Pacifica Graduate Institute : Lambert Campus
Pacifica Graduate Institute : Lambert Campus is a established in (unknown). The campus is located in and hosts students with an endowment of .
Website:
Address:
Phone: (no local phone number)
Email: (no public email address)
Institution Type: Unknown
Established: Unknown
Campus Enrollment: N/A
Acceptance Rate: N/A
Graduation Rate (6Y): N/A
Campus Endowment: N/A
Tuition (Local): N/A
Tuition (Non-Local): N/A
Tuition (Foreign): N/A
Mandatory Fees: N/A
Housing (Room): N/A
Latitude:
Longitude:
Tax ID: N/A
Social Profiles: Facebook •
Twitter •
Google+ •
Wikipedia •
Flickr •
YouTube •
Google News • Yahoo News
Leave A Review - Free Speech Is Welcome!
33 Student Reviews of Pacifica Graduate Institute : Lambert Campus
Please scroll up to leave a review.
Pacifica is not what it seems. I was enrolled in the PhD Depth Psychology program. Pacifica is seriously flawed in a multitude of ways. Firstly, it is a highly expensive diploma mill. Anyone who applies gets in – there are no standards and no jobs after graduation. Pacifica is desperate for students, but more importantly, for the money that students bring. A large amount of reading is assigned on the syllabi (it makes for a good show), but you don’t really need to complete the reading. Reusing papers, plagiarising, and making things up in the name of ‘active imagination’ are the status quo at Pacifica. It is incredible that Pacifica has any accreditation whatsoever. It is criminal that they get away with charging $100,000 for these programs.
Many students attend Pacifica because they are interested in Depth Psychology and C.G. Jung. In reality, the curriculum features a very minimal examination of Jung’s work. Rather, the bulk of the course material focuses on glorifying Greek history, thought, and philosophy to the point of arguing for the literal worship of the Greek gods. The other predominant inclination at Pacifica is the advancement of a synthesis of occult and New Age belief systems. This is why Pacifica has rightly earned the reputation of being a cult.
As other reviewers have mentioned, there is something deeply wrong at Pacifica Graduate Institute. Bad vibes abound. In the name of depth work, dark, sinister, and harmful states are encouraged among the student body and faculty. Torturing the Souls of the World, indeed.
Pacifica will drain you. It will drain you emotionally. It will drain you financially.
If you have a complaint about Pacifica Graduate Institute’s education model, standards, academic rigor, failed APA accreditation, etc, please file a complaint with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) at: http://wascsenior.org/files/Complaint_Form.pdf
My experience in the ph.d clinical psych has been largely mixed. Some incredible professors and beautiful campus but some major serious issues.
However these are all red flags that I wished I’d known and that you can find documented in other places. My goal is to only speak to the Ph.d Clinical all programs are so different. And programs change. Even in 5 or less years so always speak with recent students if possible.
Red flags to consider:
1) PGI was sued for portraying itself as a APA ready. The students won. Why this matters? It speaks to the integrity of how this school will care for you in this phd. They had no problem misleading students. Second this matters because this school can be very quick to defend itself. They will be in the right and you will be in the wrong as a student. You can petition. However, I’ve seen many instinaces where PGI scapegoated or blamed students in ways that were anything but “tending the worlds soul or caring”
2) A former professor told me the school was also sued for misrepresenting its ability to get students licensed outside CA. I don’t know the results but they said “this has always been an issue for that program” Even moreso with non APA. my first day of class a legal document was put in front of us. We were told to look it over and sign. It stated we were responsible for our own licensure and PGI is not.They gave us less than a half hour to read and sign. They did not permit us to take it home. THIS IS A HUGE RED FLAG. you are being ask on the spot to sign your rights away. This ended up harming many students including a clinical director / former grad that left the school and sought licensure outside CA. She mentioned the university should do more to protect students in licensure and noted they do not. I myself was told my state met requirments. And HBO showed they met. However 3 year in a rummor floated that it was not licensable in WA and a student was again denied. PGI had formerly blamed the student saying they were at fault and their failer to take certain steps lead to their denial in licensure. In the end a clinical director let slip that the school “knew for a while” licensure was not possible in WA. However, all student in WA were never made aware of this despite the school learning of this during enrollemnt. A fellow psyd student was also caught off gaurd by this in 2019. Please note if this happens to you you are on your own. The school will not be there to back you or advocate for you.
