Faculty & Staff

Carole L. Clements, Chair
BA, Syracuse University, Political Science
MFA, Naropa University, Writing and Poetics: Concentration in Prose

MA, Naropa University, Psychology: Contemplative Psychotherapy

Carole’s passion lies in the telling of things, and it is from this passion that she teaches. Carole is creative, innovative, and probing.  She is dedicated to authentic self-expression which is fluid rather than fixed, and thus always excitingly and maddeningly changing. Carole invites – often by way of provocation – curiosity and discovery among her students by prompting them to enter into the unpredictable waters of intra- and interpersonal engagement, in an energetic exploration of creative group dynamics that heralds resistance, and is thorough, magical, and ultimately transforming. Carole excavates stories that can be well-articulated, creatively crafted, and cognitively understood, but values even more the stories that are beyond conceptual understanding, yet lived in fleeting moments of immediacy. Carole is convinced that all stories are intertwined, and at the intersections the keepers of these stories—the people who live and witness them—are re-shaped in to something larger, which contains and reveres the sparkly filaments for creating a more expansive and inclusive whole.

Jane Carpenter, Associate Professor
BA, State University of New York, Oswego
MA, Naropa University

Jane Carpenter has taught children and adults of all ages for twenty-five years. Trained in marriage and family therapy, she continues a private practice in Boulder. She is a certified school counselor and has counseled high-risk teenagers in addition to working with young children and families. Jane began her studies and practice of Buddhism in 1975 under the guidance of Ven. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and has taught and coordinated programs for Shambhala and Buddhist centers for fifteen years. She is a student and instructor of Ikebana, Japanese flower arranging, and a teacher of Dharma Art. Contact info: 303-245-4602; jane@naropa.edu.

Frank Berliner
BA, Yale University
MA, Naropa University

Frank Berliner is a core faculty member in the Contemplative Psychology Department and a psychotherapist and organizational consultant in private practice, specializing in communication training and conflict resolution. Frank has been a student of Naropa’s founder, Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, since Naropa's opening session in summer 1974. He studied the psychology and practice of meditation intensively for four years at the Karme Choling Buddhist Retreat Center, then served three years as national director of Shambhala Training and four years as director and teacher-in-residence of the Berkeley Shambhala Center.

Susan Burggraf
BA, Rosemont College
MA, Bryn Mawr College
PhD, Bryn Mawr College

Susan Burggraf, PhD, is a psychologist with a broad background in social, developmental and clinical psychology. Her dissertation was about the appeal of horror movies under the supervision of social psychologist Clark McCauley. Susan taught at Mount Holyoke and Bowdoin Colleges for eleven years before coming to Naropa. Her recent research has been in the area of the effects of various kinds of meditation on empathy, altruism and other social affects and behaviors. During her years at Bowdoin and Mount Holyoke, Susan began to integrate contemplative methods into her traditional Western psychology courses, and she is delighted to now be studying psychology in a community that is steeped in contemplative practice. She is a practitioner in the Dzogchen tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Contact info: 303-546-3524; sburggraf@naropa.edu.

Peter Grossenbacher, Associate Professor, Consciousness Lab Director
BA, University of California, Berkeley, Cognitive Science and Mathematics
MS, University of Oregon, Experimental Psychology
PhD, University of Oregon, Experimental Psychology

Peter Grossenbacher teaches courses in Perception, Neuroscience, Mindfulness Meditation, Cognitive Psychology, Personality, and Research Methods. Before joining Naropa’s core faculty in 2000, he conducted research on human attention at the National Institute of Mental Health, and taught at the University of Oregon, England's University of Cambridge, and American University in Washington, DC. In collaboration with students in Naropa’s Consciousness Laboratory, he conducts empirical research on meditation instruction, worldview transformation, and engagement with awareness. His research has been covered in the New York Times, Smithsonian Magazine, and Discover Magazine. A practitioner of meditation since 1980, Peter speaks internationally on contemplative education, synesthesia, meditation, and the brain.

Staff

Carol A. Frederick, Administrative Director
BA, Naropa University 2004
MS, Regis University 2006

Carol guides the operational and administrative functions of the undergraduate psychology program.  She received her Master’s degree in Management from Regis University and has a broad administrative/operations management background. Carol brings a passion for servant leadership, effective team development and a vision for organizational change that is based in whole-systems theory. Contact info: 303-546-3518; cfrederick@naropa.edu.

