Reputable Somatic Psychology PsyD or PhD programs?

[MindBodyWarrior]

Hello everyone, I want to become a clinical somatic psychologist or clinical psychologist who can become certified in creative arts simultaneously. The population I currently work with is trauma (developmental and event), addiction, substance abuse, and mood disorders as a licensed massage therapist. I want to further my studies of trauma and be able to offer psychotherapy and movement/dance and music for healing in addition to massage.
I know of Naropa, CIIS, JFK University, and Pacifica but they're really expensive, offer very little or no funding, and don't have the greatest reputation.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where I should look? Or know of any programs that are clinical psych that lead to a psychologist licensure through the APA w/ an emphasis in somatics, embodiment, or creative arts? Or a university where you could take electives in any of those modalities?
I don't understand why more of these programs don't exist, it's so beneficial!

Any info or guidance would be much appreciated as I'm planning on applying to these programs this fall. \

Thanks!!!

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[PsyDr]

There are no licensed titles with the name. The license is clinical psychologist.

 

[WisNeuro]

I would be very careful about combining massage and psychotherapy, just asking for board complaints there.

 

[MindBodyWarrior]

I would be very careful about combining massage and psychotherapy, just asking for board complaints there.

I know, I wouldn't be mixing them-psychotherapy would be separate from massage. Both services would be independent, anyone psychotherapy clients wouldn't be able to receive massage from me and massage clients wouldn't be able to receive psychotherapy from me. I'd like to integrate SE, Laban, intuitive movement, Mind-Body Dancing, Rolfing, Feldenkrais, and principles of Craniosacral into my psychotherapy practice. Right now I do rolfing and Craniosacral therapies but I'd like to get more into the psych side of things and prefer the Ph.D. or PsyD rather than MSW (which I'm considering Columbia because of their DBT track).

 

[MindBodyWarrior]

There are no licensed titles with the name. The license is clinical psychologist.

Thanks for clarifying, As I mentioned in the post-"Or know of any programs that are clinical psych that lead to a psychologist licensure through the APA w/ an emphasis in somatics, embodiment, or creative arts?"
I meant clinical psych programs with a somatic (creative arts) track or somatic (or creative arts )emphasis. There are a few as I mentioned in the post but they're not very reputable.

 

[WisNeuro]

To put it bluntly, you may have a hard time finding reputable programs that incorporate some of these. A few of these are considered pseudoscience, or do not have an established evidence base. For example, rolfing, SE, anc craniosacral would be in this category/

 

[MindBodyWarrior]

To put it bluntly, you may have a hard time finding reputable programs that incorporate some of these. A few of these are considered pseudoscience, or do not have an established evidence base. For example, rolfing, SE, anc craniosacral would be in this category/

Thanks! I figured it wasn't going to be easy to find something but a girl can dream. My plan might just have to be an MSW (🤞 Columbia), alternate route dance/movement therapy route, and then go back to Lesley University for their PhD in creative arts. I just didn't want to spend $$$$ and 10 years going down that route but if there are no programs that fit the bill then I might have to go with it.

 

[psych.meout]

Thanks! I figured it wasn't going to be easy to find something but a girl can dream. My plan might just have to be an MSW (🤞 Columbia), alternate route dance/movement therapy route, and then go back to Lesley University for their PhD in creative arts. I just didn't want to spend $$$$ and 10 years going down that route but if there are no programs that fit the bill then I might have to go with it.

That's kind of besides the point. You shouldn't put the cart before the horse and be looking for a program that incorporates these pseudosciences. I get that you're excited by and interested in these things, but it's all just snake oil with at best placebo effects.

 

[MCParent]

I know, I wouldn't be mixing them-psychotherapy would be separate from massage. Both services would be independent, anyone psychotherapy clients wouldn't be able to receive massage from me and massage clients wouldn't be able to receive psychotherapy from me. I'd like to integrate SE, Laban, intuitive movement, Mind-Body Dancing, Rolfing, Feldenkrais, and principles of Craniosacral into my psychotherapy practice. Right now I do rolfing and Craniosacral therapies but I'd like to get more into the psych side of things and prefer the Ph.D. or PsyD rather than MSW (which I'm considering Columbia because of their DBT track).

