Unbound Posts

An interdisciplinary lens on uncertainty shows how expanding awareness, compassion, and creativity can turn shared crisis toward collective healing.

Uncertainty has slowly become a defining feeling across communities. Global crises now overlap and compound, creating an atmosphere of collective trauma rather than a series of isolated disruptions.

For many people, the challenge is not just what is happening but how long it has been happening. Prolonged uncertainty strains emotional well-being, causing fatigue and impacting relationships. Over time, grief spreads and becomes shared, creating collective trauma.

Marina A. Smirnova, Ph.D., faculty in the Saybrook Department of Humanistic Psychology and director of the Consciousness, Spirituality, and Integrative Health (CSIH) Specialization, explains that this moment must be understood across multiple levels. She says, “Consciously and unconsciously, collective trauma touches and impacts every single individual. There are two key layers that we’re navigating: individual and collective.”

In other words, no one is experiencing uncertainty in isolation. Dr. Smirnova adds, “One thing is for sure: We’re in this together, and we’re beginning to realize deeply that what is affecting one human being is affecting us all.”

This is precisely where consciousness studies steps in. Consciousness studies provide a rigorous and humanistic framework for understanding, integrating, and responding to collective trauma.

What Is Consciousness Studies? An Interdisciplinary Field Rooted in Humanistic Psychology

Consciousness studies is an interdisciplinary field devoted to understanding the human experience. It draws from psychology and cultural inquiry to explore how humans encounter themselves and the world.

Rather than narrowing focus to symptoms alone, consciousness studies ask broader questions about perception, meaning, and responsibility. It encourages individuals to expand awareness.

How Consciousness Studies Integrates Humanistic Psychology and Whole-Person Inquiry

At Saybrook, consciousness studies are grounded in humanistic psychology and an integrative understanding of the person. “We’re looking for intersections that engage mind, body, psyche, spirit, and heart,” says Dr. Smirnova.

This integrative perspective reflects a commitment to intellectual rigor while honoring lived experience. In particular, it acknowledges that human beings are not reducible to symptoms or isolated variables.

Robert Cleve, Ph.D., director of the Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership Specialization and faculty collaborator, emphasizes the importance of perspective expansion: “What happens is that you understand a variety of perspectives other than just your own and begin to embrace a more collective mindset; ultimately you develop what we call a meta-perspective or broader conceptualization.”

In times of social fragmentation and collective trauma, it’s important to cultivate the ability to hold multiple perspectives without collapsing into defensiveness.

Bridging Research, Creativity, and Applied Leadership in Consciousness Studies

Students in Saybrook programs are trained in traditional research methods and critical analysis, as well as practical implementation.

Dr. Cleve explains, “If our students are only exposed to their coursework, they get the knowledge, but they don’t get the chance for application.”

Students are encouraged to translate scholarship into meaningful forms through conferences, creative presentations, and community dialogue. Dr. Cleve articulates this process clearly: “Creativity is the idea or the spark. Innovation is how we bring it to life. Leadership is how we bring it to the world.”

This culture of creativity ensures that students are not confined to silos but become active contributors to communities.

Understanding Collective Trauma Through Individual and Collective Consciousness

A defining strength of consciousness studies is its ability to work across individual and collective dimensions of human experience.

Individual Experience: Self-Awareness and Responsibility in Times of Trauma

At the individual level, consciousness studies support self-awareness, emotional regulation, and personal meaning-making. Students examine how beliefs, narratives, and embodied responses shape their reactions to uncertainty.

Dr. Smirnova emphasizes that personal responsibility plays a crucial role. “When we engage and make a commitment, each of us, to do the very best, to take our potentials and to cultivate them, to do the inner work, to engage respectfully, we’re changing our landscape together.”

Dr. Smirnova describes how developing compassion elevates collective well-being: “As we consciously invest in developing our own capacities to be more compassionate, to be more thoughtful, to be more present, to suspend judgment, we elevate the standing of humanity.”

Inner work transforms from personal growth to collective contribution.

Collective Experience: Shared Trauma, Social Responsibility, and Healing

Collective trauma shapes communities, institutions, and social relationships. Consciousness studies help individuals recognize that their struggles often arise within shared social conditions.

Dr. Smirnova emphasizes that division undermines healing, stating, “We cannot continue to divide ourselves, each other, society, in detrimental ways. Instead, let us rise together intentionally as we advocate for humanity and for conscious ways of being and becoming whole.” Expanded awareness supports leadership rooted in compassion, discernment, and responsibility.

Community-Centered Learning in Humanistic Psychology

Saybrook intentionally fosters learning environments that prioritize connection and community. Saybrook community events invite students, alumni, and surrounding community members into a shared inquiry. These spaces encourage connection and belonging, particularly in online learning environments where isolation can be a challenge.