Joanna Morris, Advisor
MSW, University of Denver
B.A. Psychology and English, University of Wyoming

Joanna is happy to be a part of the Undergraduate Advising team here at Naropa University and enjoys serving as an advisor for students as they embark on this exciting chapter of their lives.  She endeavors to provide students with guidance and resources that enrich their academic journey and promote a holistic learning experience.  Contact info: 303-245-4826 jmorris@naropa.edu

Adjunct Faculty

Jason Appt
BA, Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia & Edith Cowan University, Perth-Western Australia
MA, Psychology: Contemplative Psychotherapy, Naropa University

Jason has been working as an educator and mental health professional for the past nine years at universities, in public & private schools, psychiatric hospitals, community agencies and private practice. He currently teaches in the graduate and undergraduate Contemplative Psychology Departments at Naropa. He also has a part-time psychotherapy practice, teaches Hebrew school, is actively engaged in the Jewish Renewal community, and is a regular substitute teacher at two elementary schools in Boulder. Jason is a meditation instructor and has been practicing mindfulness meditation for ten years. He previously served as an intern-therapist at Naropa Counseling Center. Jason is passionate about revitalizing Jewish contemplative practices, bringing social & emotional learning (SEL) into mainstream American education, and advocating for human rights in the mental health system.

Zoë Avstreih
Director, Dance Movement Therapy Program
BA, State University of New York, Albany
MS, Hunter College
LPC, NCC, BC-DMT

Zoë Avstreih is a licensed professional counselor and a member of the Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist. She is also a licensed psychoanalyst and licensed creative arts therapist in New York State. She is the founder/director of the Center for the Study of Authentic Movement and founder and former director of the graduate Dance Movement Therapy Program at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. A pioneer in the development of Authentic Movement, she lectures and teaches internationally and has published widely. 

Marlow Brooks

Marlow Brooks studied classical acupuncture in both England and the United States and graduated from the Worsley Institute of Classical Acupuncture. She studied plant spirit medicine with Eliot Cowan. Marlow maintains a private healing practice and teaches workshops and yearlong apprenticeships in five-element healing and plant spirit medicine. She became a student of Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche, in 1975 while attending the Naropa Institute. She also teaches Buddhism, Shambhala training and oriental brush calligraphy.

Marvin Casper
BA, City College of New York
MA, advanced graduate study, New York School for Social Research

Marvin Casper formerly chaired the Contemplative Psychology Department. He has taught at Naropa for many years, and is the editor of two of Trungpa Rinpoche's books: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism and Myth of Freedom.

Christine Caldwell
BA, University of California, Los Angeles
MA, University of California, Los Angeles
PhD, Union Institute

Christine is the founder and former director of the Somatic Counseling Psychology Department at Naropa University in Boulder, where she currently teaches coursework in somatic theory and skills, and in birth and death imprinting. Her work began twenty years ago with studies in anthropology, dance therapy, bodywork and Gestalt therapy; and has developed into innovations in the field of body-centered psychotherapy. She calls her work the Moving Cycle. This system goes beyond the limitations of therapy and emphasizes lifelong personal and social evolution through trusting and following body energy and wisdom. The Moving Cycle work spotlights natural play, early physical imprinting, the transformational effect of fully sequenced movement processes, the practice of dying, the opportunities in addiction and a trust in personal essence. She has taught at the University of Maryland, George Washington University, and Santa Barbara Graduate Institute; and trains, teaches and lectures internationally. Her books include Getting Our Bodies Back, and Getting In Touch.

Shyamaa Creaven MA, Adjunct Faculty
BA, Naropa University
MA, Naropa University

Shyamaa has served as a teaching assistant for both graduate and undergraduate level psychology and religious studies classes. Shyamaa has also led workshops and training modules on various themes within the field of psychology/psychotherapy at other instiutions. Her style of advising is empowerment based, serving as a resource, academic guide and liaison to the department and the university for students in the BA psychology department and any student having interest in the psychology department. Shyamaa maintains a half-time psychotherapy private practice in Boulder. Shyamaa currently teaches Gestalt: Presence. Contact info: 303-245-4603; screaven@naropa.edu.

Robert Diehl
BA, University of Colorado
MA, University of Northern Colorado

Robert is a Jungian-oriented psychotherapist in private practice in the Denver/Boulder area since 1979. He holds degrees in religious studies, counseling psychology and has completed five years of post-graduate training in clinical psychology at the Fielding Institute. His internship in counseling psychology emphasized general psychotherapy, health psychology and group psychotherapy. His practicum and internship in clinical psychology was at Adams County Medical Health Center, with rotations in psychological testing and assessment, child, adolescent and adult psychotherapy, and the evaluation and treatment of severe mental illness in adults. He has also been on the psychology staff of Mapleton Rehabilitation Hospital and the Boulder Chronic Pain Center, responsible for evaluation and treatment of chronic pain patients. Robert has worked closely in private practice with physicians and other medical providers, treating survivors of mild traumatic brain injury. He lectures and presents workshops on a variety of western esoteric traditions, including gnosticism, Hermeticism, Alchemy and Celto-Arthurian lore, for local and national audiences. He is a founding member of the Boulder Friends of Jung and serves on their Executive Board. Robert teaches Introduction to Jung and Dynamics of Intimate Relationships at Naropa University, and serves as a student mentor in the Interdisciplinary Studies Department.