The school is heavy on documents. If you dont get it in writing it will hurt you. A student in my cohort completed over 1200 clinical hours. His practicum agreement form was misplaced by the program.. Not only did they blame him but they did not accept the hours.
— I’d like to note that PGI seems to have a strong record of blaming students. Again this is a red flag and if you get into trouble the school will likely protect themselves and find ways to make you at fault. I’ve seen this in various forms in different cohorts.
For the MA exam. If you transfered in unites from the masters at PGI or elswhere the school will tell you —“you are liable to know the information on the test”. This exam created a tremendous amount of distress and was disgusting to see a university do this.One student said ” I don’t want to pay 150k to be a guine pig” as they “worked out teh kinks” in their test year 1&2. You can miss no more than 10 questions. 6 of the questions the 1st year were from a class I transfered in and I never took at PGI all I can say is I was lucky to pass ..purely lucky. I’d never read the book they cited. How does testing students on material they were never taught in 2 years classify as ethical? Let alone why test students on 2 yrs of classes they already passed? One student “I cried the whole way through exam”… exam is timed you half less than 1.5 mins per question you will not have time to google.
Lastly in 2022 the school fired and placed on probation 2 core faculty. while 2 retired. They did not notify students of this. Students were caught by surprise that suddenly they didnt have chairs for their dissertation. or that their teacher did not recieve their course papers. During this time PGI did very little to address student concerns or stress. It also lead to a mess with courses the following quarter as teachers were asked to stand in last min. One poor professor and class had the experience of teaching a syllabus that was written for a 3 unit for a 1 unit. The professor did not catch the error until it was too late for some students but all students had been asked to do work for a 3 unit when they received 1 unit of credit.
My issue with most of this is that the institute like to blame students and isn’t looking at their own LARGE unconscious ways. I have not seen them take accountability and the school itself has a large persona/image.
Whatever decision you make please please do your research and please please be careful. This was again written for the phd clinical between 2019-2023 graduation.
The best thing about Pacifica Graduate Institute is the gardens, the landscaping and the local climate. The sad & dark, hidden truth about PGI is that it’s actually all about the money. Pacifica presents a slick facade, but watch out for the ‘hypnotizing’ effect some of the founders can tend to have. Make no mistake; they wouldn’t do this for free, or without the chance to exploit the history of greater, innovative thinkers, and ride on the coattails of such as C.G. Jung or Joseph Campbell. And if you aren’t into the “Left Hand Path”, as Joseph Campbell, occultists or Luciferians describe, this place isn’t for you. Also make sure to look into the class action lawsuits of former students before you commit to PGI, which includes handing them a very large sum of money.
To those who say “they are working on themselves yay!” This does not deserve a gold star, or a cookie. You’re choosing to pay a LOT of money, don’t go to an institution that is “working on themselves” on your expense. You don’t deserve to pay loads of money to an institution that is “working on themselves” plus I did not find that to be true, I found the opposite. I found immaturity when confronted with getting it wrong and scapegoating when confronted with diversity issues, which included LGBTQ/Identity and race stuff. If you’re white and cisgendered, you’re probably fine.
Pacifica Graduate Institute is a poorly run institution. It is run by children with a very large shadow. They make big mistakes and will blame the students or scapegoat the students. They prefer to support other students with projection issues, over students with very serious concerns. They teach about projection, yet, when students project, they validate the students who project instead of refer them to the coursework and ask them to do inner work. They’re handling of very serious matter is utterly unprofessional and it will cause issues in your educational experience. Don’t expect that higher education experience you’ve been dreaming of. This is a kiddie school run by children with serious emotional development issues, a very large “shadow” even though they teach about shadows, they’re avoiding theirs, by white patriarchal men who are extremely immature but need to feel like the smartest most important persons in the room. Don’t be smart, especially if you’re a woman. Especially if you’re a woman of color. Forget it. They could careless about you or your experience. Got a complaint about microaggressions? Forget it. You’ll be blamed for that too and you won’t be safe if something happens that makes you feel unsafe. There into appeasing their own inferiorities, that is all. The only good thing they have going for them is a beautiful campus and the fact that you’re on the LMFt track should you choose that program. Go there if you are into joining cults and worshiping everything. Don’t go there if you have a brain on top of your neck.