Dr. Smirnova explains the importance of these collective spaces: “In these spaces, students are able to integrate what they’re learning in our program, through our community.” Community-centered engagement also supplies the opportunity to navigate the hardships of daily life by coming together.

Community-centered engagement also provides an outlet for stress relief and space to share the hardships of daily life. These interactions reflect the practice of humanistic psychology not only within Saybrook’s programs, but also through its broader community events.

How Consciousness Studies Builds Resilience and Psychological Integration During Collective Trauma

Resilience is often misunderstood as endurance or toughness. Consciousness studies approaches resilience as integration, meaning the capacity to hold complexity without collapse.

How Expanding Possibility Cultivates Hope and Leadership

Possibility does not promise certainty, but it creates hope by opening space for new ways of understanding and responding.

Dr. Cleve explains that when individuals are given space to share and listen, they develop a broader understanding that “helps them to navigate social situations, chaos, challenges, in a very unique way.” Possibility becomes an active stance toward the future. It opens room for innovation and responsible leadership.

How Creativity Supports Emotional Regulation and Trauma Recovery

Creative practices offer both grounding and insight. Dr. Cleve describes how even simple practices, such as listening to music, can provide relief and restoration during chaotic times. He explains that creative engagement “provides that meditative escape for us, even if it’s momentarily.”

Creativity becomes a method of regulation as well as expression.

Self-Care Practices That Support the Nervous System During Collective Trauma

In times of collective trauma, returning to basics is essential. Faculty consistently emphasize returning to simple practices during difficult times, such as:

• Adequate sleep
• Nourishing nutrition
• Staying connected
• Offering and receiving support

Dr. Smirnova explains, “The better we take care of our own needs, the more we are of service.” These practices regulate the nervous system and support sustained engagement with complex emotional and social realities.

Explore Graduate Programs in Consciousness Studies and Integrative Health

Saybrook University’s M.A. in Psychology: Consciousness, Spirituality, and Integrative Health Specialization prepares students to engage uncertainty with depth and ethical awareness. Rooted in humanistic psychology, the program emphasizes whole-person learning and interdisciplinary inquiry.

As Dr. Smirnova puts it, “We are in this together.”

If you are seeking graduate study that engages both inner development and social responsibility, Saybrook University’s M.A. in of Ph.D. Psychology: Consciousness, Spirituality, and Integrative Health Specialization offers a rigorous, interdisciplinary path grounded in humanistic psychology. The graduate programs in Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership offer unique opportunities for growth while engaging with creative mediums that help us to thrive and flourish. Designed for those ready to meet uncertainty with depth, discernment, and ethical leadership, the program prepares graduates to apply consciousness studies in meaningful, real-world contexts.

To learn more about curriculum, faculty mentorship, and admissions, complete the brief request for information form below and connect with an admissions adviser.

Discover career paths in counseling, education, leadership, and research with a humanistic psychology degree from Saybrook University.

What changes when you choose to see the whole person, rather than just the symptoms? In humanistic psychology, this question pushes people to consider how individuals experience their lives to better understand how they can move toward feeling whole.

“Humanistic psychology is the concept of the human being in interrelatedness with each other and a concern for the well-being and living the good life for everyone,” emphasizes Drake Spaeth, Psy.D., Existential-Humanistic Psychology Specialization coordinator at Saybrook University.

After earning an M.A. or Ph.D. in Humanistic Psychology, graduates go on to build careers across health care, education, business, research, social advocacy, and more—especially in roles that require ethical judgment and strong relational skills. Below are some of the career directions a humanistic psychology degree can support.

A humanistic psychology degree prepares graduates for people-centered careers in counseling, education, leadership, research, and social impact.

Health Care and Wellness Careers

A humanistic psychology degree takes you into the heart of health and wellness work, where whole-person care matters more than ever.

What Careers Can I Pursue in Health Care and Wellness?

Humanistic psychology graduates often work in roles such as:

• Mental health counselors or therapists, depending on licensure
• Wellness coaches
• Health educators
• Behavioral health coordinators

NOTE: Saybrook University’s online M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology programs are not designed to prepare graduates to qualify for clinical licensure or certification.

Dr. Spaeth emphasizes that humanistic practitioners are trained to look beyond initial diagnosis to take the client’s lived experiences into account.

“We don’t see people as problems and as mental illnesses and diagnoses solely,” Dr. Spaeth explains. “We see them as much larger and more complex beings.”

How Humanistic Psychology Supports Whole-Person Care

This holistic perspective fits naturally into roles that support mental health, chronic illness care, trauma recovery, and preventative wellness. In health and wellness roles, professionals trained in humanistic psychology help clients explore who they are and what they need to feel whole.

Graduates working in health care environments often encounter patients managing chronic pain. Humanistic training encourages providers to consider the patient’s full context, evaluating stress, identity, relationships, and emotional well-being alongside physical symptoms. This informs assessment and care decisions, resulting in more personalized treatment and stronger trust between patient and provider.

