Saybrook University’s contributions to the field of psychology was once again very evident at the recent American Psychological Association (APA) Convention. During the convention, the new leadership of the Society for Humanistic Psychology (APA Division 32) assumed office.

Saybrook faculty member Donna Rockwell is the new President of the Society for Humanistic Psychology (SHP) and another Saybrook faculty member, Dr. Nathaniel Granger, Jr., began his role as president-elect. Additionally, Kirk Schneider, also a Saybrook faculty member, completed his term as past president.

Two Saybrook alumni began terms on the board of the Society of Humanistic Psychology. Veronica Lac was elected as SHP’s Secretary of the Board. She also began her term inthe role of the Awards Committee. Saybrook alum Lisa Vallejos began her term as a member-at-large on the board.

At the APA convention, one of the primary highlights was when Dr. Nathaniel Granger—who teaches in the Existential, Humanistic, and Transpersonal Psychology Specialization—gave an embodied re-enactment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1967 speech to APA. He was also featured in a documentary, “Creative Maladjustment,” which was presented and discussed at the convention. This documentary and discussion considered Dr. King’s relevance and influence in the field of professional psychology.

Other presentations by faculty in Saybrook’s Existential, Humanistic, and Transpersonal Psychology (EHTP) Specialization included:

• The Resurgence of Awe in Psychology: Promise and Perils by Kirk Schneider (EHTP Faculty). This was part of the Symposium “Don’t Worry, Be Happy—Cultural, Theoretical, and Clinical Critiques of the Positive Psychology Movement.”
• Poetry, Social Media, Healing, and Growth by Louis Hoffman (EHTP Faculty). This was part of the symposium “Innovation and Creativity in Supporting Mental Health Needs Through Technology.”
• “Developing an Existential-Humanistic Approach to Case Formulation and Treatment Planning”by Louis Hoffman (EHTP faculty) and Heatherlyn Cleare-Hoffman
• “Key Influences on the Development of Existential-Humanistic Psychology” by Heatherlyn Cleare-Hoffman and Louis Hoffman (EHTP faculty)
• “Strategies and Skills for Becoming an Effective Ally to Diverse Populations” by Lisa Vallejos (Saybrook alumna), David St. John (EHTP faculty), and Shawn Rubin
• “Entering into Animal Worlds: Experiential Approaches to the Environment of Animals and Humans” by Scott Churchill (EHTP faculty)
• “Reframing Internal Validity, Reliability, and External Validity for Phenomenological Research” by Scott Churchill (EHTP faculty)