Complaint Review: Pacifica Graduate Institute

I am a graduate of Pacifica Graduate Institute with a Master's of Arts in Counseling Psychology ('02) and have worked as a counselor for the past 12 plus years. My educaiton from PGI prepared me well to excel professionally as a counselor, partly because the perspective of Pacifica is not confined to mainstream rhetoric. Professionally, I would not trade my PGI education for any other option and I am proud of having earned my master's degree there.

Personally, the approach to education and quality of contact with professors, fellow students, and the true heritage of the field have remained personal treasures of mine. Pacifica is not for everyone, and perhaps that is the essence of the reflection by the complainant here, but the conclusions drawn by the complainant are not universally shared, nor is it appropriate to proffer them as absolute.

I would not recommend Pacifica for everyone. I would recommend Pacifica for those who are willing to question convention without discarding it baselessly. I would recommend it to those who value truth, whether the source of that truth is within our dominant educational culture or elsewhere. I would recommend it to anyone truly interested in genuine critical thinking and self-understanding. I can say these things for many reasons, including the fact that my own questions and potential criticisms of PGI while I was there were honored and not dismissed. The integrity I mention was exemplified in the community that taught it. PGI earned my respect. I remain grateful for PGI and proud of my work, growth, and degree there.

I have attended Pacifica for 8 years and spent a lot of $$ there - and I completely disagree with the previous comment by Austin Texas- who does not attend (and I do not think ever did!). As I complete my PhD thesis, I do not regret a minute or dollar spent there. 

Pacifica is not a typical grad school - it's approach and focus is mythic, depth psychological and not the sort seen at traditional colleges in America. Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, Henri Corbin, James Hillman and  Marion Woodman, while shunned at many main-stream schools, are  welcome guests in Pacifica's challenging and paradigm-shifting classrooms. 

Many of Pacifica's professor teach or taught at other major universities across the country including Columbia, San Diego State and Texas U. Perhaps the disgruntled critic would do well to put his money where their mouth is- and not dishonor Pacifica - where "tending the World's soul" is taken seriously.