Southwestern College Santa Fe, NM
The initial impulse to create a unique higher learning institution devoted to consciousness began in 1976 in Alamogordo, NM. Then in the fall of 1979 the first 12 students began their course of study.
In the first entering class was Katherine Ninos, M.A., LPCC, who now teaches and mentors other teachers in the Consciousness curriculum. She also serves as the Executive Vice President and Director of the New Earth Institute. The first President who welcomed the first group of students was Dr. Robert Waterman, Ed.D. Robert continues to teach and serves on the Board of Trustees.
Robert and Katherine will join the newest President, Dr. Ann Filemyr, Ph.D., for a celebration of the success of Southwestern College from inception to its current expression. From twelve students to over a thousand alumni, from one building to a campus, from Quimby College in Alamogordo to Southwestern College in Santa Fe, from one room serving clients to the Tierra Nueva Counseling Center serving hundreds of clients each year and located next door to the main building.
Alumni, community members, students, staff and faculty will gather to recognize the courageous act of starting a school that could serve as a ‘light center’ and help others to bring their loving into the world. As the college established its Master of Arts degrees in Counseling, Art Therapy/Counseling and Art Therapy for Clinical Professionals, it has grown. In addition to our graduate degrees, we now offer seven professional certificates in: Addiction, Abuse & Recovery, Ecotherapy, Human Sexuality, Children’s Mental Health, Infant Mental Health, Applied Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Trauma, Grief & Renewal.
Our alumni work in the helping professions from Alaska to Hawaii, California to New York. Many of them provide leadership in serving the mental, emotional, and behavioral healthcare needs of New Mexicans in Albuquerque, Taos, Los Alamos and Santa Fe. We are committed to making a difference in the lives of others.
We invite you to join us to honor forty years of providing educational programs dedicated to “transforming consciousness” and the inauguration of the 4th president. Join us in our Art Therapy Building on Tuesday, September 24 from 6-8 p.m. Seating is limited. Please RSVP to officemgr@swc.edu or call 505-471-5756.
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