I am in my last quarter at AULA and I can truly say it has changed my life for the better...in so many ways! I got my BA from CSUN in 2007 and it was unmemorable to say the least. I began Antioch at age 31, when I was in a place that I KNEW what I was passionate about, and was ready to do what it takes to be a therapist in the field. I chose Antioch based on a few recommendations, the short commute, and my interest in Spiritual Psychology (I didn't know much). What I have learned about myself, the connections I have made with my peers, and the plethora of clinical psych understanding I have attained is nothing short of amazing! This will be one of those profound experiences in my life that has and will continue to change the trajectory of my life. A lot of what is taught, for me is innate, and a lot is brand new to me in ways of conceptualizing why people do, say, and feel the things they do. My classes have ranged from Trauma Perspectives, Domestic Violence, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Group Treatment Methods, and Spirituality & Depth Psychology. Moreover, I have taken workshops on Contemporary Issues of Aging, Self-care for Therapists, MBCT, DBT, and Eating Disorders. Field Study was one of my favorite experiential classes where I went out into the community to experience different cultures, religions, social class, stereotyped gender-related activities, and more. I then got to discuss my experience of these adventures with my fellow classmates online and learn about theirs. As a heterosexual caucasian female, raised Jewish and in the middle class, I wanted to get a taste for things completely different from what I knew. For example, I went to a Christian Church, I spent the day on Rodeo Drive, I shot guns at a shooting range, I attended service at the Self Realization Fellowship Center and I meditated at a Buddhist Meditation Center. The most interesting experience was choosing to go to a full nude strip club! My female friend and I spent the day in Van Nuys, in the mid-afternoon, talking to the strippers and learned so much about why they chose their profession, the need to self-medicate in order to do their job, the exorbitant amount of money they made, and the general disgust they felt for their patrons. We also got lap dances and chatted up the men sitting near us. IT WAS QUITE THE DAY! I dread/love being pushed outside of my comfort zone and see the immense value in better understanding the diverse nature of my prospective clients without judgement and recognizing my biases.
* Lastly I wanted to acknowledge Nicole W.'s experience of Antioch being "anti-white" and a proponent to institutionalized hate. I can only speak to my time at Antioch and the 100's friends/peers I have made here... This school is NOWHERE NEAR those descriptions. I can't even find the words to reply to that, considering the school is based on social justice, inclusion, and offers many great opportunities to challenge our old learned belief systems of internalized racism, homophobia, stereotypes, etc. Each class presents the possibility to continually consider the best ways to prevent and remedy "institutionalized hate"...hate comes in many forms- elder abuse, child-abuse, self-hate, racism, sexism, disableism, mysogyny, misandry, religious biases, White privilege is real, it is not anti-white, it is recognizing all the ways white people in America (such as myself) are afforded privileges by virtue of skin color. It is real in the same way male privilege exists. Truly grasping what white privilege means has been a gift for me in awareness, and allots me a newfound respect for the life experiences of my fellow (non-caucasian) Americans, that I have (subconsciously) not had the capacity to see. Learning about this concept fully means understanding placing blame is not helpful, feeling guilty or having sympathy for non-whites is not what creates change either. By awareness and recognition of this privilege, we may have knowledge of our own blindspots and developing EMPATHY (not the same as sympathy) is a piece of the healing puzzle. As a clinician, thoroughly analyzing these concepts are crucial to quality therapeutic work. Yes it is true that we are all equal, however, society DOES not treat people as such, and ignoring this fact is the way to keep our society "unhealed." We cannot work with what we are not willing to acknowledge. read more