Bob Flax

Professor Bob Flax, Ph.D.

Faculty, Transformative Social Change Program

President , Citizens for Global Solutions

Bob Flax, Ph.D. is a psychologist, organization development consultant, educator and activist.  He has been dedicated to addressing human suffering at the individual, organizational, and global levels.

Bob began career as a psychotherapist in the late 1970's.  He worked in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, residential treatment centers, private practice, and 16 years in the California prison system where he counseled inmates on San Quentin's 'death row' and managed their 3,000-person volunteer division, providing inmate education and rehabilitation programs. He was later promoted to the management team of the Mental Health Department at the California State Prison-Solano.  Bob has also taught Psychology at LaGuardia Community College, Sierra University, William Lyon University, John F. Kennedy University, The Professional School of Psychology and Saybrook University.

From his prison experience and international travel, Bob was struck by the way large systems contribute to human suffering. As a result, he pursued additional training in organization development and conflict resolution, expanding his focus to include organizational and large systems change. He conducted organizational development, leadership, and communications training programs for a number of organizations ranging from small non-profits to IBM.

Bob's work with large systems led to the World Federalist Movement, where he has served as Past President of the Democratic World Federalists, Councilor to the World Federalist Movement-Institute for Global Policy, and Board Member of Citizens for Global Solutions.  He also teaches a course in Global Governance and Democratic World Federation at Saybrook University where he has also served as their Codirector of Research.

Bob has a B.A. in Psychology and Philosophy from New York University (1977), an M.A. in Psychology from Long Island University (1980), a Ph.D. in Psychology from Saybrook Institute (1992), an M.A. in Organization Development from Sonoma State University (2007), a Certificate in Global Affairs from New York University (2015) and a Diploma in Global Leadership from the UN Peace University in Costa Rica (2020).

Bob's love of adventure has led him to international trekking, scuba diving, and climbing the tallest mountains on 3 continents.  He also maintains a Buddhist meditation practice and lives in a co-housing community in Northern California.

If available, Bob is happy to work with students on independent studies, theses, essays, and dissertations in his specialty area -- global governance and world federation.  He is also available to consult with students in these areas:

Buddhist Philosophy and Practice

Citizen Diplomacy

Conflict Resolution

Holistic Health

Intentional Communities

Organizational Culture

Prison Reform

Psychotherapy Effectiveness

Psychotherapy Integration

Restorative Justice

Virtual/In-Person Office Hours: Monday - Thursday, 11AM - 5PM Pacific

E-Mail: [email protected]