Erik Craig

About Erik Craig

I am an existential psychologist and psychotherapist in private practice in Santa Fe, New Mexico. My background is in humanistic, existential, and psychoanalytic psychology, having mentored for many years each with some of the founders of these approaches to the field. More recently I have been studying Eastern approaches to depth psychotherapy, especially Tao Psychotherapy in Korea. I have been teaching, practicing and writing in humanistic and existential psychology and psychotherapy for over 40 years, holding full time faculty positions at Assumption College (19 years) in Worcester, MA; University of New Mexico (3 years) in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM; and Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barabara, CA (5 years). Although I retired from institutional employment in 2006, I am still actively lecturing and training practitioners in this country as well as in Europe and Asia. My primary interest as an independent scholar to develop phenomenological, hermeneutic grounds for understanding critical issues in psychological theory, research, and practice with the hope of achieving a comprehensive, existential approach to depth psychology. I have published over 60 articles in the field and have edited two groundbreaking anthologies on existential psychotherapy entitled Psychotherapy for Freedom: The Daseinsanalytic Way in Psychology and Psychoanalysis (1988) and Depth, Death and Dialogue: New Inquiries in Existential Depth Psychotherapy (2008). I was also wrote and edited the Daseinsanaalysis section of the Wiley World Hondbook of Psychotherapy. I have taken active state, national, and/or international leadership roles in the fields of dreams, existential/humanistic psychology, and psychoanalysis. My most recent personal and intellectual fascinations include the meanings of time, presence, loving-kindness, and death. As a psychotherapist I do my best to follow the person I am with, not any theory of how things \"should\" go or how a person \"should\" be. In addition to thoughtfully addressing problems, symptoms, and life difficulties, I am always aware of the challenges each of us face in simply \"being human.\"

Experience

1. Psychologist

   Serial Therapist

   Jun 1978 — Present · Santa Fe, NM, US

   As a psychologist I work with individuals and couples to address a wide range of emotional and interpersonal concerns through an existential, humanistic, psychodynamic approach.However, I do my best to follow the person I am with and not any theory of how things should go or how a person should be. In addition to thoughtfully addressing problems, symptoms and life difficulties, I am always aware of the challenges each of us face in simply being human and work hard to deal with all of these matters with each person in an honest, thoughtful, kind, compassionate, completely individualized manner.

Education

• Wheaton College

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

  1963 — 1967

• Boston University

  Doctor of Education (EdD)

  1974 — 1977

• Merrill Palmer Institute &Wayne State University

  Master's degree

  1968 — 1970

Skills

• Teaching
• Public Speaking
• Counseling Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Life Transitions
• Clinical Research
• Mental Health
• Psychology
• Psychotherapy
• Lecturing
• Daseinsanalysis
• Phenomenology
• Training
• Existential Therapy
• Clinical Supervision
• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
• Psychoanalysis
• Qualitative Research
• Writing
• Group Therapy
• Clinical Analysis of Dreams