Humanistic psychology training also acknowledges the identities and histories that deeply affect individual and community well-being, preparing students to practice with cultural responsiveness and ethical awareness in diverse wellness settings.

Education and Student Support Careers

Humanistic psychology has long influenced how people approach education, and Saybrook University graduates continue that tradition in roles from teaching and advising to leadership and recruitment.

“They can become teachers and researchers and contribute to solving real-world problems and addressing the real needs of human beings, biopsychosocially and spiritually,” Dr. Spaeth highlights.

What Careers Can I Pursue in Education and Student Support?

Education and student-support paths include:

• Teaching psychology courses
• Academic advising
• Teaching human development courses
• Curriculum design
• Administrative roles

Supporting Learning as a Relational Process

Education professionals trained in humanistic psychology often focus on learning as a relational process. Whether they’re teaching college students or designing curricula, they support student development and advocate for environments where learners feel seen.

“In those roles, students, like clients, need to feel seen,” Dr. Spaeth emphasizes. “They need to feel heard.”

Humanistic psychology training drives professionals to design inclusive curricula and integrate reflective exercises that help students connect concepts to their own lived experiences. For example, an instructional designer might rethink a training program to emphasize dialogue and psychological safety, while an advisor may focus on helping students regain a sense of purpose during moments of doubt.

With this preparation, humanistic psychology professionals are empowered to make lasting impacts. By creating safe, inclusive environments, professionals can directly support students on their learning journey, benefiting both individual learners and communities.

Business and Leadership Careers

Humanistic thinking also plays a key role in careers outside of clinical or academic settings. Humanistic psychology students learn how to apply human-centered principles within organizations, where workplace culture and leadership directly impact people’s daily lives.

“How do we show up in that corporate way that’s expected of us and preserve our commitment to integrity?” Dr. Spaeth prompts.

Many modern leaders and employees struggle to find a balance between professionalism and organizational integrity. According to the EY Global Integrity Report 2024, 50% of participating employees shared that their organizations struggle to maintain integrity standards under difficult conditions.

In these settings, humanistic principles show up in leaders who listen carefully and preserve integrity, building psychologically safe environments.

What Careers Can I Pursue in Business and Leadership?

Graduates may go on to apply these principles in areas such as:

• Human resources
• Organizational development
• Executive coaching
• Change management

How Humanistic Psychology Prepares Students for Careers in Business

In practice, humanistic psychology provides business leaders with a framework for creating safe environments and motivating teams.

By prioritizing building a sense of purpose and reinforcing ethical decision-making, especially during periods of growth, leaders can bring compassion into roles that influence people and systems.

Social Impact and Advocacy Careers

Communities across the globe are facing rising mental health needs, with gaps in access to care becoming increasingly apparent, particularly for underserved and marginalized populations. Addressing these challenges calls for systems-level thinking blended with compassion for individual experiences.

For prospective students drawn to social change, a humanistic psychology degree opens doors to meaningful work in fields from nonprofit leadership and community advocacy to more policy-focused roles.

What Careers Can I Pursue in Social Impact and Advocacy?

A humanistic psychology degree can support careers in:

• Nonprofit leadership
• Community advocacy
• Policy-adjacent work
• Program management

These careers require a balance between strategic thinking and human connection. Humanistic psychology provides that balance by grounding action in empathy and ethical responsibility.

In social impact and advocacy roles, humanistic psychology professionals turn empathy into action. Whether leading programs that support real community needs or developing policy change, humanistic psychology prepares them to ensure people are always at the center of decision-making.

Research and Innovation Careers

As the influence of technology and data on decision-making continues to grow, organizations need behavioral research that doesn’t limit people to variables.

Humanistic psychology values real-life experiences and explores what helps communities thrive. While large-scale data can help identify general patterns, more detailed methods, such as in-depth interviews or case studies, are often needed to understand the nuances of people’s lives.

What Careers Can I Pursue in Research and Innovation?

Humanistic psychology graduates may pursue research-focused roles such as:

• Academic research positions
• Applied research
• Curriculum assessment
• Program evaluation or assessment

Research That Supports Real-World Impact

Humanistic psychology research often centers on the real human experience. Professionals in this space often explore topics like consciousness, trauma, creativity, and more—using approaches that allow them to capture the complexity of lived experiences.

“We train in a variety of qualitative research methods, and we even support quantitative research,” Dr. Spaeth shares.

This research focuses on relationships and self-awareness, encouraging ethical decision-making and responsible interpretation, strengthening how organizations evaluate outcomes and respond to real human needs.

Dr. Spaeth also encourages students to lean into their own curiosity to identify gaps in research where their humanistic psychology training can contribute.

“What’s needed is their curiosity about specific topics and where that can go,” he shares. “The sky is the limit in many ways.”

Over time, this work can shape more effective systems and approaches for organizations and communities. Humanistic psychologists working in research or evaluation roles help interpret data with context and ensure that people remain at the center of decision-making.

