for ethical facilitation
Design sustainable dialogue initiatives for long-term social healing
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
2. Depth-Oriented Social Work & Family Systems
Description:
This emphasis equips practitioners to work systemically with families and communities using humanistic, depth psychological, and culturally responsive frameworks. Emphasis is placed on intergenerational dynamics, systemic trauma, and relational healing within broader social ecologies.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Assess family and community systems through relational and cultural lenses
Apply depth-informed approaches to systemic trauma and resilience
Integrate experiential and culturally responsive practices
Develop ethical, liberatory intervention strategies
Engage advocacy and empowerment in systemic work
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
3. Depth-Oriented Spiritual Care
Description:
This emphasis explores spiritually integrative care across diverse traditions and secular worldviews. Participants learn to offer presence-centered, ethically grounded spiritual care addressing suffering, meaning, identity, and existential rupture.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Articulate existential and humanistic foundations of spiritual care
Assess spiritual narratives and wounds within cultural contexts
Apply experiential and relational spiritual practices
Navigate ethical and cultural complexities in spiritual care
Design spiritually attuned care frameworks for diverse settings
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
4. Depth-Oriented Psychotherapy for Underserved Communities
Description:
This emphasis prepares clinicians to offer culturally grounded, justice-oriented psychotherapy with marginalized individuals and communities. Integrating existential, psychoanalytic, and liberation psychologies, the focus is on relational presence, dignity, and meaning-making.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Understand impacts of systemic oppression on mental health
Apply culturally attuned, relational depth techniques
Address identity-based wounds and microaggressions in therapy
Integrate existential meaning-making with marginalized clients
Design liberation-focused therapeutic interventions
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
5. Depth-Oriented Medical Care
Description:
This emphasis examines how depth psychology, somatic awareness, and existential care enhance medical practice. Participants explore whole-person healing, relational integrity, and meaning-centered approaches within complex healthcare systems.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Integrate humanistic and depth models into medical settings
Apply embodied presence and relational attunement
Navigate institutional pressures ethically
Use narrative and existential approaches in care planning
Design depth-informed interventions for healthcare environments
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
6. Awe-Based Environmental Psychology
Description:
This emphasis explores awe as a catalyst for psychological healing, ecological identity, and meaning. Participants learn to design interventions that address ecological grief, disconnection, and environmental trauma through depth-oriented and nature-centered practices.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Explain awe’s role in psychological and ecological well-being
Analyze environmental disconnection through depth frameworks
Apply awe-based and nature-centered practices
Integrate ecological grief and meaning-making
Design programs fostering ecological belonging
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
7. Relational Approaches to Social Justice
Description:
This emphasis frames social justice as a relational and psychological practice. Participants learn restorative, dialogical, and liberation-based approaches that foster accountability, healing, and collective resilience.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Articulate relational foundations of justice work
Integrate self-awareness and systemic understanding
Apply restorative and dialogical methods
Support collective and radical healing
Design justice-centered, culturally grounded interventions
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
8. Life Coaching & Mentoring for Underserved Populations
Description:
This emphasis prepares participants to provide ethically grounded, culturally responsive coaching and mentoring for underserved communities, emphasizing empowerment, values, and relational depth.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Apply existential and humanistic coaching principles
Use client-centered, empowerment-focused methods
Navigate cultural difference and systemic inequity
Support values-based development and agency
Design coaching programs for community and digital contexts
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
9. Humanistic & Awe-Based Education
Description:
This emphasis explores learner-centered, meaning-rich education grounded in existential psychology, awe theory, and contemplative pedagogy. Participants reimagine education as a relational and humanizing practice.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Articulate principles of humanistic education
Integrate awe and contemplative learning practices
Apply student-centered pedagogies
Critique dehumanizing educational models
Design educational environments fostering creativity and well-being
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
10. Humanistic Approaches to Management & Diplomacy
Description:
This emphasis applies humanistic, psychodynamic, and cross-cultural perspectives to leadership, organizational life, and diplomacy, emphasizing ethical leadership, dialogue, and global interdependence.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Apply humanistic leadership principles
Understand psychodynamic organizational processes
Engage cross-cultural leadership ethically
Design dignity-centered leadership strategies
Integrate dialogue and relational intelligence into diplomacy
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
11. Depth-Oriented School Counseling
Description:
This emphasis integrates depth psychology, restorative practice, and humanistic education into school counseling. Participants address student well-being, systemic alienation, and school-wide transformation.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to:
Apply depth-oriented principles in school counseling
Address roots of school violence and alienation
Design trauma-informed, culturally responsive interventions
Engage in restorative and systemic school reform
Use student-centered and nontraditional assessment methods