ABOUT
What is The Center for Integrative Psychology?
The Center for Integrative Psychology (CIP) emphasizes an inherently creative process of integrative psychotherapy that uniquely combines common and specific therapeutic factors to meet each client in their stage of change and help people work towards a wholeness of Self.
The Dodo bird verdict, that all empirically supported psychotherapies are about equally effective, sparked the integrative psychology movement in 1975. In the half century since, integrative psychologists challenged the dogma-eat-dogma culture of psychology.
According to John C. Norcross (2005), the integrative psychology movement arose from a "dissatisfaction with single-school approaches and a concomitant desire to see what can be learned from the other ways of conducting psychotherapy."
Integrative psychotherapy is characterized by what Norcross called a psychological "zeitgeist of informed pluralism."
Integrative psychotherapy is the primary and most common approach amongst seasoned psychotherapists. CIP's training prepares clinicians to effectively incorporate interventions from various disciplines. Despite being the most common approach amongst seasoned psychotherapists, clinicians rarely describe their theoretical orientation as 'integrative.'
Few training opportunities blend & balance empiricism and creativity in the therapeutic exchange.
A course of psychotherapy, like the stages of change, is usually recursive, not linear. Thus, applied integrative psychology emphasizes a dynamic, transtheoretical practice grounded in empiricism and adaptability.
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CIP trains clinicians to systematically and creatively build strong rapport, help solve problems, and explore the deepest depths & furthest transpersonal realms of the psyche openly, courageously, and without judgment.
History
CSPP was established in 1969, in partnership with the California Psychological Association. The Clinical PsyD Program opened in the Fall of 1991 and has been accredited by the American Psychological Association (APA) since 1994.
In 1996, Alliant's Provost convened community gatherings to expand the real-life usefulness of psychology in personal and community meaning making. With an initial goal of integrating what Jung referred to as the numinous into clinical psychology, the integrative emphasis was woven into the PsyD Curriculum and the unique entity that grew into CIP was born.
Legacy
The California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and The Center for Integrative Psychology (CIP) share a rich history that includes important pioneers in the effort to move psychology out of the 'dogma eat dogma' era.
Former Faculty, 1970-1981
Viktor Frankl, PhD
Viktor Frankl lectured on CSPP's San Diego Campus​ throughout the 1970's. Frankl's work centered the pursuit of meaning at the heart of human motivation. The pursuit of meaning and purpose as an antidote to the existential vacuum is a lasting and core influence of the integrative emphasis at CIP. Integrative coursework and training emphasizes the liminal space between stimulus and response as humanity's ultimate freedom.
Former Lecturer, 1965-1970
Carl Rogers, PhD
The idea of a therapist being another human in the room is an expected standard of care thanks to Carl Rogers, the founder and pioneer of humanistic psychology. A key aspect to clinical training worldwide, "meeting people where they are" was a radical therapeutic intervention in the era of psychoanalysis and staunch behaviorism. Carl Roger's lectures at Alliant's San Diego campus laid the foundation for the humanistic components of CIP's integrative emphasis.
Former Lecturer, 1968-1970
Abraham Maslow, PhD
Abraham Maslow's groundbreaking work helped psychology shift away from a borderline obsessional focus on pathology and centered human flourishing at the heart of quality therapeutic work. Maslow's concepts of peak experiences and self-actualization are core elements of CIP's integrative emphasis, honoring the notion that the best treatment extends far beyond reducing symptoms to include extraordinary experiences and potentials.
CIP Founder & Former President
Don Eulert, PhD
Poet, Fulbright, Author, Professor, Fellow Journeyman, Coyote, Don Eulert harvested the fruits of the fertile CSPP soil in the 1970's to build an integrative training emphasis that blends & balances humanistic, existential, and transpersonal psychology with the leading empirical treatments emphasized by the APA. Going beyond education and training, Dr. Eulert's vision produced CIP.
Former CIP President
Matthew Porter, PhD
Dr. Porter was known for his passionate pursuit of knowledge. He spent much of his career conducting research in Brazil on the resiliency of people diagnosed with HIV. Taking over leadership of CIP after Dr. Eulert's retirement, Dr. Porter inspired the next generation of integrative students at CSPP to go beyond merely learning the latest theories and treatment. His relentless questioning and increased focus on clinical application and research were driving forces catalyzing the evolution of CIP.
CSPP Founder
Steven F. Bucky, PhD, ABPP
Dr. Bucky was the instrumental founder of CSPP in 1969. CSPP was the first professional psychology school to offer specialized training focused on applied clinical practice more than research. Throughout his highly accomplished career, Dr. Bucky served as the director of clinical training at CSPP, as the president of the California Psychological Association, and he taught numerous courses as a distinguished professor before retiring in 2022.