How Saybrook University Prepares You for a Career in Humanistic Psychology

Saybrook University’s humanistic psychology degree provides a foundation for a range of career paths, each defined by the student’s ability to apply a holistic, person-centered approach.

Whether graduates support healing in health care settings, shape inclusive learning environments, guide ethical leadership decisions, or contribute to research that drives social change, the common thread is a commitment to seeing the whole person.

Saybrook University’s training helps students apply humanistic psychology in various professional fields, helping students learn to:

• Lead with professionalism and empathy
• Build supportive environments for growth
• Develop skills in research and evaluation
• Blend methodological rigor with respect for human complexity

Ultimately, this training prepares students to drive meaningful transformation in individuals and communities, reflecting the broader impact of humanistic psychology across professional sectors.

“We are embracing a more global, expansive vision of the human being than others tend to think humanistic psychologists do,” Dr. Spaeth emphasizes.

Earn a Degree that Grows With You

Whether interested in an M.A. in Psychology or flexible, online Ph.D. programs in psychology that prepare students to lead with empathy and integrity, Saybrook University’s Humanistic Psychology degree options offer a unique path forward.

Learn how a Humanistic Psychology degree from Saybrook University can transform your career.

AI in Graduate Education at Saybrook University: A Humanistic, Mind-Body Perspective

Graduate students now encounter artificial intelligence everywhere: at work, in research workflows, and increasingly in their writing environments. AI tools promise efficiency but they also raise difficult questions about accuracy and the future of scholarly voice.

In the Mind-Body Medicine programs at Saybrook University, interim chair Luann Fortune, Ph.D., LMT, has spent the past several years studying how students actually use AI. Over time, she has seen where AI strengthens student learning and where its unexamined use starts to weaken the foundations of graduate education.

AI should sharpen critical thinking, not replace it.

Saybrook’s approach centers on one core belief: AI should sharpen critical thinking without replacing it. Learn more about how Saybrook’s Mind-Body Medicine program is responding to AI with intentional design.

Why AI Raises Uniquely Human Questions in Graduate Education and Humanistic Psychology

At its core, graduate education is about learning how to think independently, make evidence-based claims, and contribute original insight to a field. As AI becomes more embedded in graduate coursework, those goals are being quietly tested.

Dr. Fortune is clear about what’s at stake. “Writing is the process through which understanding takes shape,” she insists. When students write, they discover what they believe, refine their reasoning, and learn to stand behind their claims. When that process is outsourced to AI, even in small ways, something essential is lost.

This concern becomes sharper at the doctoral level. “We’re talking about doctoral-level students who are expected to contribute original thinking,” Dr. Fortune says. “If their language, framing, or arguments are generated by a system that does not understand meaning, only patterns, students risk losing the opportunity to develop the analytic and conceptual skills their degrees demand.”

Does that mean graduate students should avoid it entirely? Not quite. “Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater,” says Dr. Fortune. “We know students are using it, so our approach has been to incorporate AI intentionally, teach students how to question it, and align every use with humanistic values.”

How Saybrook University Integrates AI Into the Mind-Body Medicine Curriculum

Rather than pretending AI isn’t part of students’ academic lives, Saybrook faculty chose to meet that reality head-on by teaching students how to use these tools with care and accountability.

Because Saybrook’s Mind-Body Medicine program is research-focused, not a clinical licensure track, AI is approached as a subject of inquiry that demands the same critical rigor students bring to research, theory, and practice. Rather than asking whether AI belongs in graduate education, Saybrook asks a more demanding question: How can students learn to challenge powerful tools without surrendering their voice?

“Our goals are geared toward creating researchers and original thinkers,” explains Dr. Fortune. Because mind-body medicine is an interdisciplinary field that requires contextual thinking and ethical awareness, examining the ethical and practical implications of AI becomes valuable training.

Across the curriculum, AI assignments vary in form: some inquiry-based, some conversational, some exploratory. Here are a few ways that approach comes to life.

1. Teaching Ethical AI Use Through Responsible Citation in Graduate Research

What This Develops: Academic Responsibility and Credibility

At Saybrook, ethical AI use begins with a foundational academic practice: citation. Not as a technical requirement but as a form of responsibility.

Dr. Fortune frames scholarship as a lineage. “We’re standing on a community, a history, a legacy of scholars,” she explains. “Citation is how that lineage is honored.” When students fail to verify sources, or rely on AI-generated references without scrutiny, they break trust with the scholarly community they are entering.

Ethical citation involves:

• Cross-checking references to confirm they are real, recent, and accurately represented
• Verifying that sources actually support the claims being made
• Seeking out sources to verify claims made by AI tools
• Citing AI tools when they are applied or referenced in the research or writing process
• Taking responsibility for accuracy, interpretation, and attribution at every stage of the work

AI is known to hallucinate. In Mind-Body Medicine courses, faculty have seen how easily AI can produce references that look legitimate but are entirely fictitious. Author names are real. Article titles sound plausible. Journal formats appear correct. Without careful verification, even experienced readers can miss the deception.

