Category: Announcement

Friday, August 14, 2023 the Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association actualized its vision of purchasing a building, which is located at 1767 S. 8th Street in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This building will house 1) a clinic for uninsured and underinsured individuals that will train students interested in humanistic, existential, and transpersonal psychology, 2) the International Archives of Existential and Humanistic Psychology, 3) the International Archives of Transpersonal Psychology, 4) the Colorado School of Professional Psychology Archives, and 5) private practices of humanistic, existential, and transpersonal counselors, psychologists, and psychotherapists.

The RMHCPA building is visioned to be a home for many in the humanistic psychology movement locally, nationally, and internationally. Over time, RMHCPA is building a premiere library collection of existential, humanistic, and transpersonal psychology books to go along with the archives collections, which already includes donations from Tom Greening, Ilene Serlin, Steve Pritzker, Shelley Diamond, and Louis Hoffman. RMHCPA will have regular social and training events in the archives as well.

In the coming months, we are planning many events to welcome people into our new home, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony, an open house, continuing education workshops, and an extended annual conference with several workshops in the new building. Over the course of the year, we are planning to bring in many important leaders in the humanistic psychology movement to present at the building, including Kirk Schneider, Erik Craig, Theopia Jackson, Ilene Serlin, Brent Dean Robbins, and Ed Mendelowitz.

While this is a monumental moment for RMHCPA and a historical moment for humanistic, existential, and transpersonal psychology, Dr. Louis Hoffman notes that there is still work to be done. RMHCPA’s goal is to pay off the primary loan for the building within 3-years. If this can be accomplished, Dr. Hoffman believes this will assure that the RMHCPA building will remain a home for humanistic psychology well after the current board members are no longer around. To support this goal, RMHCPA is writing grants and continuing a building fundraising drive.

To follow updates on the RMHCPA building, you can follow RMHCPA on:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Threads
• Twitter

Here are a few pictures from closing day:

RMHCPA Members and Supporters,

It has been an exciting year for the Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association! Earlier this month, we announced that RMHCPA was selected to host the Fourth World Congress of Existential Therapy June 3-6, 2026. Today, we have even bigger news! As of yesterday, we are officially under contract to purchase a building! If all goes well, we will be closing on the building and moving into our new space in mid-July. In the coming months, we plan to have many events celebrating the opening of the new building. These events will be live with some also having a virtual option. It is our intention that this building becomes an essential home for humanistic, existential, and transpersonal psychology. We hope that all of you will come to feel a connection with this new space.

As we have shared over the last couple of years as we have been working toward this goal, the building will house:

1) The RMHCPA Clinic, which will be a practicum site
2) The International Archives of Existential and Humanistic Psychology
3) The International Archives of Transpersonal Psychology
4) A premiere existential, humanistic, and transpersonal psychology library
5) Private practice offices for humanistic, existential, and transpersonal psychologists.

To actualize all of these potentials, we will need help from the humanistic community. We have set a goal of raising $250,000 through grant writing and fundraising over the next 3-years. This is an ambitious goal, but we are confident that we are up to the task–with your support!

There are various ways that you can help. If you have experience with grant writing, you could volunteer to help us write some of our grants. We will be looking for grants to 1) upgrade the building to ADA compliance, 2) remodel the space that will become the RMHCPA archives, 3) financially support the RMHCPA Clinic, and 4) expand our library and archives. You can also support us through financial contributions. We hope to increase our monthly donations by $1,000. Even a donation of $10 or $25 a month can help us meet this goal. You can sign up for monthly donations at https://www.pledge.to/rmhcpa-building-fund. We will continue to be seeking larger donations as well. With larger donations or monthly donations over a period of time, you will have opportunities to be recognized as a supporter of RMHCPA on our website and in the archives itself. For more information, visit https://rmhcpa.org/building-fund/.

We hope all of you will have a chance to visit us in our new space over the next year!

Louis Hoffman, PhD
Executive Director, RMHCPA

The Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association (RMHCPA) will be the official host of the Fourth World Congress of Existential Therapy, which will be held in Aurora/Denver, Colorado, from June 3-6, 2026. The Congress will be chaired by Louis Hoffman, Nathaniel Granger, Jr., H, Luis Vargas, and Lisa Xochitl Vallejos. A dedicated and talented Steering Committee will be an important part of the planning process.

The first three Congresses have been extremely successful events, drawing in hundreds of existential therapists. The 2023 Congress had over 550 attendees and presenters from many countries around the world. RMHCPA is committed to building upon the success of the first two Congresses to make the Fourth World Congress of Existential Therapy another successful event that helps advance existential therapy and bolster the impact that existential psychology has on the world.

For more information, please visit the website of the Fourth World Congress of Existential Therapy or follow the Fourth World Congress on social media.

We are very close to achieving the dream of having our own building!! The building will provide a place for us to build and strengthen the humanistic psychology community in Colorado and draw in people interested in existential, humanistic, and transpersonal psychology from across the country and around the world. We are excited to begin hosting regular social and training events in our own space, hopefully later this year.