I was remiss – as pointed out by another reviewer – to mention the results of my Ph.D from PGI in 2003. I have been in private practice since graduation. My practice thrives and PGI prepared me to conduct ethical and competent depth psychology; the design of a depth practice is intentional in every way; thank you Lionel Corbett, Chris Peterson, and Alan Bishop especially. Patients often see various therapists for years before finding my office and they finally get down to transformative work. Finances have flowed abundantly in my practice and I paid off my loans quickly and this allows me to offer two pro bono sessions each week. Approx. 10 years after my P.D. degree, I entered/ completed psychoanalytic training at a training institute; I had already studied plenty of the theoretical material at PGI and expounded upon it in much greater depth during psychoanalytic training and especially in the practice of psychoanalysis. I also have enjoyed enduring and lifelong friendships and colleagues from the PGI network. I felt at any point in time – event recently – I am able to tap a colleague from PGI to support any new endeavor I’ve entertained; there are some fantastic clinical supervisors available and mentors have been generous to me. I recently – all these years later – took a tour of Europe to study Freud (surprise, it’s not Jung 100% of the time at all – a regular PGI misconception!) with a professor from a different department than my clinical department; it was a remarkable discovery and learning experience. PGI folks recognize one another forevermore. For those who believe you can “read the stuff” on your own and skip the program – that is not anywhere near equivalent to the immersive effect of the program design of didactics, writing courses, supervised internships and your own personal psychotherapeutic work. We learn/grow and thrive in relationship with others. Regarding the comment about PGI’s “shadow” – hurray! OWN IT! I’ve seen PGI become more diverse; that happens by opening up institutional blind spots. Every large group and institution endures its politics but PGI acknowledges and is OPEN to working with the blind spots and that is invaluable and has modeled for me how to conduct my own blind spots. Comment re: “employee-owned” – like that is a bad thing!? How else to keep this valuable education available and accessible? The school endows; it does not literally depend on government grants that limit your research to behavioral techniques or accept military dollars that lead to manualized therapies that capitalize on mental health. The “accountability” is to the psyche, soul, the unconscious. If you apply yourself and make use of all the best of PGI, your practice and work will generate ample income. If you’re reading comments that lack critical thinking and fair-mindedness or objective feedback, you’re probably reading someone acting out their envy, pain and personal limitations. No one “made” those students come to PGI or invest in this education. Just as no one has encouraged me to write this review all these years later. It is purely out of my gratitude to professors, the return on my investment in this education and the enduring insights I still – all these years later – gain from my PGI education, that I bothered to write this.
Pacifica is for curious learners who are capable of keeping up with demanding scholarship and are motivated to master complex theories and write papers (lots of them!) with original ideas. In addition, PGI Clinical Psych students establish clinical internships with supervision of their work with patients and students also engage in their own personal therapeutic work with a licensed psychologist or psychoanalyst. The combination of these three requirements sets PGI students apart; PGI students are effective psychotherapists, passionate learners in general and intellectually insatiable. I find it necessary to return to PGI annually to fortify my engagement with others who orient in depth psychology. The people I’ve met at PGI are keen-minded, open-hearted, able to suffer meaningfully as well as they are able to celebrate joy. People here are confident and passionate more than competitive. They are inclusive, searching, eager. They are as productive as they are creative. I studied Clinical Psychology and graduated in 2003. I easily surpassed my Oregon state licensing exams on the first round. I initiated an APPIC to APA internship at a community mental health center for myself and other doctoral students. The poor reviews of PGI strike me as transparent of disgruntled students who need to devalue and blame, they are unable to accept the personal responsibility involved in achieving a graduate degree of this magnitude. PGI could do a better job at assessing prospective student applicants (PGI a low acceptance rate, as it is). Pacifica transforms personalities and changes lives as much as it instills scholarship. There are many mental health programs out there that will teach future “practitioners” who prefer a step by step method and will never ask you to look within yourself, so do due diligence! This kind of education is not for everyone. P.S. I will define HOTNESS – a forced star likert rating or the review will not be accepted – as the intensity of the work. It’s hot, people!
I enjoyed my experience at Pacifica and found the professors to be excellent. I hope to return in the near future to finish my degree.
If you have the money, do it.
If you do not have the money, read the books.
I did both with emphasis on reading all the books, and then, bought the degrees from an out of state graduate school. Cheap and I feel good!