Saybrook addresses this risk directly. When AI is used as part of an assignment, students are expected to cite it transparently and verify every claim it produces.

2. Teaching Graduate Students to Critique AI After Independent Intellectual Work

What This Develops: Verification and Scholarly Judgment

In several courses, students complete readings and develop their own understanding first. Only then are they asked to prompt AI with a research-based question.

When these prompts are implemented, the assignment isn’t about the AI’s response, but the student’s critical thinking about it. As Dr. Fortune puts it, “The core of the assignment was for the student to critique AI: How well did it answer this, and how close did it come to how you would answer it?”

3. Using AI to Surface Research Gaps While Preserving Scholarly Responsibility

What This Develops: Intellectual Responsibility

In some assignments, students use AI after completing their own work to identify limitations or questions they may have overlooked.

Students are then required to check any AI-supported claims against peer-reviewed sources, assess their accuracy, and decide what—if anything—belongs in their work.

“If we can use AI to see what we might have missed, to supplement the work that we do as humans, then it can be a tool,” Dr. Fortune explains. “But when we let it take over our arguments, our thinking, or our words, it becomes dangerous.”

4. Engaging AI in Structured Dialogue to Challenge Graduate Student Thinking

What This Develops: Critical Reflection and Scholarly Independence

In a spirituality-for-health course, Dr. Fortune and the instructors designed an assignment where AI entered the process only after students had completed substantial original work. Students first developed their own models or frameworks related to spirituality and health, drawing on course readings and research.

Only at the final stage did students turn to AI. They were asked to have a structured dialogue with the tool, prompting it to respond to their ideas, compare perspectives, or surface relevant themes from the literature. The task was not to adopt AI’s responses, but to interrogate them. Students examined where the AI aligned with established research, where it oversimplified complex ideas, and where it introduced claims that required verification.

This design reinforces a central principle of Saybrook’s humanistic approach: meaning-making remains a human responsibility. AI can help reveal blind spots, but it cannot decide what belongs in scholarly work.

5. Supporting Accessibility With AI Without Replacing Graduate Authorship

What This Develops: Ethical Use With Self-Awareness

Dr. Fortune also acknowledges that AI can serve as a support tool in certain contexts. In one case, a student used AI to translate academic language she struggled to understand due to dialect and language differences.

Rather than dismissing this use outright, Dr. Fortune used it as an opportunity to slow the conversation down and ask harder questions. “That’s fine and good,” she recalls saying, “but who’s going to check AI?”

AI could support comprehension, but it could not replace authorship or accountability. This moment reflects Saybrook’s commitment to educating the whole person—recognizing students’ lived experiences and access needs while still holding them responsible for judgment, verification, and ethical scholarship.

Dr. Fortune was able to help this student embrace a tool for accessibility while also using it responsibly: confirming meaning, citing AI use transparently, and taking responsibility for every claim and interpretation in their work. Ultimately, this helps graduate students understand what it means to take ownership of their scholarly voice.

When AI Gets It Wrong: Risks of Misinformation in Graduate and Doctoral Education

One of the most pressing reasons Saybrook teaches students to question AI-generated content is simple: AI gets things wrong, often convincingly.

Through multi-semester research on AI-integrated assignments, Dr. Fortune observed a troubling pattern. Students frequently noticed surface errors, but missed deeper problems:

• Fabricated references
• Misrepresented findings
• Claims that sounded scholarly but had no grounding in the literature

In one data set, 46% of students correctly identified fictional citations. Forty-four percent missed them altogether.

As AI models improved, these errors became harder to detect. “It got better at making things up,” Dr. Fortune notes. “It got closer. It was harder to discern where the embedded lie was.”

The stakes extend beyond the classroom. Graduate students carry authority, especially at the doctoral level. “If our students inadvertently contribute to misinformation, then they are actually part of the disinformation campaign,” says Dr. Fortune. “When they have a Ph.D. after their name, people are going to believe them.”

In this way, AI literacy and critical thinking become safeguards for both academic integrity and the broader communities students will serve.

Preparing Mind-Body Medicine Leaders to Evaluate AI With Humanistic Discernment

Mind-body medicine sits at the intersection of research, practice, and emerging technology. AI will continue to shape this space, from clinical tools to research synthesis to wellness applications.

Saybrook does not shy away from that future, but we insist on approaching it with care.

The Mind-Body Medicine program prepares students to evaluate technology through a humanistic lens. AI is framed not as inherently good or bad, but powerful—and therefore deserving of scrutiny.

This balance is reflected in the curriculum. Students encounter AI in multiple forms: inquiry-based assignments, conversational explorations, and even visual applications.

Across formats, they are asked the same core questions.