Eric Dorninger
BA, University of Colorado, Boulder
MA, Bastyr University
ND, LAc

Eric Dorninger is a naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist practicing at Roots and Branches Integrated Health Care Clinic in Boulder, CO. He received his BA in kinesiology from the University of Colorado, Boulder in 1997. During this time he also completed his EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) training and subsequently worked with the Cranford First Aid Squad in 1998. Thereafter, Eric received his Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine and Master of Science in Acupuncture from Bastyr University. In addition to practicing general medicine, Eric enjoys administrating Stop Smoking programs at University of Colorado, Boulder.

Tracy Goldenberg
BA, Webster University
MA, Naropa University

Margot Iseman
BA, State University of New York at Buffalo
MA, Naropa University

Margot Iseman is an adjunct professor at Naropa University where she teaches in the Early Childhood Education program, the graduate Transpersonal Psychology Program, the Traditional Eastern Arts program, as well as the BA Contemplative Psychology program. She is a body-centered psychotherapist and a drug and alcohol counselor. Margot is also an avid dancer, who taught dance in the Boulder community for years before receiving her degree in Dance Therapy at Naropa University. As part of her master's program, she also studied and received a certificate as a body-mind centering practitioner, which is a core element of her approach to body-mind psychotherapy as a teacher and therapist. The psychology of the body-mind deeply impacts the way she teaches meditation classes as well. She has been associated with Naropa University since the summer of 1975, when she became a student of Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. She has been a devoted student and practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism since that time.

Brigitta Karelis
MA, Philips University, Marburg, Germany
MA, Naropa University

Brigitta Karelis received a German diploma (equivalent to an MA) in Paedagogik, a study combining social work and psychology. She also holds an MA in somatic psychology. She has worked with drug addicted youth, political refugees, the mentally ill and hospice clients. She is an authorized Buddhist meditation instructor. She has a private practice in psychotherapy and specializing in healing the effects of trauma. She teaches internationally for the Hakomi Somatics Institute.

Janine L. Malcolm
BA, University of California, Berkeley
MA, Bastyr University
ND, LAc

Janine L. Malcolm is a naturopathic physician and licensed acupuncturist. She attended the University of California, Berkeley, where she played PAC 10 volleyball and received a BA in psychology with a pre-med focus. Janine received her doctor of naturopathic medicine and a master's degree in acupuncture from Bastyr University in Seattle, WA. She did further training in Shanghai, China. Janine currently has a private practice in Boulder, Colorado. She is on the adjunct faculty at Naropa teaching Approaches to Healing in the Contemplative Psychology Department and also teaches at the North American Institute of Medical Herbalism.

Suzanne Marie
MA, University of Colorado, Denver

Suzanne Marie has practiced in the field of bodywork and psychology since 1987. She is the founder and co-director of Integrative Body Psychotherapy of Boulder as well as a course consultant for Regis College. She is currently on the teaching staff for IBP of Boulder and is adjunct teaching faculty for the Contemplative Psychology and Somatic Couseling Psychology departments, as well as being an intern supervisor for the Somatic Couseling Psychology Department.

Brigitte Mars
MT, Boulder College of Massage
AHG, American Herbalist Guild

Brigitte Mars is an herbalist and nutritional consultant from Boulder, Colorado who has been working with natural medicine for more than forty years. She is the author of fifteen books including The Country Almanac of Home Remedies, The Sexual Herbal, The Desktop Guide to Herbal Medicine, Rawsome!,  Beauty by Nature, Healing Herbal Teas, and Addiction Free Naturally. Brigitte also teaches at Esalen, Omega Institute, Kripalu and in Europe. Brigitte is a blogger for Huffington Post and Care2 and has been featured on NBC Dateline.

Rob McNamara
BA, Susquehanna University
MA, Transpersonal Counseling Psychology, Naropa University

Rob co-teaches Therapeutic Applications of Human Development and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on Transpersonal Psychology. He has been lecturing on Integral Psychology and Human Development at Naropa University over the past 8 years for both graduate and undergraduate students in a number of academic and professional programs including the MA Transpersonal and Contemplative Psychology programs and BA Contemplative Psychology program. Rob has contributed to the Integral movement over the past 8 years as a leading integral practitioner. Rob has worked with Ken Wilber and the Integral Institute, served as one of the core faculty for the Integral Life Practice seminars, contributed to Integral Life, taught at Boulder Integral and is an Integral Coach for iEvolve. Rob’s area of expertise is the intersection of integral practice, human performance and integral strength training and is one of the leading figures cutting the path for a men’s integral practice community.

Jayme L Peta
BA, Wesleyan University
MA, Naropa University

Jenny Suarez
BA, Florida Gulf Coast University
MA, University of Alabama

Jenny is a full-time undergraduate admissions counselor who works with prospective first-year students from the Northeast, Southeast, and Texas. She completed her graduate degree in educational psychology from the University of Alabama, where she also worked at the Women's Resource Center. Jenny came to Naropa with experience in counseling women who have undergone physical/emotional trauma as a result of domestic violence and/or sexual assault. She also served as a school psychologist for the K–12 population and has implemented numerous student programming initiatives. She is originally from Florida, but is currently pursuing a lifelong dream of living in the mountains and helping others find their life path. Contact info: jsuarez@naropa.edu