I hold two masters degrees from Pacifica and have completed the doctoral coursework in their Myth program. Took MA in counseling Psych, where coursework was far from rigorous, but generally acceptable. Practicums, however, were far from ideal; practicing mental health work with friends, co-workers and family members (rather than through a school-supported clinic, such as the that fostered by CIIS in San Fran. for example) must lead either to ineffectual counseling practices or insuperable difficulties with relationship boundaries, etc. The Myth program where I completed my doctoral studies operates on primarily a Cambridge model of literary analysis that is at least 50 years out of date, and our instructors in Christian and Islamic mythologems were conservative adherents to those religions and entirely unwilling even to approach these belief systems as “myth”. The course in Approaches to Mythology was also a total waste of time and money: the instructor gave a brief overview of one archaic and questionable approach (Levi Strauss), and then spent the rest of our class time exploring the concept of the “evil eye” (still have not quite gotten that connection).
Pacifica leadership also has a long track record of ignoring student protests over these and other Pacifica missteps. As one instructor under whom I studied noted in a private conversation, ” Pacifica has a VERY big shadow”.
My response, then, after seven years as a full time grad student in two separate programs is this: The counseling program was not bad at all, except for several ethical issues with there practicum program and the fact that no one whom I know from my own cohort is currently employed in Mental Health practice – no jobs! The Myth program lacks both depth and actual, practical relevance to both our times and to the sincere study of myth as a spiritual, psychological, or social phenomenon of real import. In short, it was, for me a total, $120,000, wash whose success appears to be based largely upon drawing in neophyte students with no scholarly or practical background in the study of myth, depth psychology, or religious studies
My advice? Try the California Institute of Integral Studies. Unless, of course, all you are looking for is an easy as melt butter MA degree; but it will still set you back seventy grand or so.
I am poised to attend Pacific’s Ph.D Clinical Depth Psychology pgrm, but I’m hesitant for the following reasons, which for me are red flags. (1). My 24 page paper that I wrote for admission into the pgrm was never read nor critiqued–as promised by the dep’t chair. (2). The class action law suit by the 61 Pacifica Ph.D graduates regarding deceitful practices bt the Institute in regard to APA accreditation. (3). There is no effort by Pacifica to help find a permanent residence for students locating there or nearby, from other states. (3a). It’s contract with Best Western hotels–which are very expensive indeed, is no help whatsoever, especially when considering the overall cost of attending the institution. (4). All of the positive reviews I read never once mentioned their resultant employment! I find Jung’s work of great relevance, especially today, with the re-emergence of totalitarianism, particularly in the West, but in a very different form, and in the long term, more lethal and effective than that of the Nazis. So what to do? Can I find suitable employment with it’s PH.D? Where?
With zero standards for admission, no APA accreditation, and a curriculum that can prepare you for exactly nothing in terms of knowing how to care for clients in the world outside of Pacifica (i.e. it is self focused rather than client focused training), this is not the school to choose if you are interested in becoming a capable, knowledgeable, or well-trained therapist.
PGI is a cult for those who consider themselves “non-traditional” “edge-dwellers” but it is not an actual academic institution worthy of your thousands of dollars, all of which will only line the pocketbooks of its own faculty and staff, since it is a for profit, 97% employee owned institution.
Do your research about cults before enrolling here because this place fits all of the criteria to be considered one. While you’re at it, do some research on this school’s professional reputation, including the 60+ class action lawsuits that have been filed against it.
I love Pacifica. I am so grateful for its existence. I agree with others, who have stated if you do not love Depth Psychology then it is not the place for you. But if you are interested in personal growth, scholarship, pushing yourself really hard, standing against mainstream psychology, and learning tools to help the world, then this is the place for you. Yes, its expensive. How much are you willing to invest in you? The teachers are wonderful, and the staff is very kind. I get to go to the beach before and after every session. This school is for edgedwellers and those committed to a brilliant, soul filled, non-traditional life.
I completed my Ph.D. in Depth Psychology at Pacifica and feel deeply grateful to have been drawn to exactly the right place at the right time for me. I wanted a program that was both academically rigorous as well as one that was experiential, inviting personal engagement with the faculty, fellow students, and the community. I found both in Pacifica.
I learned a great deal about my subject matter while moving through coursework with a cohort that kept me grounded and inspired throughout the program—and yes, when you bring human dynamics into any situation, things can sometimes be less than ideal— but we were also given tools that allowed us to work through issues as they arose, and to grow close and support one another as a group.
