The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology is grateful to announce the Self Space Scholarship Fund thanks to the generosity of local alumni. Co-founded by Rachel Lund, LMHC, who graduated with a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology (MACP) in 2013, Self Space is a Seattle-area practice with many alumni and interns from The Seattle School on staff providing mental health and therapy services. The $4,000 scholarship will be awarded each year to graduate students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) with the purpose of funding the required 40-hours of personal therapy for the MACP degree program.
This new scholarship is noteworthy for two reasons. The Self Space Scholarship Fund honors the importance of therapists having experiences of their own in therapy before entering the field, emphasizing how personal therapy is essential to this work as healers. Also, this scholarship helps remove the financial barrier to therapeutic care, specifically supporting the emergence of underrepresented and historically marginalized students into the field of psychology.
Rachel Lund explained how her training and experience as a Seattle School student led to the creation of the Self Space scholarship: “I’m delighted Self Space gets to partner with The Seattle School and support the incredible training they offer to developing therapists. As an alumna myself, I benefited from their approach of healing from the inside out–being healers who are also in their own process of being healed. This thoughtful approach sets us up as therapists to be able to connect deeply, vulnerably, and authentically with our clients, and creates a tone of mutuality from the start.”
Our hope is to be led by our alumni, and we are grateful for the leadership of Rachel Lund and Self Space in seeking to address challenges and inequities in the training process for practitioners. BIPOC first-year and returning MACP students enrolled at half-time or above are eligible to apply for this scholarship. Please see the essay and video prompt and further instructions on the Paying for School page on our website. This scholarship joins the Multicultural Scholarship, the Brave Bauman Scholarship, and the Molly Clark Kenzler Scholarship, all reflecting and representing the generosity and care of our community in supporting the next generation of healers.
Academic Programs and Financial Services Manager Ligaya Avila expressed gratitude on behalf of The Seattle School: “To find scholarships at the graduate level can be few and far between, especially for part-time students. We are thrilled when Seattle School alumni are moved to pay it forward to current students, especially our BIPOC community. To Rachel and Self Space, thank you for being a pioneer in offering this meaningful scholarship.”