California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)

24/06/2026

“There is a part of me that has really emerged and through these experiences and conversations I have had, has allowed me to grow in ways that I had not seen.

The breathwork in the Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy program was moving that it felt like you could move a mountain within the conference room we had.” -Daniel Grisales, Class of 2024-2025, Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy and Research Certificate Program

Are you ready to step onto a psychedelic-assisted therapy certification path?

There are just a few weeks left to apply to join the 2026-2027 class for the world's gold-standard training for psychedelic therapies and research. Whether you are a licensed clinician or an unlicensed professional with an advanced or bachelor's degree, there is a place for you in this rapidly evolving field.

Join our growing community of over 1,700 distinguished alumni leading the field, and help contribute to the transformative future of psychedelic healing. Final application deadline is July 13. Apply today from the programs and certificate link in our bio.

23/06/2026

“It’s really powerful to see how students find their voice as emerging somatic therapists.” -Helena Vissing, Psy.D., Associate Professor of Somatic Psychology

Want an expansive experience and looking for a program that can enhance a lifelong practice? Explore what our Somatic Psychology program.

CIIS is one of only three accredited U.S. graduate schools offering a fully immersive master’s curriculum in body-oriented psychotherapy, not just electives or concentrations, making it a distinctive choice for those seeking to center the body in therapeutic work.

Our program is an immersive, three-year, fully on-campus/in-person program rooted in embodied learning and trauma-informed care. Through clinical training, personal inquiry, and socioculturally-responsive curriculum, you’ll prepare for licensure as a psychotherapist and develop a deeply relational, body-based therapeutic practice.

20/06/2026

“For those who are descended from people who were enslaved, it’s a day to recall the fortitude and the perseverance of the ancestors.”
— Isabel Wilkerson, author of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents

This Juneteenth, we're sharing the great message from our Division of Community Engagement and Belonging:

Today, we recognize and celebrate Juneteenth, a day of profound historical and cultural significance in the United States, and in San Francisco where CIIS is rooted.

Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when the last enslaved African Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned of their freedom, good news that came more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. While the proclamation declared enslaved people free in 1863, the reality of freedom was delayed for many until Union troops arrived to enforce it. Juneteenth has since become a symbol of liberation, resilience, hope, and the ongoing pursuit of justice and equality.

As we observe this day, we honor the strength and perseverance of those Africans and African Americans who endured slavery and their descendants whose legacy and contributions continue to shape culture and critical consciousness in this country. Juneteenth reminds us that freedom is not simply a historical event but an ongoing commitment to building communities where dignity, self-determination, and belonging are upheld and valued for everyone.

At CIIS, this reflection and ongoing movement invites us to learn from our shared history, engage with one another with compassion and understanding, and continue the work of creating a Beloved Community.

Whether you spend today in celebration, reflection, learning, service, or community, we encourage you to take a moment to honor the significance of this day and the enduring values it represents.

Want more resources for Juneteenth and to keep updated on our beloved community? Follow the Division of Community Engagement and Belonging on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ciis_belonging

06/06/2026

🎓 Congratulations Class of 2026! Your joy and achievements were inspiring to witness. Thank you for bringing your diverse perspectives, different passions, wisdoms, and scholarship to CIIS. May your transformative journey lead to more beautiful opportunities.

Want to relive the energy and great moments from CIIS commencement? Check out photos from our link in bio to download the collection. Stay tuned for our commencement article that will have links to the photo album. Enjoy!

06/06/2026

🌹🎓 we're inspired by all the creativity and compassion our scholars embody at CIIS.

When looking at the way our recent grads decorated their commencement attire, you can see the distinct views and charm of our cultivated healers, seekers, and changemakers!

Congrats Class of 2026! Welcome to the alumni community.

06/06/2026

What blessing! CIIS commencement was a moment of celebration for a community still doing the deep work of learning, building kinship, and integrating new ways of knowing.

Together with their loved ones, the Class of 2026 gathered in community with CIIS faculty, trustees, and staff to pause and honor its profound achievements before setting off on the next part of their journeys.

Want to watch the ceremony again or revisit highlights? Check out the news link from our bio. Stay tuned for more stories and commencement moments 🎓 ✨️

22/05/2026

After four decades leading CIIS' Drama Therapy Program, professor Renée Emunah reflects on a career spent fusing theatre and healing.
Emunah's scholarship has been inseparable from her teaching. Her book Acting for Real: Drama Therapy Process, Technique, and Performance is a foundational text in drama therapy training programs worldwide, translated into multiple languages.

After four decades at CIIS, Renée Emunah leaves a global legacy in drama therapy, shaping a program that blends theatre, clinical practice, and social change.

22/05/2026

Don Hanlon Johnson, founder of the first graduate Somatics program in the U.S., retires after more than four decades at CIIS.

CIIS honors Johnson with Faculty Emeritus status at the 2026 commencement — a recognition of a career that helped establish the academic study of embodiment as a legitimate and necessary field. His influence continues in every classroom where the body is treated not as a problem to solve, but as a way of knowing.

Somatics pioneer Don Hanlon Johnson retires after four decades at CIIS, leaving a legacy that brought embodiment into psychology and higher education.

22/05/2026

After 17 years leading CIIS' Integrative Health Studies program, professor Meg Jordan steps back from a career that helped create the profession of health and wellness coaching.

"My most fulfilling times in this wild and varied career have been mentoring the graduates of IHL, as they break new ground in imagery work, health coaching, new programs for vets, and researching lifestyle medicine turnarounds for diverse populations." These new professionals and scholars are continuing and expanding the work of integral health and of CIIS from the foundations that she so firmly laid in place.

After 17 years at CIIS, Meg Jordan leaves a lasting legacy, advancing integrative health coaching as a respected field and career path.

14/05/2026

What if dreams are not simply images that dissolve upon waking, but living communications from the depths of the soul?

CIIS professor Willow Pearson Trimbach and co-author Eva Tuschman Leonard explore how dreams reveal emotional truths that transform psychotherapeutic and spiritual practice.

The book just launched and has already drawn recognition from leading voices in psychoanalysis and contemplative practice, and now anyone from the community is welcome to experience the conversation.

Want to hear from the authors? Pearson Trimbach and Tuschman Leonard will celebrate the release of The Emotional Truth of Dreams at a book launch event hosted by CIIS Public Programs on July 22, 2026.

CIIS professor Willow Pearson Trimbach co-authors The Emotional Truth of Dreams, a new book exploring dream dialogues as paths to psychotherapeutic and spiritual insight.