Most of all, perhaps, I appreciated the container that allowed me to follow a path of psychological self-discovery and integrate what I was learning about myself through group activities, fieldwork, writing and research. Now that I have finished my degree, I find myself both wanting and feeling empowered, to give back some of my own learning to the larger community, which is very rewarding as well. I will always feel immensely lucky to have had the opportunity to attend Pacifica. I would say that if you are craving the academic experience (in a gorgeous setting), that you work well in a system where you attend residential gatherings once a month or once a quarter (depending on the program), and you are willing to keep the kind of open mind that will allow you to question things and to truly learn and grow, this might well be the place for you, too.
First, if you are not in LOVE with DEPTH PSYCHOLOGY, DO NOT GO HERE! For me, I earned my MA elsewhere and found all of the coursework extremely simplified and not at all academically challenging. I needed more and I connected with Jungian Psychology. So, i learned about Pacifica and eagerly applied to earn my PhD. My memories are fond. The educational experience far surpassed my MA experience and invigorated my depth hunger. It was intellectually challenging. In my opinion, the experience as a whole, was priceless. I still find myself wishing i could return and do a different degree, in mythology. If only i could afford it.
Unlike others, I was not converted to a vegan diet, nor did i find professors narcissistic. You are forced to have a much deeper connection with yourself and need to find subjects like dreams and the unconscious interesting, or it might me a turn off. This is a specialty school. If you are looking for the average PhD in psychology, go elsewhere, however if you are naturally in a depth frame of mind, this school is a dream.
After completing my PhD at Pacifica, my memories are fond. The educational experience far surpassed my MA experience at a different university. It was very intellectually challenging and in my opinion, the experience as a whole was priceless. I find myself wishing i could return and do a different degree, in mythology. If only i could afford it.
This school is an utter joke made up of narcissistic new agers in the midst of midlife crisis. It will in no way prepare you for the practical knowledge needed to treat clients in the real world.
If you are looking for narcissistic navel gazing taught by and for pod people, this school is for you. The degree to which this “graduate institute” appears to be a a cult rather than an actual academic institution is disturbing.
Those who drink the kool aid stick together. While those with the courage enough to speak out about the dark shadow and utter facade of this place are discredited and maligned. This is a school for new age conformists of the empty “love and light” variety, not true seekers.
After a 33 year hiatus due to illness, I am back at school and attending my first term at Pacifica Graduate Institute in their Mythological Studies program working for my Ph.D. I am loving it. My cohort [what they call one’s classmate’s entering the program in the same year] is filled with a wonderful variety of interesting people, and they are all very sharp, no dull knives here. The staff and the Profs are attentive, helpful, and brilliant. Arrangements are made to make sure you can get to the school. I have nothing but high praise for the school at this time. Hoping it stays that way. Sure it is a little pricey, but good things often are.
This is a review from the ex wife of one of the students at this so called Pacifica institute. My husband went into a mid life crisis, and his therapist got him into some spiritual stuff based on Carl Jung. He abandoned his law practice, and left me after more than twenty years of marriage to get a masters in depth psychology. Two months after entering that place he went vegan, and started talking about dreams, and obscure theories, became incoherent to the point of incomprehension, shed 30 pounds of his thin body. In a matter of a year he lost thousands of dollars in this cultish scam, and
Having found a few mind-like people at that place he abandoned friends, family, his dog.
The reviews presented here don’t even get into the toll of what the families of these depressed people go through. Very dangerous place, watch out.
I attended the depth psychology program — the non-clinical doctorate program — as a hopeful, eager learner. I completed all three years of coursework plus an additional year on the dissertation before I decided I wasn’t giving them one more penny.
At the juncture between earning the MA and going on for the Ph.D., I paused, and, in retrospect, I wish I had stopped right there. The entire third year was a waste*, but I was, I’m ashamed to say, sucked in too far at that point.
*Silly classes such as, “let’s do a little Tai Chi on the lawn and then we’ll journal how we feel about that in relation to the 1000 pages you read to prepare for today”. Not that there’s anything WRONG with those activities, but at $2,500 a pop per weekend’s worth of classes (when I went there) I think I could have done better with adult education at the local city college . . . or just about anywhere.
On a personal level, there are aspects of the education for which I’m extremely grateful. There are a few, and only a few, extremely brilliant instructors. But they tend to be the old-timers and are being phased out. Many of the instructors are completely pathetic, teaching nothing and offering little-to-no feedback on your work.
