TRAINING
CIP offers a rare integrative psychology emphasis within an APA-accredited clinical psychology program... a frontier of psychological training.
CIP offers coursework and experience in empirical modalities like CBT, DBT, ACT, & Psychodynamic, along with innovative approaches like psychedelic treatment and harm reduction.
CIP hosts professional events, serving as a platform for innovative ideas and a nexus of creative collaboration and emergent thinking across orientations, cultures, and healing traditions.
Amidst a trend of elite programs (e.g. UC Berkeley) intentionally dropping APA accreditation, CIP bridges increasingly disparate worlds of APA and non-APA accredited programs.
California School of
Professional Psychology
The Center for Integrative Psychology is housed in the APA-accredited Clinical PsyD Program at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), located at Alliant International University in San Diego.This collaboration between CSPP and CIP aims to provide the best of both worlds: a solid foundation of traditional, rigorous APA clinical training, enhanced by a forward-thinking integrative curriculum and enriched professional experiences.
Integrative Psychology Emphasis Area
CSPP is a professional psychology school focused on training psychologists for careers in clinical practice. Integrative clinical training at CIP builds mastery consistent with the common progression of psychotherapists through their careers. Most psychologists who devote the heart of their careers to practicing psychotherapy gradually integrate aspects of other approaches and discover limitations to their own.
The training model utilized at CIP is Assimilative Integration.
Assimilative Integration emphasizes mastery of one system of psychotherapy and selective integration of interventions and theories from other systems. Integrative emphasis students at CSPP naturally develop firm grounding in cognitive-behavioral (CBT, DBT, ACT) and psychodynamic theoretical orientations. In addition to core training in behavioral and psychodynamic approaches, integrative emphasis trainees learn to incorporate landmark systems such as existential, humanistic, multicultural, transpersonal, and psychedelic treatment in both coursework and experiential training.
Seasoned therapists adapt clinical practices and expand clinical repertoires, rarely discarding methods and instead reworking them, augmenting them, and seeing them from different angles under different lights. Integration of novel methods into home theories is inevitable when therapists aim to formulate the most effective approaches for each unique person and situation. CIP aims to equip and prepare future clinicians for how effective therapy is most often practiced.
Facets of CIP
Integrative Electives
To enrich robust training in evidence-based modalities such as CBT, DBT, ACT, and Psychodynamic therapy, integrative emphasis students can select from a wide range of electives, such as:
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Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy
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Integrative Harm Reduction for Addictive Problems
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Existential and Humanistic Psychotherapy
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Buddhist Psychotherapy
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Multicultural and Transpersonal Psychology
Hands-On Training Opportunities
CIP students engage in diverse clinical practicum experiences at local sites, including options to train in cutting-edge modalities such as psychedelic-assisted therapy and integrative harm reduction. These opportunities ensure that students can apply integrative techniques in real-world settings, helping clients from a variety of backgrounds and needs.
Dissertation & Scholarly Engagement
Students investigate a wide range of dissertation topics within the integrative emphasis. CIP emphasizes creativity and innovation in research that tests the boundaries of reality, pushes the envelope, and continuously deepens understanding. Students are encouraged to present their work as academic posters or at CIP-hosted events and continuing education workshops, gaining experience in sharing their ideas and contributing to the evolving dialogue within the field of psychology.
Integrative Dissertations
Through the Looking Glass: A Qualitative Investigation of Transformative Journeys in Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder
Tori Steffen, M.S.– estimated completion May 2027
The Integration of Gender and Sexual Identity Formation with Recreational Psychedelic Use Among LGBTQIA+ Individuals
Molly McElwee, M.A. — estimated completion May 2027
Sex and Psychedelics: Lessons on Love, Intimacy, and Sexual Well-Being
Katie Schneider, M.A. — estimated completion May 2026
The Effects of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) on the Conners Continuous Performance Test (CPT-3) and Flow State in Individuals with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Jacqueline Teitelbaum, M.A. — estimated completion May 2026
Psychoactive Substance Use and Sport Psychology: Assessing Mental Health, Flow, and Performance in Elite Athletes.
Aida Javaheri, B.S. — estimated completion March 2026
The BIPOC Experience of Psychedelic-assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Danna Gonzalez Casas, M.A. — estimated completion September 2025
A Phenomenological Investigation of Intention Setting in Recreational Psychedelic Use
Haley Martinez, M.A. — estimated completion Winter 2025
Ibogaine and 5-MeO-DMT Treatment for Special Operations Forces with Operator Syndrome: A Phenomenelogical Investigtation
Allie Sinclair, M.A. — estimated completion September 2025
Classic Psychedelics and Addiction Cessation: A Phenomenological Inquiry