Next In-Person Training Retreat: May 23rd -28th, 2023!
Enrollment for 2023 to Start in July- Apply Today!
The 2022 Training Retreat Course was Approved for 33 CEs*
Track 1. The Certificate Program
EHI Certificate in the Foundations
of Existential-Humanistic Practice
EHI Codirectors of Clinical Training: Nader Shabahangi, PhD, MFT & Nance Reynolds, PhD, LCSW
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.
Why Do Therapists Attend This Training Retreat?
“The retreat is an opportunity to be part of a community where we can think together using the themes of E-H. We can apply theories to cases, watch the work of our mentors and each other. By living together we experience an intimacy that creates an environment that reduces barriers and the ensuing connections foster a greater capacity for learning."
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 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.
Certificate Requirements
Average Length of Time to Complete : One Year w/ Appx Forty-Five Hours of Experiential Training & Consultation and Two 15-page Papers
The Foundations Program Has Three Modules (click each 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.
*2021 Continuing Education: 33 CEs were approved. CE Fee: $100. For more information about the course or to discuss disability arrangements please contact Michelle through the form below.
The Existential-Humanistic Institute (EHI) collaborates with the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of the American Psychological Association) to provide APA Continuing Education credit at approved EHI events.
APA Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. APA Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
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. Participants should be seeing clients (in a therapeutic setting)to join a group.
*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 and are facilitated by EHI’s instructors.
Having the opportunity to attend the EHI experiential 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!!
Training Retreat at Westerbeke
Experiential Training Course:
“Existential-Humanistic Therapy: Principles of Practice”
The 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 Training 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.
2023 Experiential Training Course Module Dates
Dates: May 23 - 28, 2023
The residential starts at 3:30pm on the first day and ends 2:00 pm(after lunch) on the final day. Approximately forty-five hours of programming are scheduled for this experiential. Expect days to be 8 am – 9 pm.
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
Info on Enrolling, Fees, Safety, Eligibility & Travel
We hope the following information will guide you through the application process. If you have further questions not answered above or need additional assistance, please reach out via the contact form below.
How do I apply to an EHI program?
- 1. Get the EHI Program Application [WORD]
Download the Application Here! - 2. Fill out the application -select the Program track you are applying for. This is a Word doc but LibraOffice will work too. Please Save the application to your computer to send as an attachment. Please do not send scanned images. Contact Michelle if you need assistance regarding the application.
- 3. Email completed form as an attachment to the address on the application.
- 4. Submit the one-time non-refundable $100.00 application fee via PayPal- the link is on the application.
What is the deadline for applying?
The cohort is filled on a first-come basis and when all spaces for the residential retreat are filled (max 17 cohort attendees). Applications are accepted year-round. Formal acceptance into the program and payment of deposit will hold your space in the cohort prior to tuition fee deadlines. Apply as soon as possible to secure a position in the program and to have the most payment plan options.
What happens after I apply?
Once received, your application will be reviewed by clinical team members and responded to within a 2-week period. Once accepted into your program of choice, a letter of formal acceptance will be sent to you and both Stephanie, the Clinical Training Coordinator, and Michelle, the Admin Assistant, will work with you to complete your enrollment.
How do I Complete Enrollment?
Once accepted you can be enrolled in the program you will receive your completed payment agreement form outlining the payment schedule and your deposit and tuition are submitted. Complete that and return it to us. Tuition fees and Lodging costs are invoiced and you can pay this online securely. Michelle, our Admin Assistant, will assist in enrollment and can answer enrollment questions.
- 2022 Foundations Program Tuition Fee:$3,250
- 2022 Retreat Food/Lodging Cost: $965 (billed separately)
- Appx 40 hours of experiential programming and hands-on training at the residential Experiential Training Retreat.
- 10 hours of Video Consult with EHI Faculty [5 two-hour sessions; 1 session per month to begin in Fall following the Training Retreat].
- Online survey course: Theory and Practice of E-H Therapy. Begins in the Fall following the training retreat. Set your own pace based on your schedule.
- Food and lodging for 5 nights and 6 days, billed separately from tuition, due April 1, 2022. Due to contractual obligations many months in advance this fee is both non-refundable and non-transferable (please see Covid Caveat for specific refundability options for lodging cost).
- We hold our retreats at a beautiful conference center, Westerbeke Ranch, in the heart of Sonoma County. The cost includes modern, cabin-style shared lodging, superb family style meals and the use of all the facilities at Westerbeke such as the pool, hot tub and walking trails.
- *Coursework and tuition may be subject to change when necessary. Text books, travel cost to Sonoma, Westerbeke food/lodging costs, application fee and Continuing Education fees (when applicable) are not included in the tuition fee
The certificate program is open to licensed professionals who seek to enhance their clinical skills, and to full/half time students in a master’s or doctoral psychology, counseling, social work or therapeutic arts program where you are seeing clients, through work or internship. It is also open to medical professionals and persons who currently hold at least a master’s degree in therapeutic arts or human services. International practitioners and master’s and doctoral students in therapeutic programs listed above are also very welcome!
