Psychology & Human Development
"Faculty encourage students to develop self-awareness and a respect for both human and non-human worlds."
The Psychology and Human Development Program operates on a belief in human potential, social justice, and service. The courses are dynamic and participatory, allowing students to create a stimulating, enriching, relevant academic program.
Faculty encourage students to develop self-awareness and a respect for both human and non-human worlds. This requires integration of the cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, and spiritual aspects of the human personality, and an understanding of systems perspectives. This kind of integration often requires a shift in attention beyond modern Western views of human nature. At the advanced level, the program offers unique opportunities to learn through independent study and supervised field experiences.
Many students whose central interests lie in fields other than human development take courses from this program to gain knowledge and skills in leadership, facilitation of individual and group processes, conflict resolution, and service to specialized populations. Study in the Psychology and Human Development Program enhances learning in areas such as Adventure Education, Environmental Studies, Cultural and Regional Studies, and Arts & Letters or any area in which knowledge of human nature and relationship skills may prove relevant.
This program offers excellent academic and skills training for psychology and human development students. Graduates of the programs become psychologists, marriage and family therapists, educators, instructors for therapeutic adventure education programs, and mental health professionals.
Psychology and Human Development Program Competences
- Human Development
- Areas of Emphasis in Human Development
- Emphasis in Equine Assisted Mental Health
- Emphasis in Gender and Sexuality
- Emphasis in Massage Therapy
- Counseling Psychology
- Therapeutic Use of Adventure Education
- Ecopsychology
- Gender and Sexuality Studies
- Student-Directed Competences
Human Development
This competence area provides students with opportunities to select ... Learn more >
Equine Assisted Mental Health (EAMH) - Undergraduate
EAMH works with horses as partners in educational and therapeutic ... Learn more >
Emphasis in Massage Therapy
We partner with the Arizona School of Integral Studies (ASIS) to offer ... Learn more >
Student-Directed Competence Examples
Holistic Health and Wellness
The study and practice of holistic health and wellness integrates mind, body, and spirit. This integrative field embraces prevention, education, and wellness principles and requires students to refine critical thinking skills. While the holistic perspective has been distinguished from conventional Western medicine, the pioneer scholars and practitioners in this field now regard holistic health practices as complementary strategies to more mainstream methods of healing.
Mediation
Students become certified mediators and work as mediators-in-training in the Yavapai County Superior Court. Students complete such courses as Interpersonal Communications, counseling Skills, and Community Mediation and Principled Negotiation, leading to a Level I, 60-hour Mediation Certificate, which certifies students as having basic skills for community mediators. Advance students can complete Mediation Practicum class, which provides advanced training in victim -- offender mediation, as well as opportunities to work with senior mediators, matching victim to offender mediators with youth offenders in the Superior Court. Upon successful completion of this course, students receive a Victim Offender Mediation Training Certificate acknowledging that they have successfully completed this important training. These certificates are transferable to many other private and public organizations and institutions providing mediation services.
Psychology of Society and Culture
Psychology of Society and Culture explores interpersonal relationships through anthropology, ethnography, peace studies, social justice, global politics, economics, social change, the arts, psychological development, religion, race, and communication studies. Students learn techniques for activating social change and creating social justice.
Social Psychology
Students explore how the actual, imagined, and/or implied presence of others influences the psychological process. This approach to psychology focuses on the dynamics of individuals and society by studying counseling skills and theory, interpersonal communication, race and gender studies, and diverse approaches to therapy.
