Master of Arts (MA) in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, with a concentration in
Transpersonal Wilderness Therapy
Quick Facts
60
Credit
Hours
10
Weeks
of Immersive Wilderness Therapy Training
of Immersive Wilderness Therapy Training
1
Out of 3
Students Hired by Their Internship Site
Students Hired by Their Internship Site
Apply to Naropa
Courses You Could Take
in Wilderness Therapy
At Naropa, wilderness therapy is defined as the conscious incorporation of nature into therapeutic interventions. Unique among wilderness therapy programs, Naropa’s master’s in transpersonal wilderness therapy degree integrates classroom learning, hands-on experience, and contemplative practices.
Year one, you’ll study theoretical foundations of counseling and transpersonal psychology, wilderness therapy, counseling practices, and diversity awareness. Year two, you’ll experience a series of intensives that integrate therapeutic practice with environmental awareness and outdoor skills while weaving traditional coursework throughout. Year three, you’ll complete an internship and capstone project while attending classes partially online and partially on campus.
Master’s in transpersonal wilderness therapy courses include:
Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling
Learn how to put mindfulness at the center of your future counseling practice in a master's degree program that extends your study of body and mind to an exploration of heart and soul.
Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology
Ground your counseling practice in the Buddhist contemplative wisdom tradition with a graduate degree program that focuses on guiding others with compassion and humility.
Somatic Counseling: Body Psychotherapy
Learn to heal both mind and body using powerful somatic techniques that combine clinical mental health theory and body psychotherapy in a master’s degree that’s one of the first of its kind.
Somatic Counseling: Dance/Movement Therapy
Develop clinical skills in using movement as a tool for healing in a master's degree program that allows you to design a career around your love for dance.
Transpersonal Art Therapy
Learn how to use the healing power of art to treat the whole person in this graduate degree program that integrates transpersonal theory with clinical counseling approaches.
The Naropa Difference
The beauty of the landscapes we explore, Boulder’s progressive community, and the transformative on-campus environment make graduate wilderness therapy training at Naropa an unparalleled learning experience.
Wilderness Solo and Vision Quest
Participate in a rites of passage ceremony, including a multi-day vision fast, to mark the transition from second to third year. The vision fast is part of a four-day, three-night wilderness solo and vision quest you’ll experience in the Colorado backcountry.
As you unplug and deeply connect with nature, you’ll discover your most authentic self. As a result, you’ll be more prepared to help others find peace and healing in nature.
Clinical Internships
During your third year, you’ll complete a nine- to 12-month clinical internship that provides invaluable practical training and experience. You’ll continue your online courses and will visit campus twice per semester for weekend intensives. This flexibility allows students to study at Naropa from anywhere in the United States.
Our students in the transpersonal wilderness therapy degree program have had a wide range of opportunities working with diverse clinical populations at internship sites such as schools, traditional clinical practices with outdoor therapy programs, equine-assisted therapy programs, residential treatment programs, and backcountry-based programs. As many as one-third of our graduate students receive job offers from their internship placements.
Wilderness Therapy Training
Explore the backcountry of the Rocky Mountains and canyons in Utah. Learn about equine therapy at local horse stables and horticulture therapy at gardens. Participate in lectures outside in nature. In Naropa’s wilderness therapy program, you’ll have a variety of opportunities to gain hands-on experience and develop therapeutic skills through intensive training expeditions in rock climbing, primitive skills, challenge courses, horticulture, and horsemanship.
Students Transformed
In response to the COVID crisis, graduate students in Naropa’s transpersonal wilderness therapy program have created an online mental health resource project: We Will Get Through This. The website hosts virtual live stream feeds of guided meditations, yoga practices, psycho-education, and various regulation methods for managing mental health during this pandemic.
Clinical Counseling
Clinical
Counseling
Complete coursework required for professional licensure in most states.
Complete coursework required for professional licensure in most states.
Outdoor Therapy
Outdoor
Therapy
Use therapeutic wilderness skills in nature-based approaches to counseling.
Use therapeutic wilderness skills in nature-based approaches to counseling.
Natural World
Natural
World
Learn how culture and social structures shape relationships with nature.
Learn how culture and social structures shape relationships with nature.
Buddhist Tradition
Buddhist
Tradition
Practice contemplative wisdom and body awareness throughout the program.
Practice contemplative wisdom and body awareness throughout the program.
Transpersonal Psychology
Transpersonal
Psychology
Extend your personal transformation into transformative work with others.
Extend your personal transformation into transformative work with others.