San Francisco Clinical Psychologist Believes Education Is Transformative
Helen Marlo, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, Jungian Psychoanalyst and Professor and Chair of the Clinical Psychology Department at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU). She is a Faculty Scholar with NDNU's Sr. Dorothy Stang Center for Social Justice and Community Engagement and is the Reviews Editor for Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche. She also created "Mentoring Mothers," a community service for perinatal health.
She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology at The University of South Carolina, and researched psychoneuroimmunology. She trained at the University of South Carolina's Department of Family and Preventive Medicine; completed pre-and post-doctoral training at The Palo Alto Veterans Administration Health Care System and Kaiser Permanente. At Stanford University's School of Medicine, she worked with complex trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder. She then completed a 6-year analytic training program at the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco.
What are the responsibilities of your current role?
"As a clinical psychologist and Jungian psychoanalyst, I provide psychotherapy, psychoanalysis and consultation to adults and children through my San Mateo private practice. I work with individuals who struggle from physical, psychological, spiritual, relational and cultural challenges who desire a more whole life.
As a Professor and Department Chair, I have mentored, taught and trained masters and doctoral students to become mental health professionals. I have been a Professor at NDNU for the past 15 years, given its Mission, which supports community engagement and professionally oriented and values based learning. I am devoted to our innovative graduate clinical psychology department, which provides integrative, depth-oriented clinical training. My scholarly work and community engagement projects are also central."
What is your favorite part of your daily duties?
"To emotionally touch, and be touched by others; to alleviate suffering and engage with others through a process of healing, development, learning or growth—whether through education, teaching, psychotherapy or psychoanalysis — is meaningful. We live in an information-dense, but consciousness poor, world. Engaging with consciousness and with the human mind and spirit are intriguing and inspiring!"
Do you feel your education prepared you for your current role?
"I feel strongly about the transformative potential of education, which is partially why I am in higher education. My professors and education changed my life."
Do you have any advice for people who desire to pursue a similar career?
"A quote from Vincent Van Gogh comes to mind: 'It is good to love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much, performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is well done.'
Many believe the path to success is to stay narrow and focused. More often, I encourage being open and receptive; to gain, and consciously reflect upon, experiences—this cultivates a love for many things and helps one discover where they have more and less love, which is crucial in this field. This applies to working on one's psychological development and emotional health—which is particularly critical."
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