The Center for Story and Symbol – Folk Story
As we all know, folk stories are the oral tradition of passing along knowledge. The Center for Story and Symbol has taken this definition and added a continuing education certificate element to it – yep, it’s possible, folks!
In keeping with our ethos of getting things done more efficiently, we’re sharing another one of our top finds for continuing education certificate courses if you found that Clearly Clinical wasn’t for you. Now, this feature is definitely for those interested in how storytelling and the likes of our favorite childhood fairy tales can reflect psychological dynamics and offer guidance to mental health practitioners in how they help clients.
After all, the best fairy tales involved lessons that moulded us during our childhood, but why did we stop referring back to them once we hit puberty? Well, the Center of Story and Symbol believes that it’s time to whip out the classics and read them through with a new lens.
Introductory Continuing Education Certificate Courses to The Psychology of Folk Stories and Law and Ethics for Psychotherapists
Founded by Pacifica Graduate Institute Faculty Member Jonathan Young, PhD, the Center offers continuing education seminars and workshops around the psychology of fairy tales, mythic stories, creativity, movies as mythic imagination, and law and ethics for mental health practitioners.
Psychologists, marriage & family therapists, teachers, social workers, nurses, clergy, and other mental health professionals get the chance to explore topics that are anything but ‘expected’ or ‘boring.’ So if you’ve ever wanted to explore the deeper meanings and psychological elements behind your favorite movie or fairy tale – and get continuing education certificate hours for it – this is your one-stop credit shop, and we’re here to do all the credit storing for you.
Current Continuing Education Certificate Topics
To give you an idea of what to expect, here are a few courses currently available on the Center for Story and Symbol’s website (as of December 2021). Each course offers continuing education credit. Better yet, no advance preparation is required, but you do get a recommended reading list to supplement the course.
- The Wisdom of Mythic Stories (Home Study Course) – Presents clinical applications of folklore and mythology through lively storytelling and discussions of the Wizard of Oz. Here you will explore how popular stories reflect adult psychological dynamics and guide those dealing with life-stage transitions.
- Life-Story: Embracing the Unfolding Narratives – Understanding experience as a story can impact one’s inner development. Here you will view how hidden motivations and expectations can shape the unfolding adventure. It is an art to cultivate a vision that nurtures our best qualities.
- Joseph Campbell and the Inner Journey – Joseph Campbell made extensive contributions to understanding our life stories. In this course, you will draw on his explorations of the psychological dimensions of fairy tales and the goddess traditions. You will also examine how Joseph’s life and work illustrate the transformative journey model. The focus here is on applying mythic stories to assist with challenges.
- Law & Ethics 9 (Suicide and the Soul) – Here, you will examine how assessing and reducing suicidal thinking involves facing the crisis of meaning. The workshop uses “It’s a Wonderful Life” to meet Boards of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences suicide risk mandates while covering pertinent legal and ethical issues.
- Law & Ethics 2 (A Jungian Perspective on Character) – You will spend the day on the unconscious dimensions of honor and values in this course. You will look at the Shadow archetype and the challenges of dealing with our many energies. Storytelling includes The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to examine scenes that reflect ethical issues, like managing personal limitations.
How Folkstory Continuing Education Credits Work
The Center for Story and Symbol offers the following credits:
- Psychology, MFT, LCSW, LPCC, Ed Psych, NBCC: 6 CE hours
- Nursing: 7 hours
Continuing education hours are available to mental health professionals, and all courses meet the requirements in most states, according to their website. Due to the pandemic, all upcoming seminars will be presented online via a Zoom meeting. The hours for the online interactive courses count as real-time in-person credit, which is great!
To complete the course and receive your continuing education certificate credits, you have to be present for the entire time and also do a written evaluation of the course. Your transcripts will then be emailed if you’ve fulfilled the requirements – with the Center guaranteeing that these transcripts are available to you for at least three years after the date of completion. Luckily, our CE Hub App stores all of your transcripts securely, so there is no need to worry about potentially forking out $10 to replace your transcript.
Are They Accredited?
The Center for Story and Symbol is approved by the American Psychological Association (LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, LPC, NBCC, LPC, LPCC) to sponsor continuing education hours for psychologists and CE hours being accepted by the California MCEP program.
For more information, visit: https://folkstory.com/
