At The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, we don’t train technicians alone — we form reflective, relational practitioners. You’ll learn to bring your whole self into the room with clients, integrating authentic presence, emotional awareness, and clinical skill.
Let us tell you how!
Tell me about The Seattle School’s “Secret Sauce” courses?
While our entire curriculum stands out – just browse our course schedule / course descriptions / teaching faculty here – two classes in particular capture The Seattle’s School’s ethos and pedagogy, and are known as our Signature Courses: our Listening Lab and Intersections, both of which are required for both our counseling psychology and theology students.
So, what are they?
Our Listening Lab dives into what it means to be a deep listener at three levels – intrapsychically, interpersonally, and in group dynamics – to hone in on and cultivate a relational stance with others, fine tuning your abilities to observe, be open, and be curious. In other words: what is the other person saying? How is what they’re saying impacting you? And how is your being impacted shaping the continued exchange within the room? How are realities – past and present, personal and collective – shaping lived human exchanges? And how can you hold all of this with compassion and empathy?
We believe that transformation occurs in relationships. We establish places for you to land each week and to hang out at the intersection of course content and process. This is small group work wherein you get to practice engaging your internal world with others within an academic frame. You’ll re-member your own life: register, reflect, and reply, without jumping to meaning making, as we are often to do.
Because of the deeply personal and interpersonal nature of this work, we require students to complete 40 hours of personal therapy while in school, and encourage continued therapy throughout their coursework.
In addition to our Listening Labs, we are proud to offer our three part Intersections series. You will take Intersections each trimester of your first year in graduate school, and each trimester will have a slightly different focus, each preparing you to write your first year capstone paper answering the question: What is Human Flourishing? By bringing together both the counseling psychology and theology fields, you’ll create your very own academically integrated framework. Hint: for this one, we’ll often point you back towards your admissions personal statement essay to expound upon: what is it you’re hoping to build? Another hint: there really is no “right” answer; this is your opportunity to fine tune, within an advanced academic framework, your professional vocational goals.
In Intersections I – “Interdisciplinary Inquiry & Psychological Frameworks,” you’ll be introduced to interdisciplinary inquiry through the lens of psychology. You’ll consider such concepts as “personhood” and “the self,” drawing on theory, history, and location.
In Intersections II – “Biblical Traditions & Theological Formations” – you’ll be introduced to interdisciplinary inquiry through a theological lens. You’ll critically look at the ways culture informs interpretations and subsequent theologies, and the real world implications therein.
Finally, in Intersections 503 – “Textual Integrations” – you’ll bring Intersections 501 & 502 together to draft and write your What is Human Flourishing paper. This piece will serve as a significant part of your graduate school portfolio and later professional development.
Tell me about the therapy requirement?
Another key aspect of The Seattle School’s signature pedagogy, and one not often enough required by other counseling psychology and theology programs: if you intend to enter the healing profession, you must address what brought you to this decision. The Seattle School has an intentional psychotherapy requirement. As Dr. Dan Allender says, we are often wounded healers, often leading with a limp. We are working with content in the classroom that should activate us and invite us to consider all the things that will be with us when we sit in the therapist chair, so we need to experience what it’s like on the other side of things. A lot will come up in the classroom, and so you’ll need support outside of the classroom and outside of our program of study to more deeply work through it.
We ask for 40 hours of psychotherapy with one fully licensed provider in an 18 month period, during your academic matriculation, before beginning your internship. Ideally, you’re beginning this by the winter of your first year. You’ll track your therapy hours with your faculty. We are training you to be licensed mental health counselors, so you need to see a licensed mental health counselor, or social worker, or psychologist.
Is it possible to visit a course while in the application stage?
Absolutely!
Check out our course schedule here to browse our offerings, and should one (or two or three) look interesting – careful to note whether the course is on campus or online – go ahead and email admissions@theseattleschool.edu to make your visit request. We’ll run your request by the teaching faculty. There are various reasons a faculty member denies a request – sensitive content material, student presentations, or students exams, for example – but if it’s during a week that works out for everybody, visiting a class is such an incredible way to get to know us! We’ll let you know a faculty decision either way.
Tell me about your Core Faculty?
Meet our core faculty, see their training, and what their research interests are here. We have a robust team, with academic and professional specializations spanning a wide variety, making our program robustly interdisciplinary.
Meet the rest of our teaching team, support staff, and student workers here.
What about Low Residency? How are you making sure all students are getting a relational experience?
Each year we welcome students into both our on campus and what we call “low residency” degree modalities. We identify as “low residency” – because even our students who opt into participating in their coursework remotely are required to travel to Seattle a number of times per year to participate in our Low Residency intensives, which typically run Wednesday / Thursday through Saturday. Though do note: both program modalities will have elements of online, on campus, synchronous, and asynchronous learning components. In those retreats, students will participate in intensive coursework alongside colleagues and faculty, experience campus, and also: simply play. This is one of the ways we are relational: far from being anonymous faces on a zoom screen, your colleagues are the ones journeying beside you throughout your training, and after graduation, they will be your professional network. By having immensely valuable, in person touchpoints, you’re building a powerful community with your peers, and orienting towards our Seattle based campus.
Outside of residencies, our students, faculty, and staff work hard to make sure you feel connected to The Seattle School. In addition to practical access points – like the library, the writing center, and the office of Student Academic Services – you’ll have opportunities to rest and to play from afar, like our weekly prayer service, or annual book exchanges, to name a few.
What about extra-curriculars and outside-of-the-classroom opportunities?
You will have opportunities to join various student groups throughout your time at The Seattle School, both on campus and online. Whether you’re interested in joining a student group based on shared interests or identity, or you’re interested in joining Student Leadership and facilitating campus conversations and rhythms, we’ve got a space for you.
Furthermore, through our alumni networking, you’ll soon discover an entire global community of Seattle School folks passionately working to bring about healing and restoration. Our alumni embody who we are, and lead us into the world.
So, at The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, we don’t train technicians alone — we form reflective, relational practitioners through our signature pedagogy, world class faculty, carefully curated on campus and low residency programming options, and ample opportunity for community engagement, both as a student and beyond. You’ll learn to bring your whole self into the room with clients, integrating authentic presence, emotional awareness, and clinical skill.
We can’t wait to walk beside you as you make your way into The Seattle School community!