Center for Story and Symbol, Dr. Jonathan Young
Story and Symbol Therapy Courses Register Community Dates Contact
Story and Symbol Therapy Courses Register Community Dates Contact
Seminar Dates and Locations Articles Joseph Campbell Site Map Search
Articles on the Mythic Imagination
The Center offers continuing education seminars and workshops on the psychology of fairy tales, mythic stories, creativity, movies as mythic imagination, and law and ethics for psychotherapists. CE hours are available for psychologists, marriage & family therapists, teachers, social workers, nurses, and other mental health professionals. Our courses meet requirements in most states.
Jonathan Young, PhD is a psychologist (PSY10231) with an online practice. His books and articles focus on personal mythology. Dr.Young assisted mythologist Joseph Campbell at seminars and was founding curator of the Joseph Campbell Archives and Library. He is currently featured in several documentary series on the History Channel. In 2024, he left the Pacifica Graduate Institute, where he had been a founding professor, to become minister of the Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Goleta, a suburb of Santa Barbara, California.
Seminar dates and locations are now available on-line. Space is limited so we recommend that you register early:
Presented at an introductory level, the Center's courses are not just for psychotherapists. They are open to all those interested in archetypal perspectives. Center workshops and seminars require no advance preparation; however, participants are provided with a recommended reading list as part of their class materials.
The Wisdom of Mythic Stories Home Study Course presents clinical applications of folklore and mythology. Through storytelling and lively discussion of the Wizard of OZ, we will explore how favorite stories reflect adult psychological dynamics and offer guidance for those dealing with life-stage transitions.
Lives have underlying patterns. We will look at having a sense of living a story, cultivating a vision that nurtures one's best qualities, claiming authenticity, and finding compassion.
NEW for 2024
Strengthening cross-cultural clinical skills involve valuing a wide range of qualities in ourselves and others. We will use the 2017 Disney/Pixar film Coco to discuss awareness of cultural subtleties. Meets hours on Cultural Diversity required for psychologists.
Whether by travel or inner exploration, Pilgrimage can kindle an experience of liberation. The way of the seeker bridges visible and invisible worlds. This seminar will consider the 2014 movie A Trip to Bountiful with Cicely Tyson.
Online therapy involves unique advantages and challenges. This day covers clinical, technical, ethical and regulatory dimensions of online treatment. Discussion uses mythic characters such as Mercury, Hermes, Iris and Ariel to explore the depth psychology of communication. Meets Board of Behavioral Sciences required hours on Telehealth.
We will ponder the 2023 film Barbie as a mythic transformative tale ~ to reflects on the challenges of being our most authentic selves. This day is an examination of what it means to be human. A major focus will be on finding empathic ethics.
This day is an exploration of psychological symbolism in holiday traditions. Rituals and celebrations can be opportunities to learn about formative experiences and our longing for meaning.
Anne Bach, M.S., MFT 38891 is a specialist in uses of writing in psychotherapy. She gives presentations on creativity as inner work at major conferences, and lectures widely on psychological dimensions of expressive writing. She also appears in memoir drama performances for various theater groups, including the Marsh Stage in Berkeley. Her clinical background includes poetry therapy with seriously mentally ill patients.
Jonathan Young and Anne Bach also lead in-house staff trainings for counseling centers and other organizations. They also make presentations for university courses and corporate retreats. Since these events are not open to visitors, we don't post the dates.
Dr. Young is not currently accepting new clients. Ms. Bach is available for consulting services on treatment issues, creative projects, and personal mythology.
The Center also presents non-credit lectures throughout the U.S.
Non-Credit Dates
A Sense of Purpose - Wisdom from Wonder Woman
How the Movies are Modern Mythology, Among Other Things.
Several of Dr. Young's lectures are available on YouTube. Search Jonathan Young and Live Oak to find current topics.
A professionally produced DVD is available of the 2012 lecture
The Inner Life of Fairytales, in which Dr. Young explores The Ugly Duckling
to examine the key elements of the inner journey.
Purchase at website: C.G. Jung Society of St. Louis
Phone: (314) 533-6809
Email: cgjungstl (at) sbcglobal (dot) org
The Center for Story and Symbol is a training and consulting group that draws on the wisdom of ancient storytellers to understand the workings of the human imagination. Our seminars build on the traditions of depth psychology and narrative theory. The central role of metaphor in personal and cultural imagery is explored in all of our courses. The Center's mission is to provide opportunities for advanced study of the inner life.