• What does this tool do well?
• Where does it fail?
• And what responsibility do I carry when I use it?

These questions are especially relevant for students preparing to innovate in mind-body medicine. By developing the judgment to use technology thoughtfully, students carry forward skills that will shape their careers.

Why Saybrook University’s Humanistic Approach to AI Matters for Graduate Students

Key Takeaway: Saybrook University teaches graduate students to engage AI as a tool for inquiry, not as a substitute for scholarly judgment, authorship, or ethical responsibility.

Discover how Saybrook’s Mind-Body Medicine programs bridge tradition and innovation, preparing students to engage emerging technologies with discernment and integrity. Fill out the brief form below for more information.

Creativity through art, movement, and imagination opens paths for healing and can guide the next generation of humanistic psychologists.

BY LORI S. ALCALÁ

From the moment clients set foot into the therapy room of Theopia Jackson, Ph.D., they feel welcome. Soft light, a warm smile, and an assortment of small objects that invite curiosity await them.

Thinking back on the handmade pieces she’s collected over the years, Dr. Jackson recalls one item in particular from a trip to Costa Rica: three buckets stacked on a ruler that tipped one after another as a pebble dropped through. “I can’t tell you how many adults, parents, and caregivers used that toy when we were meeting, even when there were no kids in the room,” she said. “They loved it so much that it wore out one day.”

Simple gestures, like setting a toy in motion, often become a starting point for expression.

“Sometimes trauma doesn’t have language,” says Dr. Jackson, chair of the Humanistic Clinical Psychology Department at Saybrook University. That’s why humanistic psychology invites people to engage their whole selves—mind, body, and spirit—rather than relying only on talk, she added. When therapy welcomes that kind of presence, creativity can emerge naturally, for both client and practitioner. Dr. Jackon’s approach reflects the belief that creativity lies at the heart of humanistic psychology.

Rather than an add-on to therapy, Dr. Jackson sees expressions of creativity, such as movement, sound, or even a self-created language, as ways to help clients find meaning and connection through experience.

Building Creativity Into Clinical Practice

Dr. Jackson’s philosophy of creativity and wholeness is woven throughout Saybrook’s Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program, particularly in the Creativity, Innovation, and Leadership (CIL) Specialization. Here, students learn how creative and humanistic approaches can deepen therapy, research, and leadership in mental health care.

Robert Cleve, Ph.D., core faculty, director and creator of CIL, says the program grew out of Saybrook’s long-standing Creativity Studies tradition. “When I came to Saybrook, we decided to include innovation and leadership because they help explain how creativity moves into the world,” he says. “Creativity is the idea, the aha moment. Innovation is how we bring that idea to life, and leadership is how we share it with others.”

For clinicians, that approach means finding new ways to connect when language falls short. “It’s about bringing in imagery, sound, music, or movement when words don’t capture the experience completely,” Dr. Cleve explains. “It allows connection to happen on a different level.” In practice, that might mean exploring grief through painting or guided movement or using music and rhythm to rebuild a sense of presence after trauma.

Dr. Cleve shared an example from one of his doctoral students who is researching the concept of awe for her dissertation. Her work explores the bond between therapists and their play-therapy animals—specifically her dogs—and how that relationship can help children express themselves through creative activity. “She works with children through expressive arts like painting, poetry, writing, and movement,” Dr. Cleve says. “It’s this wonderful connection that doesn’t always require language to express an idea, especially with kids.”

Finding Strength in the Process

Dr. Cleve believes creativity is essential to modern psychology. “Everyday creativity is the idea that we all use creative problem-solving daily,” he explains, referencing the work of Saybrook scholar Ruth Richards. Recognizing this, he added, helps people see their own resilience. It reminds them that they’re capable of transformation.

Dr. Cleve believes that awareness gives both therapists and clients a sense of energy and stability, a way to stay grounded in their work and connected to their purpose. “When people see how creativity can be integrated into their own growth, it gives them a sense of accomplishment,” he says. “It becomes something they can bring to their clients with confidence.”

For Dr. Jackson, creativity’s power extends beyond helping people recover from trauma. “We can’t always ‘heal’ trauma,” she says. “Sometimes the work is learning to live with it in a way that still feels whole.” That philosophy shifts the focus from treatment to possibility. “I want my clients to feel they can live meaningfully,” Dr. Jackson says. “That means finding ways to grow, even with the residuals of trauma.”

Creativity, Dr. Jackson explains, helps people reclaim agency and connection. She notes that creative expression can take many forms, from writing to spiritual practice, each offering a way for people to reconnect with who they are.

Teaching Therapists To See Themselves

At Saybrook, Dr. Jackson encourages students to look inward as they learn. “I’m always curious about who the therapist is as a person,” she says. “Students can learn new interventions or theories anytime. What’s harder is learning how to use oneself authentically as an instrument in the work.”