More than a few of the professors are themselves recent PGI grads. (Cheap hires?) In our program, one was not only a recent graduate but she was also the romantic partner of our head of department, though this fact was kept hidden from the students. He had been her dissertation chair then she came to teach us without one word of disclaimer. Can you say “conflict of interest”? (Eventually they married, thus, at least future students knew where they stood with their teacher who went to bed every night with the chair.)
Oh, and want to meet with your professor? You get 15 minutes, crammed in between other students who also get 15 minutes, during meals, in the public cafeteria. And you ARE expected to make the rounds because, despite all of their supposed enlightenment about introverts, the extrovert still rules even at Pacifica.
Don’t worry about your grades, however: A’s are going currency and very few professors seem to have the courage or interest to engage the students on a level that could be considered academically challenging.
ALL THIS PLACE CARES ABOUT IS THE MONEY. Oh they’ll sell you the line of goods, slicker than the mythological snake-oil salesperson, all wrapped up in secular Jungian religiosity.
Not only is PGI FOR PROFIT, IT IS OWNED BY THE EMPLOYEES, by the very people feeding and TEACHING you. Can you say ACCOUNTABILITY?
Grad school in general has sadly become an enormous scam. But private, for profit “institutions” such as PGI are amongst the worst: They will do whatever it takes to avail themselves of all of those federally funded loan dollars. The students are the lemmings, the means of transferring the funds into the teachers’ and administrators’ pockets.
I love the subject matter, but there are so many varied and better ways to obtain this sort of education. Anyone affiliated with PGI should be absolutely ashamed of the scam they are pulling on its students. A degree from here is no better than one from an assembly line trade school. Nah, the trade school would be better.
Expensive and with an out of control shadow at their core. I would stay away . . . wish I had.
I enrolled in the Myth program at Pacifica for a year and it turned out to be very disappointing. Half the group dropped out after the first period, just to give you an idea. I started high in excitement and enthusiasm, and it turn to boredom and a sense of having been deceived. Classes are pretty much a crammed retelling of what you were supposed to have already read, and there is very very little discussion. You are pretty much fed information in a very monotonous way. No discernment is enticed. There is no passion and no spark. The Program may be full of wishful thinking, as to imply that you have a “doctorate level” notion of Eastern Traditions after a three-month period and a thousand pages read. Just absurd. Overall, each class is a very thin spread on the topic. Way too expensive “entertainment”.
However, there are one or two jewels among the professors. Probably worth contacting externally.
Horrible! I am ashamed I chose it. It’s literally a mockery of studying psyche and soul if there ever was one! Students might as well be drones. No individuality is encouraged or respected. Not only is it conformist but it is a discriminatory environment with a bunch of bull for diversity and tolerance that is just flapping gums and no true action behind it. I am reporting this school– unethical, unimaginative, unsupportive, unbelievable! They need to lose their charter. It makes a joke of many things including students rights and the concept to equality. Pacifica still lives in the Dark Ages. Many in my cohort were not well but they will get life sensed to practice therapy. Avoid this place. Run!!!!
The school works better for an older adult with more life experiences than a 24 year old. The most common complaint about PGI is that they charge too much, yep, I know I pay taxes. School costs have inflated dramatically, I can’t change that fact and neither can you. Private nursing schools are the same cost, and when you get your BSN there are no jobs out there for you! PGI knows that tuition too high or too low and you would not have the school.
duplicate comments, your web site needs work!
I came into the clinical program with a masters with high emphasis on theory and practice. Pacifica offers a different lens on treatment and practice. Had I only came into Pacifica with a bachelors I don’t believe the program trains you completely for practice. However, I loved Pacifica and felt thst what I did learn was incredibly valuable. you get what you put in to a program. Are there some students who should not have been admitted absolutely, but there is no hiding that they are a for profit school and onr call to the business office will let you see that they do care about $$. Professors though are amazing and I do not regret going
The person above is an example of what sort of student is in the clnical program. The quality of the instruction here is very, very low too. I’ve paid about $100K for a “Depth psychology” education from instructors who have PsyD’s from Argosy, with no teaching experience! If you have complaints or concerns about the program, there is no one to talk to. There is no one running the school! Bennett and Broderick have completely destroyed the clinical program and no one seems to care. Biggest mistake of my life coming to this school.
I wish that reviews would have been available before I enrolled at Pacifica three years ago!
I am in the Clinical PhD program and I have been beyond disappointed in my experiences at Pacifica. Some of the other reviews are for different departments, and it’s important to note that each program has a different administration and faculty.
