Respected throughout the Puget Sound region, Seattle University’s Master of Arts in Psychology (MAP) program brings together research and reflection from across the fields of clinical psychology, philosophy, and the humanities in laying a foundation for clinical practice. Instruction emphasizes reflective and experiential work, as well as the study of rich forms of qualitative research. It includes the study of first person narratives, existential and phenomenological analyses, and a close examination of the role of relational process in therapeutic work.
"I didn't just learn how to do therapy, I learned a way of being - a way of turning towards others - that has provided an essential foundation for my career as a play therapist. Throughout the program, I was immersed in stimulating readings and vibrant class discussions that inspired a complex way of thinking about the human experience."
Your training will help you learn to be fully present with others through experiences of suffering and distress, how to facilitate a process of meaning-making and healing in the lives of others, and how to work skillfully across barriers of social and cultural difference.
MAP’s extensive internship placement program will prepare you for success as a psychotherapist working in community settings, private practice, hospitals or clinics. Whether preparing you to enter the counseling profession as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Washington or providing a foundation for further graduate studies, Seattle University’s MAP program is designed to support your professional and personal development as a therapist, and to empower you to impact the lives of individuals, families and communities.
This program, and the people in it, have helped me to focus my life, fed my passion for lifelong learning, and calmed my soul--while igniting it--enough to do the work that I do.
Alumnus doing hospice and bereavement work[My experiences in the MAP program] have enabled me to do a job that I love, and to engage in a continual process of both self-reflection and trying to better understand my clients and others in my life.
Alumnus, 2009More than a two-year degree program, the MAP program is a community of socially-engaged individuals who stay connected beyond graduation, who support and help each other to grow personally and professionally beyond the academic years. As a MAP alumnus, your community will include peers, faculty, mentors, our advisory board and other colleagues around the region. Through dedicated mentorship programs, professional development and continuing education events, conferences and volunteer service networks, you'll have a place in this community throughout your career.
Alumni Projects
In celebration for the life of Dr. George Kunz, our friend and mentor, and the inspiration of the Seattle University Masters of Arts in Existential-Phenomenological Psychology Program, we present a short video to honor and highlight some of the impact that Dr. Kunz had on members of the MAP community.
This one-day conference focuses on how qualitative research gives voice to experience. This year Dr. David Kopacz is our keynote presenter, addressing the topic of burnout.
Read More about 13th Annual Giving Voice to Experience Conference