Clark Moustakas


Clark E. Moustakas was an American psychologist and one of the leading experts on humanistic and clinical psychology. He helped establish the Association for Humanistic Psychology and the Journal of Humanistic Psychology. He is the author of numerous books and articles on humanistic psychology, education and human science research. His most recent books: Phenomenological Research Methods; Heuristic Research; Existential Psychotherapy and the Interpretation of Dreams; Being-In, Being-For, Being-With; and Relationship Play Therapy are valuable additions to research and clinical literature. His focus at the Michigan School of Professional Psychology was the integration of philosophy, research and psychology in the education and training of humanistic clinical psychologists.

Biography

Clark Moustakas, Ed.D., Ph.D. Educational and Clinical Psychology, Columbia University, President Emeritus and Co-Founder, Center for Humanistic Studies. Moustakas co-founded CHS with Cereta Perry, Ph.D., Bruce Douglass, Ph.D., and Diane Blau, Ph.D. CHS was renamed the Michigan School of Professional Psychology in 2006 and offers both an M.A. and PsyD program in Clinical Psychology.
In 1949 Moustakas joined the faculty at the Merrill-Palmer Institute at Wayne State University in Detroit, MI. In 1953 he wrote his first book, Children in Play Therapy. In 1956 he compiled Publication of The Self, the result of the dialogues between Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, himself and others, forging the Humanistic Psychology movement. Meetings were held at 40 E. Ferry Ave. in Detroit, MI. Moustakas's book Loneliness was released to public acclaim in 1961 and became the basis of heuristic research. In 1962 Moustakas participated in the formation of the American Association of Humanistic Psychology and the creation of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology.
In 1980-1981 Clark Moustakas, Cereta Perry, Diane Blau, and Bruce Douglas co-created the Center for Humanistic Studies, establishing independence from the Merrill Palmer Institute. In 1984 CHS received full accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
From 1990-1994 Moustakas published Heuristic Research: Design, Methodology and Applications and Phenomenological Research Methods. In 2004 Moustakas and his daughter Kerry published Loneliness, Creativity, and Love: Awakening Meanings in Life.
Clark Moustakas died on 10 October 2012 at his home in Farmington Hills, Michigan, at the age of 81.