Antioch University Santa Barbara

Monday morning has arrived again, the start of a new week, new experiences, and new discoveries.

Take a second to breathe, welcome the day, and appreciate these beautiful campus views!

As the mental health climate begins to progress, shift, and evolve, more and more clinicians are address the connection between mind, body, emotion, and nervous system health.

Antioch University’s Somatic Psychotherapy Certificate is designed for licensed therapists and helping professionals who want to deepen their clinical skills through body-based, trauma-informed, and experiential healing methods.

Guiding students through this work is Richard Lepore, a faculty member, psychotherapist, educator, and longtime practitioner of somatic psychotherapy.

Check out this Q&A with Richard, who was asked about the future of psychotherapy, the role of somatic awareness, and what students can expect from the Somatic Psychotherapy Certificate:
https://commonthread.antioch.edu/somatic-psychotherapy-certificate-at-antioch-university-a-qa-with-faculty-member-richard-lepore/

Layla Farinpour, LMFT, a graduate of the MA in Clinical Psychology program, was selected for inclusion in Marquis Who's Who.

“Highly regarded for her work in running an addiction consult service and developing referral programs that provide access to care for vulnerable populations, Ms. Farinpour has led an exemplary career in behavioral health, substance use disorder treatment and clinical leadership at Cottage Health, where she has served with distinction for nearly two decades.”

Read more here:

Marquis Who's Who Honors Lili Farinpour, LMFT, for Excellence in Behavioral Health June 30, 2026 -- Lili Farinpour, LMFT, is a distinguished leader in the psychiatry and clinical care sector with specialties in substance use disorder treatment and mental health services

Michelle Greenspoon Barrett, PsyD, published her dissertation in 2016, titled “The Relationship Between Empathy and Humor Styles and Secondary Traumatic Stress in the Public Mental Health Workplace.”

“The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a relationship between both empathy type and humor type to secondary traumatic stress (STS) in individuals who work in a public mental healthcare setting….The survey consisted of a sociodemographic questionnaire, as well as questionnaires related to humor, empathy, and secondary traumatic stress. Non- clinical staff was more likely to endorse STS and to report significantly higher scores Personal Distress Empathy scale, in comparison to clinical staff.”

“Public mental healthcare workers who disparage either themselves or others were more likely to report psychological distress. Perhaps a clue to this finding can be found in Freud’s original theory of humor, in which he posited that humor is a therapeutic defense to one’s own distress.”

Read the full dissertation here:
https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/310/

Campus views like these make mornings more enjoyable 🩵

Pride saves lives. Pride is year-round. Through inclusivity, community, and acceptance, we can create an equal world for all.

What is ecopsychology, and what is the role of ecopsychologists in a world deeply affected by climate change?

Nicole Auckerman PsyD, a 2022 graduate of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology, discusses the role psychologists play in addressing the psychological effects of climate change in her dissertation, "Ecopsychologists' Vital Importance in the Time of Climate Crises."

Read more here:
https://aura.antioch.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1838&context=etds

Happy Juneteenth!

We’re celebrating Black freedom, continued progress, and of course, community.

Santa Barbara’s free 8th Annual Juneteenth celebration begins at 11 am at Plaza Del Mar:
https://juneteenthsb.org/

BA in Liberal Arts (Business and Entrepreneurship) alum Maja Jonson used her Capstone project to create an awareness campaign around local and global homelessness issues and explore the possibility of affordable housing as a solution.

Jonson learned a lot about the Santa Barbara community and the associated stigma surrounding homelessness throughout her research. You can read more about Maja’s Capstone process here:

Maja Jonson - Common Thread Recent AUSB grad with a BA in Liberal Arts, Business and Entrepreneurship, Maja Jonson, used her Capstone project as an opportunity to create an awareness campaign around local and global homelessness issues and the potential of affordable housing as a ...