Many students have great experiences in the Counseling, Myth, and Depth programs, but the Clinical department is something else entirely and it also tends to generally attract a different sort of person. In the three years that I was at Pacifica, I never once encountered a Clinical student who was thoughtful, kind, or conscientious. Every single student in my track seemed like an inpatient. I so longed to have a meaningful exchange with someone, anyone, on campus, but that never happened.
When you look at the faculty list on the website, be sure to note that anyone who sounds interesting or creative is NOT in the clinical department.
Class assignments are usually “read an article and present it to the class.” And then you will sit for hours and hours while each student in the class presents an article, hopefully showing everyone that they know how to read. This is not what I had imagined for my $150K Ph.D.
The food and housing situation is also a nightmare. It didn’t bother me at first, but after two years, I felt angry about being forced to buy the food that it served. What other school gets away with this? Where else do you have to take a shuttle onto campus? That gets really old, fast.
Thank you Janet, Valerie, Michael and Susan for validating the way I have felt in the years since I went to Pacifica. I have had no one to talk to about it. I do know one other Pacifica student who just loves the place, something I can’t understand…. Obviously it is just the same now as when I went a little over 10 years ago.
I did a full two years at Pacifica but didn’t bother to go to the last summer session as I had decided that most of what I had learned was a narcissistic head trip. Also, to be perfectly honest, I had heard that the human sexuality course was a huge marathon of pornography, and frankly, I saw no reason to pollute my mind in that way. I am not a prude, but after all, I don’t need to see dozens of car wrecks either to imagine a lot.
I also agree about the behavior of my classmates which was parallel to what is described above. I wonder if more than 10% actually became counselors. I think perhaps at least 2 or 3 actually had nervous breakdowns during the first year. Several dropped out…. Since I did my practicum in another state it was quite a different atmosphere as many of the others in my practicum program in the other state were doing masters at other schools, and they seemed to be a lot more grounded in what they were trying to accomplish. With my background from Pacifica, which I agree is totally narcissistic, I was totally unprepared for most of the things I encountered with ordinary people suffering ordinary things, not on some spiritual head/soul trip.
If you want to spend a lot of money and hear a lot of people talking about animus mundi and other such stuff, and then have art projects with a lot of “rituals”, and meet a lot of crackpots, I definitely recommend the school. it is so very Southern california. So coooool. However, personally I felt that going to Pacifica was a terrific expense and colossal waste of my energy. My sense is it’s an extremely profitable business piggy-backing on a few famous names such as Joseph Campbell, and of course CG Jung, though actually they teach no Jungian psychology. I think that cult has it all wrapped up.. I could never figure out how Joseph Campbell fit into their program.
If you decide to become a counselor, do some serious homework, find out about licensure in your own state and get with a program that will help you get a job. If on the other hand you have a lot of spare time, a lot of money, and a dilettante view that you can incorporate myth, dreams and everything else into some wonderful ball which will make you aware and enlightened, then by all means register and start pouring money into the place called Pacifica Graduate Institute.
I hate the clinical program.
Avoid this school!
Valerie hit a lot of things on the head, especially when she stated, “I felt drained being around many of my classmates. I found many of them to be more psychologically unwell than my clients,” and “Many of the clinical professors do not do clinical work, many of them don’t even have licenses to do so. But if you are interested in crop circles or magical shamanic journies, they are total experts.” Couldn’t have said it better myself.
A few of my classmates not only went into narcissistic rages, but also borderline narcissistic rages where they displayed features of antisocial personality disorder. One classmate in particular, dominated each class and each class session. Unbelievable that these are the types of students that they make us sit with in class for 13 hours a day most of the time! Completely unbelievable!
I’ve heard stories of nutjobs in other programs, and had my own experiences with other students in my master’s program, but nothing compares to the horror of students I experienced at PGI! I just thank Valerie for stating it also.
My sincerest apologies for the typos in my last post, I was typing on my phone.
I had the same experience as Janet and Michael. I regret going to this school. If I were independantly wealthy and not concerned about my education relating to a career it would have been an OK experience.
The classes were very interesting, but I felt drained being around many of my classmates. I found many of them to be more psychologically unwell than my clients. Perhaps this is the case in any program, but I was very surprised that I was going to school with people who were unable to even be appropriate in class, instead storming out of the room, flying into narcissistic rages, dominating the class with their own stories of trauma (not just once, the same story, over and over. I probably spent 30 hours over the course of three years listening to one class mate cry).
