Clinical Internship & Research

Download the Internship Brochure

Pacific Institute provides a unique 1-2 year internship program designed to promote a developmental process in which interns and trainees move into the role of existential facilitator and therapist. This internship is an important stage in the process of becoming a professional therapist, healer, and elder. Interns and trainees are encouraged to take an active role in carrying out the program's research and educational goals.

The Socratic dictum "know thyself" is in many ways the primal motivation to become a clinician in the human services field. Having said that, knowledge of self is inter-related to knowledge of other. Along with developing clinical skills and professional expertise, Pacific institute draws from the rich tradition of human thought and experience the help we need to struggle with the fundamental questions of being a human being: Why are we here? How are we here? What does life want from us? What do we want from life?

Interns and trainees from both the doctoral and masters level are trained in the phenomenological-existential and process-work approaches to therapy within which they are encouraged to develop and grow their own style of care and clinical support.

All events and meetings at the facility are based on and designed around communal and individual needs and requirements. Marriage and Family Therapist (MFT) and Social Work interns and practicum students must be registered with the Board of Behavioral Sciences. Psychology interns or trainees must assure that they comply with the guidelines set forth by the Board of Psychology. Practicum students must comply with their school's requirements and have completed a number of counseling-related courses.

The internship is open to students in good standing enrolled in Ph.D. or Psy.D. clinical level and M.A. in counseling psychology graduate programs. Applicants must have completed at least one year of graduate work and be certified by their department or school as ready to begin internship level training.

• Psychotherapeutic and assessment activities with a caseload drawn from the Residential Care Facilities for the mentally ill and the Elderly, which are own, managed, or served by Pacific Institute.
• Individual supervision for this caseload.
• Training seminars on theory and technique.
• Demonstrations and clinical case conferences.
• Clinical activities that encompass individual encounters and group activities.
• Individual encounters: Each intern works with approximately 5-6 (up to 10) residents or outpatient clients over a one-year period. The intern is assigned a caseload and monitors the well being of these residents and clients.
• Group activities: Each intern also creates and leads at least one weekly psycho-spiritual group and is available for crisis intervention.
• One hour of individual supervision.
• Two hours of group supervision.
• Interns and trainees participate also in intake services and become involved in special projects within the Institute.
• Research opportunities to explore non-verbal approaches to clinical interventions, gero-psychology issues, feminism and ageism, and other topics.

The Clinical Supervisor manages intern supervision and oversees all resident issues of a clinical nature. He/she is a licensed professional in the State of California and meets current supervisory requirements. The Internship Coordinator is the interns' primary administrative contact. He/she coordinates all aspects of interns' presence in the practicum-site facility, including orientation, logistical concerns, and any other issues of a non-clinical nature. The Clinical Coordinator works closely with the Clinical Director and the practicum site's staff (RCFE's, Mental Health Clinic, ICT's case managers and social workers) to insure a smooth operation of the program and to ensure program effectiveness.

Pacific Institute has a fundamental mission of furthering research in the field of existential, humanistic, and transpersonal psychology. In fulfilling its endeavors, the Institute focuses on philosophical aspects as well as on practical applications of its approach on the fields of mental health, non-ordinary states of consciousness, and gero-psychology.

Founded in 1992, the Institute began as a groundbreaking center of integrative, whole-person services, learning, and training. Today, ITP is a leader in applied gero-psychology and education of clinicians, caregivers, and consultants who apply humanistic principles and values in a variety of settings.

The Institute's transformative educational paradigm, valuing the non-mainstream approaches to learning and doing research attracts students from all over the world to our wellness and learning programs.

Some of our ongoing research projects are:

	From Crone to Mentor (pdf) A study about the meaning of life for feminist baby-boomers in later years by Doris Bersing, Ph.D.
	The Courage To Forget: An Interpretive Study of Exisential Concerns Revealed In Group Processes by Individuals Living With Dementia (pdf) by Suzan Bollich, Ph.D.
	Reflections on the Existential-Humanistic Approach to Eldership by Rochelle D'Silva-Suri Poster at the 2nd Annual Conference of The Society for Humanistic Psychology Sponsored by the Division 32 of APA Humanistic Psychology in Practice August 11-13, 2008 — Boston, Massachusetts
	Through The Circle: Mandala Art and Dementia (pdf) by Rev. Patti Goldstein, M.A.
	The Meaning of Intimacy to Older Adults in Assisted Living: A Phenomenological Perspective (pdf) by Liz Macera, PhD, RN, NP-C and Mats Christiansen, MNSc, RN
	The Delicate Ecology of Delusion (pdf) A Cross-Cultural Case Study on the Inner Landscape of Elderly with Dementia A Research Proposal by Elizabeth Shaver and Kalyani Metha
	Life Journey into Alzheimer's Disease Study (pdf) Exploring the Inner Landscape of an Elderly with Dementia utilizing Existential Approaches by Nader Shabahangi, Ph.D — Pacific Institute and Patrick Fox, Ph.D — UCSF
	Feminism Through Time: Age, Difference, and Ideology (pdf) by Tamar Shirinian This project explores the "schism" within feminist thought through space so that global issues, which are pertinent in a postmodern and globalized world can be seen within various scales rather than as a teleological process of "women's rights" and Western "feminist" issues. Within this work, I hope to discuss age, difference and ideology not just within a temporal platform, but within scales of time, space and self.
	Open To Not Knowing: Existential and Process–Oriented Approaches to Therapy with Elders with Dementia A research study conducted and sponsored by The Pacific Institute's Assisted Living Facilities: Hayes Valley Care and Laguna Grove Care (pdf) by Puran Khalsa, PsyD, and Matt Spalding, EdM, PsyD The purpose of this study is to discern and assess the unique and effective components of the phenomenological–existential and process–work approach to the clinical treatment of elders with dementia in the Pacific Institute Senior Communities in San Francisco, CA.
	The Effects of Daily Toning on Individuals with Early Stage Dementia (pdf) by Anin Utigaard This project pretends to illustrate the clear benefits of singing or toning for our aging population. Of particular interest to the author, is the question of whether daily toning would benefit elders who are in the early stages of dementia.
	An Older Woman Always has a Story...The Role of the Mature Woman in an Evolving Patriarchal Society (pdf) by Vanessa Valentino, PsyD