Psychology, Depth Psychology Emphasis, M.A.

The Psychology Department, working in conjunction with the School of Extended and International Education, offers a Master of Arts in Psychology with a depth psychology emphasis. The M.A. program is a self-support program administered through Special Sessions and funded entirely through student fees.

Curriculum in Depth Psychology

The curriculum offers a strong, supportive small-group learning environment within a structured 36-unit two-year curriculum. In the first year, the 12-15 students take three year-long foundational courses. The Theories course explores the basic concepts of Jungian psychology, which is an in-depth language for understanding psychological development and creative expression. The Methods course teaches the techniques of depth inquiry, which are methods for accessing, exploring and understanding the hidden parts of the self, through intensive work with different art forms, dreams, myth, meditation, active imagination, sandplay, nature, and the body. The Cross-Cultural Mythology and Symbolism course focuses on common archetypal motifs across cultures as expressed in image, myth, fairy tale, ritual, rites of passage, and indigenous practices.

In the second year, students explore depth inquiry with a research methods class and develop a research proposal for their culminating Master’s requirement. Students have a choice of completing an article of publishable quality or a Master’s thesis focused on an area of passionate interest. Students complete an internship and choose seminars oriented around student interests. Past seminars have explored individuation; earth-based rites of passage; expressive arts; trauma; transformational teaching; neuropsychology; typology; and object relations.

The second year internship offers students community work experience in their field of interest, such as teaching, the arts, mental health, ecopsychology, rites of passage, and social activism. Students may apply to teach an undergraduate course in their field of expertise in the SSU Psychology Department as an internship. Past student- taught courses include cross-cultural rites of passage; myth and narrative; and indigenous wisdom. The Program coordinator assists students in developing curriculum and supervises the teaching internship.

Students also have the option, at additional expense, of enrolling in University courses that meet their specific learning needs. After completion of coursework, university policy requires students in master’s programs to maintain continuous enrolment until completion of the M.A. program. A maximum of 10 academic units may be taken as post-course work program units. There is a 7-year limit on coursework for the M.A.

The Master’s program sponsors a monthly Saturday lecture series open to the public that invites noted authors, therapists, and practitioners to come and discuss their work. Past presentations have included discussions of emotion and the archetypal imagination; spirituality; archetypal masculine and feminine; sandplay case studies; images of enlightenment; and psychological initiation.