She explains that the program is designed not only to teach foundational clinical skills but also to create time and space for students to explore their own meaning-making: “We’re still exposing students to all the typical basic information any clinician or practitioner should be exposed to, but we’re doing it in such a way that they come to know themselves, so they can truly be there for others.”

During case presentations, for example, students are asked to describe their clients and reflect on their own reactions. Dr. Jackson explains, “When a student says, ‘My client is resistant,’ we ask, ‘What’s going on for you?’ Maybe the client isn’t resistant. Maybe something in the relationship needs to shift.” These moments of reflection help students link theory to self-awareness. “We want our students to understand that therapy isn’t separate from who they are,” Dr. Jackson says. “It’s an extension of their humanity.”

The Power of Shared Expression

Dr. Jackson’s clinical work often weaves creativity into moments of closure and connection. With children facing chronic illness, she learned that honoring their work was just as important as doing the work. “We’re initially trained to make sure a therapy room, especially with children, is protected so the child knows I’m here for them and nothing else,” she says. “But working with young people dealing with chronic illness, I learned the opposite was important.”

Instead of ending therapy with a simple goodbye, she began asking, “How do we want to honor the work we’ve done here?”

“It’s a creative invitation,” she explains. “I’m not simply saying, ‘How do we end therapy and celebrate your success?’”

Many children chose to leave notes for others, writing messages of encouragement that captured their pride and progress. One child wrote, “It feels good to be here.” Another wrote, “You’re not alone.” Dr. Jackson explains, “It mattered to them that someone else could see those messages and feel less isolated. That’s the power of creativity. It connects us.”

One young girl with sickle cell disease wanted to reach other children who were going through the same experience. She created a short video for others so they wouldn’t feel alone. Dr. Jackson still shares the video with new patients who come in. For Dr. Jackson, these gestures capture the essence of creative work. “It awakens our humanity, sense of civility, and responsibility to ourselves and one another,” she says.

A Humanistic Approach to the Future

At Saybrook, the commitment to creativity extends beyond therapy rooms and classrooms. Faculty and students are exploring new ways to share research through art-based inquiry—creative approaches that make complex ideas more accessible.

Instead of limiting findings to academic journals or book chapters, Saybrook scholars present their work in forms that engage audiences on a more human level, through storytelling, visual art, and experiential learning.

For Dr. Cleve, this evolution reflects the university’s core values. Humanistic psychology, he explained, is about respecting people with all of their strengths and challenges. And remembering that connecting with others is what keeps that legacy alive.

In many ways, the same principle carries through from Dr. Jackson’s welcoming therapy room to Saybrook’s classrooms and research labs. What begins with a gesture, a color, or a sound becomes a model for how creative expression can transform care—one moment of connection at a time.

A Humanistic Vision for the Next Generation of Psychologists

At Saybrook, creativity lives in how we think, connect, and help others heal. If you’d like to learn more about Saybrook’s Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program, complete the form below or apply today through the Saybrook University application portal.

Counselors are trained to care for others, but the work takes an emotional toll. Here’s how they stay grounded through personal therapy, supervision, and peer support.

BY LORI S. ALCALÁ

The best days as a mental health counselor start long before a session begins, when there’s been quiet, calm, and space to prepare. For LaTisha Brown, Ph.D., core faculty member for the Counseling Department at Saybrook University, those are the days when she arrives with clarity and energy. “I’ve gotten adequate rest the night before, having taken care of my needs,” she says. “I enjoy my work so much, which is why I’m the one who typically brings the joy, sunshine, and positive energy to the session.”

Not every day feels that way, though. There are times when the weight of client work makes it harder to focus.

“There is no way I can hold space for my clients’ issues, my own personal issues, the challenges of the world we’re living in, and truly remain focused and present,” Dr. Brown says.

Her experience reflects what many students in clinical mental health programs understand early: Counseling is emotionally demanding work. Whether sitting with someone in crisis or working through one’s own internal pressures, counseling is about showing up with one’s full self intact. “Really paying attention to who you are, both in session and out of session, is so important,” Dr. Brown says.

Students training to become clinical mental health counselors often experience the intensity of the work during their very first field placements. That’s why learning to manage those demands is so important. Through supervision, peer support, personal therapy, and boundaries, counselors can stay emotionally present and effective long after that first session.

Why Mental Health Counselors Face Emotional Strain

Therapists don’t just listen to client stories of trauma and hardship; they experience them, offering clarity and holding space for people in pain. Given that they must also deal with their own issues, sometimes the work becomes deeply personal.

Jennifer Preston, Ph.D., program director of Counselor Education and Supervision at Saybrook, has experienced just how personal the work can become. She was working in a domestic violence shelter with a woman who had entered with serious injuries. The client’s court date came weeks later, and although she still showed some visible signs of abuse, the judge ruled that she was no longer in danger. As a result, the restraining order was denied and criminal charges dropped.

