Frank Gruba-McCallister, Ph.D.

My name is Frank Gruba-McCallister. Let me tell you a little about myself. I am the Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Adler School and also serve on the Core Faculty. I have been at Adler since September 1, 2001. Prior to that, I was at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology/Chicago for 17 years. I received my Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Loyola University and my Master's and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from Purdue University. In the early years of my career, I provided clinical services principally to individuals with physical disabilities and in medical settings. This early work is where my interest in health psychology began. However, my greatest passion was to be a teacher. It was the development of the professional psychology schools that afforded me the opportunity to fulfill this passion.

At the time I began at ISPP/Chicago, the professional psychology movement was in its earliest stages. I feel very fortunate to have been part of that movement and to witness the growth and expansion of the practitioner-scholar model that forms the basis for the Doctor of Psychology degree. In that time, I have seen how students who earn the Psy.D. have taken an increasingly important role in guiding the future of psychology.

In the over twenty years of my career as a teacher, I have taught a very broad range of courses. These include history and systems, courses in health psychology, theories of psychotherapy, psychopathology, assessment, and existential psychotherapy. This range of courses reflects the broad and diverse interests that I have both personally and professionally. These include the following areas:

• The integration of spirituality and psychology, with particular emphasis on the relevance of mysticism to the theory and practice of psychology.
• The integration of Western and Eastern perspectives on psychology and spirituality.
• The use of meditative techniques in psychotherapy.
• The nature of human suffering and its relevance to the practice of clinical psychology.
• Transpersonal, humanistic and existential/phenomenological approaches to psychology.
• Health psychology, primary prevention and wellness programs.
• Psychology and social responsibility, with particular focus on activism and advocacy.
• Promoting non-violent solutions to conflict.

Outside of academia, I have other interests that include native prairie plants (we have a miniature prairie in our backyard), music of all types, English mysteries and history.