EHI logo with Existential-Humanistic Institute text

In-Person Training Retreat Dates: October 10th -15th, 2021

Track 1. The Certificate Program

EHI Certificate in the Foundations
of Existential-Humanistic Practice

Director of Clinical Training: Nader Shabahangi, PhD, MFT

The Existential-Humanistic Institute is pleased to continue to offer this unprecedented existential-humanistic program leading to a Certificate in the Foundations of Existential-Humanistic Practice.

Leading therapy researcher Bruce Wampold suggests that “an understanding of the principles of existential therapy is needed by all therapists, as it adds a perspective that might … form the basis for all effective treatments” (Wampold cited in PsycCritiques, February 6, 2008, p.6).

Wampold’s findings along with others place E-H therapy not on the fringe but squarely at the center of psychological theory and practice as the field formulates new assumptions about what constitutes the core of practice. The intention of the certificate program coursework is to provide students with such a foundational core by integrating both theory and practice into each course.

Program Description

The theoretical portion of the program focuses on existential-humanistic therapy in general and on three of its founders, Rollo May, James Bugental, and Irvin Yalom, in particular. An overarching assumption of existential-humanistic therapy is that it is the client’s in-the-moment experiencing that forms both the underlying and actual process in therapy. This assumption anchors the existential therapist in the principles of practice that focus on experience over explanation and process over content.

The skill-development portion focuses on learning to: 

(a) identify meaning-making processes unfolding in the present moment, 

(b) illuminate these “actual but often unrecognized” processes by cultivating intrapsychic and interpersonal presence, 

(c) develop a safe and intimate therapeutic relationship, 

(d) recognize and work with existential life issues which may be present but disguised, and 

(e) recognize and work with transference and counter transference issues within an existential framework

By gaining competency in these fundamental principles, the student will have a solid core of practice and have a foundation from which additional modalities such as a cognitive-behavioral approach can be employed. The program is intended as a mentoring experience that emphasizes the development of the trainee as a whole person, appreciating that psychotherapy is an art as much as a science.

"I was inspired to attend the retreat after reading an article in the Atlantic about Existential Therapy. I realised it was a branch of therapy that expertly cultivates awareness, presence and connection. These are the mainstays of effective coaching and the areas of my life I wanted to improve the most. I was not disappointed I came away from training with a renewed sense of the value and healing power of deep human connection.

Tom

Certificate Requirements

Approximate Length: One Year, Appx Forty-Five Hours of Experiential Training & Consultation

Three Modules and a Practicum (click for details)

This is the annual experiential training historically held as a residential retreat at Westerbeke Ranch in Sonoma, CA. In-person participation in an experiential retreat is a requirement of this Certificate program. There is an experiential evaluation on the final day of the training. This module is the only module with in-person requirements all other portions are completed remotely.

This is a self-directed theory course with readings and 2 papers due to meet the requirement. Students will be paired with an instructor as facilitator after the experiential training. This is 100% remote.

This module is held remote. The video consultation groups for the Foundations Certificate program meet for 1 two-hour session for 5 months via Zoom. 10-hours of consultation total. Two EHI instructors will be group co-leaders.  

This is a remote module also. Use your learned E-H skills in your own work with clients.  

*International & out-of-state program participants: Students are only required to attend in-person the Experiential Training, that is the only mandatory travel required for this program. The other requirements are completed by you remotely at your own pace and are facilitated by faculty.

Experiential Training Course:
“Existential-Humanistic Therapy: Principles of Practice”

The mandatory 6-day, 5-night training course, historically held as a residential retreat, is the heart of EHI’s programs. It allows licensed professionals and graduate students in psychology, counseling and therapy programs to come together in a safe environment, get to know one another, and experience how E-H therapy is practiced up close and personally. 

Kirk Schneider Introduces the Experiential Course

EHI instructors, noted leaders in the field, emphasize the key ingredients of the E-H approach, including empathy, acceptance, and genuineness, to model how trainees can create safe, collaborative and life-changing therapeutic encounters. They demonstrate how the therapeutic relationship, in and of itself is a vehicle for healing and change and how therapeutic “presence” cultivates sensitivity and appropriate responsiveness to clients emotions, relational patterns and inner worlds. These two essential principles: building the therapeutic relationship and working in the “here and now” are the foundational blocks of E-H therapy and EHI training.