Why wouldn’t you just do one and then refer out for the other?

 

[MAClinician]

Fairly certain Lesley’s PhD in creative arts does not lead to doctoral level licensing.

 

[AbnormalPsych]

If you want to work in trauma, addiction, and mood disorders, why would you want to use treatments that are less than the most effective we have in helping people with those problems?

It is a curious approach, I'm guessing personal values driven, but it isn't really how healthcare works.

 

[cara susanna]

Yes,, although dance/music are great symptom management techniques for trauma, they are not evidence-based treatments. Trauma treatment will involve the patient learning to tolerate distress and decrease avoidance, and is definitely not as fun as dancing or music (I say that as someone who specializes in trauma treatment and loves it, btw).

The somatic approach to trauma also has a lot of issues and not much evidence behind it. IMO it not only promotes non-evidence-based practice, but often attacks actual evidence-based practice.

 

[Sanman]

If you know where you want to live, I would call the licensing board and see their thoughts on a professional holding a license as a psychologist/psychotherapist and a massage therapist at the same time.

Depending on your interests, have you looked into masters programs and licensing in art therapy? Not something I know much about, but figured I would mention it rather than some of the programs mentioned by the OP that I would not suggest.

 

[Mindfulpsych22]

Hello everyone, I want to become a clinical somatic psychologist or clinical psychologist who can become certified in creative arts simultaneously. The population I currently work with is trauma (developmental and event), addiction, substance abuse, and mood disorders as a licensed massage therapist. I want to further my studies of trauma and be able to offer psychotherapy and movement/dance and music for healing in addition to massage.
I know of Naropa, CIIS, JFK University, and Pacifica but they're really expensive, offer very little or no funding, and don't have the greatest reputation.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where I should look? Or know of any programs that are clinical psych that lead to a psychologist licensure through the APA w/ an emphasis in somatics, embodiment, or creative arts? Or a university where you could take electives in any of those modalities?
I don't understand why more of these programs don't exist, it's so beneficial!

Any info or guidance would be much appreciated as I'm planning on applying to these programs this fall. \

Thanks!!!

I wonder if you happen to work in a residential mental health treatment setting providing massage to those clients? Just a thought because these types of questions often come from ancillary providers brought into these facilities to provide services to their clients. I've noticed that because residential facilities have to fill up their client's time but are expected to be providing "treatment", they integrate various pseudotherapies into the schedule (sometimes it's as bad as them just attaching the word "therapy" to normal activities such as "recreation therapy", etc). Some of this also comes from marketing, where it allows them to say the offer just about everything and to appear "holistic" in their treatment approach. The problem is often that people then often put these "therapies" with very little or no research support as equally valuable or "therapeutic" as the evidence-based approaches when they often add very little or no additional value to the actual therapy going on. A lot of clients will never be able to differentiate their experience at doing these activities in the treatment setting with whether or not they would be as helpful in the real world. Of course having a day full of riding horses, listening to music, doing art, dancing and having time to focus on introspection with no other demands is going to feel better than a day full of working a job, cleaning the house, doing dishes, and parenting. I wonder if there has ever been a study comparing the outcomes of doing professionally guided "art therapy" vs taking an hour to focus on doing something artistic for yourself with no professional. Is anyone aware of research on this?

 

[affectiveH3art]

Naropa Univ has a MA program in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with an emphasis Somatic Counseling. But I have no idea if it leads to being licensed, or licensed in other states. I once upon a time wanted to be a somatic/dance therapists but realized there was no such thing. Dance therapy also is not used nor is somatic work in clinical settings. I love Feldenkrais - but as my dancer self. Not as a therapist or psychologist in training as it's not evidence based for any form of treatment (as far as I know). I did sit in on a dance therapy group once in a state psychiatry unit somewhere in LA but even the "therapist" was more of a music teacher vs. therapist. Even she laughed at the possibility of it as a career. Mind you all the patients, and nursing students (myself) included were standing and "pretending to be a tree." Think of that scene in the movie, Girl Interrupted.... I ran so fast from that idea after that experience in nursing school. LOL