“What was most painful about it was her fear-based response,” recalls Dr. Preston. Shaken, Dr. Preston went home that night unsure if she could keep doing the work, but she came back the next day, despite not agreeing with the judge’s decision.

Moments like these are all too common.

Alfonso Ferguson, Ph.D., core faculty member for the Counseling Department at Saybrook and executive director at GoodWerk, recalls a particularly challenging time from early in his private practice. He had used humor in a session, something that had helped build rapport with clients before. This time, though, the client took offense and had an emotional breakdown that took 20 minutes to work through.

Reflecting on how the incident made him evolve his thinking, Dr. Ferguson says, “It made me really consider, ‘Do I not get to show up as myself? Do I need to do something different? Do I need to be different? What am I doing wrong?’” Looking back on it, he says, “It felt heavy.”

The internal pressure to always say the right thing, to always help, is something many students feel early on. Many counselors suffer from burnout and compassion fatigue according to the American Counseling Association. What matters is how therapists learn to process these emotions and how they come to understand that they don’t have to be perfect to be effective.

Why Self-Care Is Essential for Therapists and Counselors

For Dr. Brown, the ability to show up begins with what happens outside her practice. She sees a therapist every other week and protects her mornings from chaos. She’s also intentional about what she eats, what she watches, and with whom she surrounds herself. She recalls a quote she read long ago that has stuck with her throughout her career: “Every great counselor or every great therapist has a therapist.”

However, Dr. Brown emphasizes that self-care is also about learning limits. She asks herself, “How do I put boundaries in place that are also going to impact my own mental health and care?”

Like Dr. Brown, Dr. Ferguson has found his own rhythm. He makes time for creativity on weekends and prioritizes regular travel with his partner. When he experiences stress in his personal life, he’s mindful of how it might affect his client work. “I’m always making sure I have space to manage my own emotional needs so those things don’t bleed into my therapeutic experiences with clients,” he says.

Dr. Ferguson also uses a trusted peer network for support, a kind of “whisper network” that consists of off-the-record check-ins, venting sessions, and informal supervision among friends and colleagues. “We almost offer each other peer supervision. I went to folks, and I was able to process and make sense of what was mine to hold or not,” he explains.

For some counselors, simply having a calming object nearby can make a big difference in how they’re able to show up for their patients. Dr. Preston keeps a smooth stone with an etched thumb groove in her pocket during sessions, and she travels with one on planes. “There’s a sort of automatic response,” she says, “just to regulate my nervous system a little bit.” It helps her cope in stressful moments, even without needing to pause or explain what’s happening.

All three experts agree: Self-care isn’t a nice-to-have; it’s what makes the work possible.

How Counseling Students Build Emotional Resilience

Saybrook University teaches more than counseling. We help students understand how to thrive in even the most challenging situations. Through 700 hours of fieldwork, including practicum and internships, our M.A. in Counseling: Clinical Mental Health Counseling Specialization program encourages students to engage with the emotional side of clinical work, including through online class discussions.

“Students have conversations in classes that can be challenging and uncomfortable,” Dr. Preston says. “They also work with peers and faculty to learn how to regulate, including what to do to stay grounded in those conversations.”

Dr. Preston notes that part of the training program also involves helping students figure out what kind of therapist they want to be, what environments they want to work in, and what boundaries they need to set for themselves.

“The overall approach is to help students discover their own boundaries and capacities, while equipping them with the self-care tools necessary to sustain the work long term,” she explains.

What Counselors Need To Know About Managing Emotional Burnout

Drs. Ferguson and Brown both say that having support outside of work is essential. While Dr. Ferguson makes time for creativity, travel, and connection, Dr. Brown emphasizes letting go of the need to be perfect. “Counselors have to understand that they are not required to be perfect and that their healing can also be parallel to their clients,” she says.

Dr. Brown encourages counselors to “take off the cape” and stop feeling like they must be “super counselor” by saving both their clients and themselves. The same is true for boundaries. “I don’t want to be so great for my clients that I have nothing left in my cup to give to the very people that mean the absolute most to me, and that is my family,” she says.

Dr. Ferguson advises future counselors to think beyond the therapy session itself and consider the systems, personal and societal, that affect everyone involved in the work. “I’ve been really leaning into Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model,” he says, “how all those different things trickle down and impact us as people.”

This broader view helps Dr. Ferguson understand clients more completely rather than seeing them in isolation. It also helps him step back from making everything about his own role as a therapist and keeps the focus on what clients actually need.

Why Therapist Self-Care Is Key to Client Care

Like everyone else, mental health counselors feel things deeply. It’s part of what makes them good at what they do. However, to stay in this work, they must care for themselves as intentionally as they care for others.

That all starts in training. At Saybrook, self-awareness and support aren’t just part of the curriculum; they’re part of our culture. If you’d like to learn more about Saybrook’s M.A. in Counseling program, complete the form below or apply today through the Saybrook University application portal.