Past attendees have been domestic and international clinicians including: psychologists, LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCs, ministers and chaplains, medical counselors, psychiatric nurse practitioners, psychiatrists, doctors, nurse practitioners, music, art and movement therapists, higher education faculty, and more!
If you have questions about whether this program might be a good fit for you please reach out.
Continuing Education Info
2022’s Training was Approved for 33 CEs. 2022 CE Fee: $115, Please contact us for more info regarding the course.
APA Division 32, Society of Humanistic Psychology, is a proud cosponsor of CE credits for EHI events and trainings whenever CE credits are offered. EHI will again seek CE cosponsorship with our partner, APA Division 32, Society of Humanistic Psychology, in 2023!
APA Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. APA Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Accessibility Info
It is the policy of EHI to make every reasonable effort to provide enrollees with disabilities opportunities to take full advantage of its programs.
If you have a disability, please contact us ahead of time so we can work with you arrange the programming to needs. Please contact either our Admin, Michelle or our Clinical Director, Nader, via the form below to discuss options.
If you have a disability, please contact us ahead of time so we can work with you arrange the programming to needs. Please contact either our Admin, Michelle or our Clinical Co Directors, Nader and Nance, through the form to discuss arrangements.
As of now, EHI is moving forward with its May 2022 in-person Experiential Training Retreat, and given current conditions regarding COVID-19, we are optimistic we will be able to gather together May 26 – 31, at Westerbeke Ranch. As there is news of increased infection rates in Europe, however (evidently due to a new sub-variant), EHI will continue to monitor the situation and assess the risk. And, of course, please be aware that if conditions change for the worse and state and or local authorities order another shelter-in-place, or, if our host retreat center, Westerbeke Ranch, decides to cancel its bookings, we will need to cancel the training.
If the training were to be canceled, registrants will have the following options:
- 1. Transfer their tuition to either the 2023 or 2024 Experiential Retreat Training/Certificate Program cohort. The tuition fee would be locked in, so that even if the tuition fee increases, students who paid for 2022 would not have to pay the increased difference (the lodging/food fee is not locked in). In choosing to transfer, please keep in mind that currently the 2023 experiential retreat dates are May 23 -28. 2024 training retreat dates have not been set.
- 2. Request and receive a full tuition refund, minus the $500 deposit. Of that deposit, $450 would be credited to the student’s account so he/she/they could apply that credit to any EHI event – including future Experiential Retreat Trainings – through the end of 2024.
Below is EHI’s current COVID-19 Vaccination Policy & Safety Protocol. Once again, if the risk of infection increases enough, EHI might end up requiring a stricter protocol:
- In order to attend the May 2022 Experiential Training, you will need to show proof of having been fully vaccinated – which means already having had your 2nd vaccination shot (or sole J & J shot).
- To attend the May 2022 Experiential Training, you need to show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. EHI’s preference is a negative molecular PCR test taken no more than 3 days prior to the first day of the experiential, but if that isn’t possible for people, then EHI will also accept proof of a negative antigen test taken within 24 hours of the 4 PM start time on May 26th. Whichever test is taken needs to be administered by a qualified third party.
- Depending on relevant variables at the time, there is the possibility that all participants will have to wear masks indoors, except while dining – this is not a guarantee one way or the other. (This is related to mask mandates: Attendees are welcome to choose to wear a mask at any time.)
- You will be lodging in a room with 1 other person (Updated March 20: Max 2 people per room instead of the 3 previously stated).
- Depending on the risk of COVID-19 infection at the time of the Experiential Training, EHI might end up requiring stricter safety measures.
Getting to Sonoma: When planning travel to Westerbeke Ranch please note that EHI does not provide transportation up to Westerbeke Ranch, though we do encourage carpooling and initiate it with an email to all attendees prior to the retreat.
Planning Your Visit to the Bay Area for the Retreat: We start at 4:00 pm the first day so we recommend pre-planning travel up to Westerbeke. We suggest that if you are flying during these times, purchase a refundable and transferable ticket. We also suggest that if you can arrive to the area a day early, you bypass the risk of being late or missing a ride due to a late arrival or a canceled flight. Arriving early helps give the best advantage for carpooling opportunities as picking up at an airport on starting day of the retreat can be difficult for carpool drivers. Also there is less risk of late or canceled flights which are on the rise. We ask that everyone is on time to prevent interruption to the training. On the day of the retreat, if you are driving up from places south of Sonoma (San Francisco or Oakland) or one of these airports, you will want to start travelling by 1:30pm to negotiate traffic. Staying north of San Francisco the night before has worked well for attendees. If you will be staying in the area the night before make your reservations early as possible. Our final training session on the 15th ends at 12:15 pm and we will have lunch together from 12:30-2:30pm; leaving at the latest by 3pm (some people will need to leave during lunch to catch their flight). Historically we encourage carpooling and we can initiate and facilitate this for those who would like to connect with someone else for the drive up and back.
*Continuing Education Info
This training has been approved for 33CEs. Please contact us through the form below for more info regarding the course or to request disability accommodations.
APA Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. APA Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
*These continuing education credits are accepted by licensing boards across the US except NY.
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
Download and Share the
2022 Experiential
Training Flyer