The RMHCPA will host 1) the International Archives of Existential and Humanistic Psychology, 2) the International Archives of Transpersonal Psychology, and 3) the RMHCPA Clinic with a practicum site. We already have many items donated from leading figures in the history of the movement.

As we near the final stages, we need your help. We are in need of a few more people to commit to monthly tax-deductible donations. We are about $200 short of our minimum goal for monthly donations and $1,200 short of our target goal for sustainability. Even a donation of $20 a month–less than the price of one morning coffee a week–from 10 members will reach our minimum goal.

To sign up for a monthly donation, visit our Pledge page: https://www.pledge.to/rmhcpa-building-fund

For members who give a higher monthly donation, you can have your name included on a plaque in the archives that solidifies your place in the history of humanistic psychology. If you are interested in making a larger donation, please contact our Executive Director, Dr. Louis Hoffman.

The attainment of a building would truly be a historic moment of RMHCPA and for humanistic, existential, and transpersonal psychology. We hope you will become part of this history!!

Louis Hoffman, PhD
Executive Director
Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association

It is with much sadness that I share on behalf of the Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association of the death of Sandy Sela-Smith. Sandy died on June 6, 2021 of pancreatic cancer. She was a founding member of the Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association and the 2010 recipient of the Humanistic Exemplar Award, which was subsequently named after Dr. Sela-Smith. 

I first met Sandy when we taught together at Saybrook University. She taught courses on writing and transpersonal psychology, and she remained deeply involved with the Existential and Humansitic Psychology Specialization. In her capacity as a writing instructor and editor, she worked with numerous doctoral students at Saybrook University. Early on in my time at Saybrook, I was surprised at the depth of relationships she developed with many of her dissertation students—both those for whom she was serving on their committee and those for whom she was serving as editor. Her compassion and concern for students, and their writing, impacted more than the quality of the dissertation. Truly, she embodied a humanistic approach to editing and mentoring. 

In the years that I knew Sandy, I had the opportunity to work with her on dissertation committees, present workshops together, and serve on faculty committees with her. Some of my fondest memories of Sandy were in committee meetings when dealing with difficult topics. She routinely urged us to consider how our humanistic values should inform the way we approach difficult challenges. You could hear the compassion and the commitment in her voice as she time and again brought us back to our foundation. 

Sandy, too, was a dog lover, and I would be amiss not to share this important part of her life. She often sent me photos and videos of her dogs. Although I never met them, I felt like I had come to know their personalities. And her love for her dogs was evident in all her stories about them. This reflected how her humanistic values were not just about people. The interconnectedness of life—including the value of animals and nature—were part of who Sandy was. 

As Sandy went through her battle with pancreatic cancer, I stayed regularly in contact with her. She shared in many emails and texts, as well as a few phone calls, of how she was faring as she approached facing her own mortality. Her award presentation at the 2020 RMHCPA conference also discussed this journey and inspired many who were able to attend. Reading the responses to this presentation was truly heartening. Sandy loved life and wanted to live, but she also knew that, in reality, she wouldn’t. Through her writing and processing of her struggle, she also came to a peace with death that did not tarnish her love for life. This was not a perfect peace, as it rarely is when facing such a difficult path. Yet, she was honest with her struggle and with her peace, which was a gift to those who were part of this final journey of Sandy’s. I will always remember and cherish these final conversations—and I will miss them, too, as I miss my friend, Dr. Sandy Sela-Smith. These conversations were not unique with me. I know she shared her journey with many, and in doing this modeled again how her humanistic values informed every aspect of her life. 

In 2020, the RMHCPA board unanimously voted to name our humanistic exemplar award as the Sandy Sela-Smith Humansitic Exemplar Award because of the way that she consistently lived her humanistic values. Please join me and the board of the Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association in mourning the loss and celebrating the life of Dr. Sandy Sela-Smith. We invite you to share your memories and appreciations of Sandy as a comment on our website or Facebook page. We will compile these and, once we have established our archives, we will have a photo of Dr. Sela-Smith in the archives along with the compiled messages to honor her legacy. 

Boundaries and Self-Care for Therapists

Student Salon 

November 7, 2020

4 PM to 6 PM

Facilitated by Dave Fischer, PsyD.

Online by Zoom, Logon instructions sent with registration confirmation
Cost: $20 for Non-EHNW-Affiliates, $15 for students, No Charge for EHNW Affiliates

Engaging closely with others who are in psychological distress can sometimes take a personal toll on therapists. Depending on settings and personalities, the demands of providing therapy can put a therapist at risk of burnout, demoralization, and even ethically questionable or dangerous behaviors. Acknowledging limitations, asserting appropriate boundaries, and maintaining regular self-care practices are important protections. We will discuss these issues in our salon. Students and new therapists are encouraged to attend. Seasoned professionals are welcome and invited to bring their perspectives and to share tips. 