Having the opportunity to attend the EHI experience was such a gift!! Not only do I feel like I learned skills that have helped me in working more effectively with my clients- I feel it has changed me in the way I look at and appreciate more fully myself. Thanks again for the opportunity to be a part of EHI!!

Dalana

2021 Experiential Training Course Dates

EHI has scheduled the 2021 training course for our programs; the training will take place in October, 2021 at Westerbeke Ranch.  Approximately forty-five hours of programming are scheduled for this experiential. 

October 10th - 15th, 2021

The residential starts at 4pm on the first day and ends at 1:00pm on the final day. 

Westerbeke Ranch is a beautiful retreat center on acres of land in the heart of Sonoma. Built in the 30’s, the Ranch is a contemplative environment, nourishing to both body and soul. 

Westerbeke as a retreat center has historic significance for our community, as it was the meeting place for many of the seminal writers in Existential Humanistic theory and practice such as Rollo May and James Bugental.

See this short video of Westerbeke Ranch from YouTube

poolside at Westerbeke Ranch the retreat center for EHI's Existential therapy training

What will be different about staying at Westerbeke Ranch in 2021?

A few notes about changes to the stay at Westerbeke:
  1. Exclusive use: We will be the only group there for the week.
  2. Rooming: At this time, given current conditions, we are assigning each attendee their own room with attached bathroom. (Historically shared rooms).
  3. Meals:  The family style buffet will have staff serving from behind shields. They are slightly limited in their ability to provide very specialized diets though they will always be careful with regards to allergy safety.
  4. Carpooling: We encourage carpooling up to the Ranch and will facilitate connections between attendees this year too!
Find out more about the Training Course Retreat

Contact Us

If you have any questions or need further assistance, please reach out to us. We look forward to talking with you more about the program!

Director of Clinical Training

Nader Shabahangi, PhD, LMFT

 

Clinical Training Coordinator

Stephanie Weissman, PsyD

Attendees Share Their Experiences

I am finding it hard to be fully here where I am and not thinking of the past week. However, the more daily life demands of me, the more I find myself transitioning back to this "reality", but now with a new awareness and sense of being. I experienced something so special with you all (and within myself) last week that I hope to carry it with me always. I am so grateful for the deep connection and the memories and the sense of "mystery" that seemed to be always present with us. I never thought it was possible to become so comfortable with and open to strangers. Being able to share our different backgrounds (context), challenges, core wounds, and protections was invaluable to me. I am deeply moved by the way we all witnessed each other's truths in the here and now, and that we learned how to share this gift with our clients. I hope to find ways to create similar connections and experiences for others- in my work with clients, in my personal life, and in my community.
Barbara
Looking back at the week I spent with all of you causes me to overflow with joy and fulfillment. It was truly an honor to spend a week sharing meals, stories, ideas, and an array of emotions with all of you. Thank you all for the support and guidance you provided which led to my understanding of the content. I found it very beneficial to have a group that came from diverse backgrounds as it allowed me to gain a further understanding of how EH can be used and interpreted in so many different applications.
Nick
I too am still experiencing the effects of the amazing fellowship I encountered with you all. I learned a tremendous amount and was already able to get to a deeper level than ever before with a client I’ve been seeing for 3 years since my return. A true ‘breakthrough’ if you will. But it was the time spent together that seems to be the most significant factor of the retreat. I felt close, connected, and in awe of each and every one of you. For that I will always be grateful.
Corene
It’s nearly a week since our group parted ways from what was co-created at Westerbeke Ranch. A timeless image was emblazoned in my mind as I sat at the edge of the frog pond staring out over the open field after a second full day of our immersion: an image of cottonwood seeds being carried in the evening breeze. “Is this what it feels like to be alive?” I recall asking myself. It comes back to me now as I picture each of us encountering one another and slowly, willingly shaking off the chaff to reveal what is most essential. Like the cottonwood, we have been scattered by the wind, made ready for germination. It feels almost a lifetime away from the daily life I’ve returned to, but the teachings and the great and small acts of courage continue to infuse my waking and dream states. Our time together wants to be remembered so that I, and we, may find our way back to that place of authentic connection and create it in the way we go about living our busy lives. My hope is that we bring an embodied sense of presence to all of our relationships as a balm to an increasingly disconnected world.
Adam
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Existential-Humanistic Institute, Inc. A California Benefit Corp