Many of the clincial professors do not do clinical work, many don’t even have licesnes to do so. But if you are interested in crop circles or magical shamanic journies, they are total experts.
I agree with the essence of what Michael stated. I’m disappointed at the selection process for students. Many students play out their issues and gotten violent. Administrators decided not to give these students consequences. I hate, hate, hate the school but spent so much money and have a year of academics to go before doing dissertation. I honestly don’t know if I’ll survive. Many of the administration and instructors are apathetic beyond belief! I came from a WASC accredited master’s in psych program that was very organized. Dean of program was beyond excellent and a great role model of what a psychologist should be. I really hate to say it, but if I’m going to be honest, PGI is a circus environment and the teachers should model fir us what therapists should be, but even though Yukushko and Sipiora are intelligent, they don’t have much clinical experience, just research, so how can they really model what a therapist should be? The ones with clinical experience are not good role models at all. Very apathetic. Don’t know about anyone else, but I’d like my instructors who teach me psychology to show me by example how to care because whether they admit it or not, students are influenced by their behavior. I dint think 90 percent if the students have raw talent in being a psychologist. They’re not focused on the real lesson, just what grade they get. My supervisor, who also teaches at the master’s level, once told me he gives many students A’s because they did the work, but would never hire those students. Yet there are students he’s given a B or C and would hire them. I am disappointed with the lack of skills, natural talent and level of intelligence of the classmates in my classes at PGI. There are some intelligent students, but though they are intelligent, I wouldn’t say they would be the best or good therapists. I have to agree with Michael. I would not have agreed to enroll at PGI, knowing what I know now. They do give the used car sales man pitch. They mesmerize you by the beauty of the campus initially. Caveat emptor. Please, run, don’t walk, from this place before you spend $150,000!
Pacifica was the only graduate school that I applied to since I was very interested in pursuing “depth psychology.” I have now been in the clinical program for a year and I feel that I have been scammed. Coming to this school was a big mistake and the only thing that I can do now is to warn others to not come here (there were no reviews available before I applied to Pacifica).
I have spent $30K+ for one year at Pacifica and I am totally disappointed with the “education” that I received.
Looking back, I can see that there were many red flags that came up right away that I ignored since I was so eager to be in a PhD program (e.g., I should have walked away when I encountered the used car sales techniques of the admissions staff.)
Another red flag that I ignored was how lax Pacifica’s admissions standards are. Pacifica admits anyone who applies. There are students in my cohort who cannot read or write! Most of the students that I have encountered here are “just here for the PhD” and are not passionate about depth psychology. I have also had conversations with third year students and have been shocked by how poorly educated they seemed.
Pay several thousand dollars, talk about Jung a bit, get your PhD–that is the Pacifica experience.
I have been especially horrified by how awful and/or apathetic the instructors here are. The only exception that I’ve found to this is Dr. Gary Groth-Marnat. Unfortunately, he is not a full-time teacher there, so now that I have had my two required assessment classes with him, I will likely not see him again, and it would be impossible for me to have him as an advisor.
Before I applied to Pacifica, I didn’t know anything about Practicums or Internships. It took me a few months to figure this out, and now that I understand this, I can see how not having a practicum lined up for next year will be detrimental to my educational and professional future. There are several people in my cohort who also do not have a practicum, and this is something that would not happen in a reputable PhD program. The staff who are responsible for practicum and internship placements are too apathetic and/or lazy to care about the students.
I could go on and on about everything bad, and it is very sad that I cannot think of anything good about the year that I have been here.
I did both my masters and PhD. at Pacifica Gradutate Institute. If you have a lot of money and want enrichment; it is wonderful. The courses are outstanding, the experience is the ultimate in narcissistic indulgence! However, I have had nothing but problems getting any type of help and support for follow up information. I graduated 10 years ago and now they say my dissertation was not done correctly. I have submitted and re submitted it and they alway find errors no matter who I have edit it. This has been going on for 5 years and countless copies and thousands of dollars. Each time I send it in they have yet another editor go over it and they always find errors. Before the document has ever been returned I get a bill. I have spent a total of $300,000 for a PhD. that is professionally useless; personally it great! Imagine if I had invested that money and just taken their seminars for the same enrichment; I\’d be retired instead of spending a $1,500 each go around trying to get my offical transcripts.