A Path to Living Life Fully: 8 Core Tenets of Existential-Humanistic Therapy

Lunch & Learn

December 11, 2020

1 PM to 3 PM

Presented by Bob Edelstein, LMFT, MFT

Online by Zoom, Logon instructions sent with registration confirmation

Cost: $10 for Non-EHNW-Affiliates and for students, No Charge for EHNW Affiliates

An aim of Existential-Humanistic Therapy is to help our clients live an authentic and actualized life. It is a therapeutic modality and a way of being. Bob will describe and explore 8 key tenets of an Existential-Humanistic perspective in therapy such as Process Orientation, Self-and-World-Constructs, and Being-in-the-World.

Bob will work with a volunteer who will explore a concern in an abbreviated interview. Afterwards, he will debrief the interview with the volunteer and the Lunch and Learn participants.

This Lunch and Learn will be 2 hours, from 1-3 PM. The charge is the same as for our regular Lunch and Learns.

For more information about these events, visit: www.ehnwpdx.org

The Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association is proud to announce its new partnership with Existential-Humanistic Northwest (EHNW). EHNW’s vision is to impact the world through our commitment to and passion for existential-humanistic values of authenticity, integrity, responsibility, inter-connectedness, inclusion, and awe. They provide education and training in existential-humanistic psychology in the Northwest United States. Some of their training events are offered online. RMHCPA will be providing information about many of EHNW’s training events and we hope collaborate on training activities in the future.

The Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association is pleased to endorse Dr. Kirk Schneider for president of the American Psychological Association. Dr. Schneider is a leader figure in humanistic psychology and the leading voice of existential-humanistic psychotherapy. His many contributions to humanistic and existential psychology speak for themselves.

While we are excited what Dr. Schneider’s presidency could mean for elevating an awareness of existential and humanistic psychology, this is not the only reason we are endorsing him for APA president. Dr. Schneider has many years of experience in leadership, including serving as president of the Existential-Humanistic Institute and the Society for Humanistic Psychology (APA Division 32). Additionally, Dr. Schneider has served on APA council. His success in these leadership roles demonstrate his preparedness for the role of APA president.

Dr. Schneider’s vision is the primary reason we are endorsing him for president. We currently are experiencing turbulent times in the United States and the world. Psychology has a role to play in healing from these difficult times. Polarization within the United States and much of the rest of the world, and within the field of psychology, has become an increasingly evident problem. Dr. Schneider’s experience, knowledge, and skill in working with polarization is greatly needed in the field of psychology. Furthermore, his call for a Psychologist General in the United States is sorely needed. As people in the United States suffer from the consequences of polarization, poverty, unhealthy amounts of work, racism, sexism, homophobia, and many other challenges, we need leadership rooted in the dignity and humanity of all people. We need leadership that is rooted in empathy and compassion.

Many of our board members know and have worked closely with Kirk. We know his integrity and compassion, and we know his vision for the field of psychology. We believe in his ability to help bring about the change and transformation that is needed. Dr. Schneider is the leader for professional psychology at this time.

If you are a member of the American Psychological Association, we strongly encourage you to consider voting for Dr. Kirk Schneider. You can find out more about his platform at this link: https://kirkjschneider.com/platform-for-apa-president/.

Written by Cathy Calvert, PsyD

It is with great sadness that I share with the Rocky Mountain Humanistic Counseling and Psychological Association (RMCHPA) community the loss of one of our members. Nicole (Nikki) Hohl, PsyD, died on Tuesday April 7, 2020. She leaves behind a husband, 8 children, and 2 grandchildren. Nikki was not only a fellow RMCHPA member and colleague, but also was a supervisee of mine. I had the good fortune to be her very first supervisor in her first practicum. She arrived in practicum as a quiet and gentle person who did not say much, but when she did speak many times what she had to say was perceptive and thoughtful. As a new trainee she provided her clients with a space for exploration in a stillness that was filled with respect and safety. She started her training with some of the more difficult clients at the clinic and would hear from her cohort how “lucky” she was and how “brave” she was to be working with some of her clients. Nikki never saw her clients as difficult or that she was “brave.” She, in a very human way, saw her clients as those who needed someone to listen and be present in their pain. Our paths crossed again during her training and I had the opportunity to be her final supervisor at the end of her Psychology Internship at UCCS. Nikki continued to have a similar presence like she had at the beginning of her training—the kind of presence that created space for her clients to see themselves in a different way, a way that could create change for them. Through a compassionate approach, her clients felt cared for and supported while they experienced change. At the end of her training, she had become more confident and less quiet. It was if she had finally found her “pou sto” – gently hold a space for another.

Nikki was a wonderful clinician and knowledgeable psychologist and yet there were parts of her that even colleagues did not know. She married young, and she and her husband, married 31 years, had 8 wonderful children.  While Nikki was in graduate school getting her doctorate in psychology, she was also homeschooling all 8 children. She became a published author of a fictional novel during graduate school. Nikki had a dream to go to graduate school, get her doctorate in psychology, and work in a private practice. She completed all her coursework, post-doctoral residency, and as of March 2020, became a licensed psychologist and opened her own private practice. She reached her goal! Those that knew her personally were richer for the experience and those that she helped along the way were given a gift. I will miss Nikki and am grieving the future we would have had as colleagues. I believe our profession will miss her still, gentle spirit of healing as well.  

Click here to read Nikki’s obituary.