Southwestern College is a private graduate institution in Santa Fe, New Mexico that specializes in counseling and art therapy. It is the only college or university in the state of New Mexico to offer a Master's Degree in Art Therapy.

History

Southwestern College traces its roots to the Quimby Metaphysical Library, a library which has a large collection of religious and metaphysical books, and manuscripts of American transcendentalist and the Father of the New Thought Movement,

Phineas Parkhurst Quimby Phineas Parkhurst Quimby (February 16, 1802 – January 16, 1866) was an American clockmaker, mentalist and mesmerist. His work is widely recognized as foundational to the New Thought spiritual movement. Biography Born in the small town of Le ...

. The library was founded by Neva Dell Hunter in 1945 in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The library was eventually known as Quimby Memorial Library. The school's vision, mission, philosophy, and programs are also influenced by

Rudolf Steiner Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner (27 or 25 February 1861 – 30 March 1925) was an Austrian occultist, social reformer, architect, esotericist, and claimed clairvoyant. Steiner gained initial recognition at the end of the nineteenth century as ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, abolitionist, and poet who led the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He was seen as a champ ...

Alice Bailey Alice Ann Bailey (June 16, 1880 – December 15, 1949) was a writer of more than twenty-four books on theosophical subjects, and was one of the first writers to use the term New Age. Bailey was born as Alice La Trobe-Bateman, in Mancheste ...

, perennial wisdom traditions, and Hindu scriptures. In 1976, the center was rededicated as Quimby College by Robert Waterman, with Hunter as the guest of honor. Hunter's ideas were used by Waterman in founding the core curriculum of the college and its programs. The college's initial intention was to train

counselor Counselor or counsellor may refer to: A professional In diplomacy and government * Counsellor of State, senior member of the British royal family to whom the Monarch can delegate some functions in case of unavailability * Counselor (di ...

s who were well-versed and practiced in areas of spirituality and

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

. In 1979, the college started to offer programs in Counseling. Quimby College later became Southwestern College. In 1996, Southwestern College became accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

, an independent corporation and one of two commission members of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. In the same year, Dr. Marylou Butler became the school's second President. In 1998, the college's Master of Arts in Art Therapy/Counseling was approved by the

American Art Therapy Association The American Art Therapy Association (AATA) is a U.S. not-for-profit 501(c)(3), non-partisan national professional association of approximately 5,000 practicing art therapy professionals, including students, educators, and related practitioners ...

. In 2006, Dr. James Michael Nolan was selected as the third president. Since 2006,the College tripled the size of its campus, built an Art Therapy building, created the Tierra Nueva Counseling Center, and launched professional certificate training in Human Sexuality, Infant Mental Health, and Interpersonal Neurobiology. It has also created scholarships for Native Americans and other minority candidates. In February 2019, Dr. Ann Filemyr was selected as the fourth president of the college. Since 1980, Southwestern College has offered the ''"Transformation & Healing Conference"'' on its campus in Santa Fe.

Academics

The college claims to have a holistic approach to mental health and integrative care. It offers 3 degrees: *

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in Art Therapy/Counseling *Master of Arts in Counseling *Master of Arts in Art Therapy for Clinical Professionals

The New Earth Institute

The New Earth Institute of Southwestern College offers certificates. The certificate programs are open to people who already have an undergraduate or graduate degree.

Awards and recognition

Awards * Southwestern College received the ''Manuel Lujan Jr''. ''Award'' in the ''19th Annual Piñon Awards'' in 2005

References

External links

* {{authority control 1945 establishments in New Mexico Art therapy Buildings and structures in Santa Fe, New Mexico Educational institutions established in 1945 Education in Santa Fe, New Mexico Private universities and colleges in New Mexico