Statement from the President

The American poet Wallace Stevens has stated, “The final belief is to believe in a fiction, which you know to be a fiction, there being nothing else. The exquisite truth is to know that it is a fiction and that you believe in it willingly.”

Psychology is one of the “fictions” of which Stevens speaks. It is a fiction which can be of great value to society if used in a wise and skillful manner and if used with full knowledge that it is only one of many fictions that help inform the complex human condition. The Professional School of Psychology was founded on the belief that mature women and men, who already have extensive, successful life experiences are those most likely to apply the concepts they have learned in a wise and skillful manner, while recognizing the equal validity of numerous other perspectives and claims to knowledge.

The Professional School of Psychology is unique in its responsiveness to working adults who seek advanced degrees in the field of psychology. The scheduling of evening, weekend, and intensive format classes, the use of practicing professionals as instructors, the structuring of a guaranteed tuition payment plan, and the provision of facilities for disabled men and women all increase the accessibility of PSP to working adults.

Student support systems (including academic advising, personal coaching, and internship and dissertation supervision) further enhance the opportunities for mature learners to benefit fully from programs of The Professional School of Psychology. This graduate institution is fully committed to the continuing exploration of new ways of serving the adult learner and improving the quality of those courses and programs that it now provides to these most valuable members of our society.

William H. Bergquist Ph.D. (whbergquist@aol.com)
President