PhD Programme in Applied Transpersonal Psychology

Become a PhD student through The Alef Trust

With our partner university, Liverpool John Moores University, Alef Trust offers a collaborative PhD in Applied Transpersonal Psychology. The collaborative basis of the PhD means that you will conduct your research under guidance from supervisors from both Alef Trust and LJMU. Given our expertise in the topic, the Alef Trust supervisor will lead in most academic aspects of the programme. Those accepted onto the programme will benefit from being registered with LJMU, giving you full access to LJMU’s Doctoral Academy.

Format: 100% online. No residential component.

Applied Transpersonal Psychology

As the award title suggests, we are interested in the range of ways in which the principles and practices developed in transpersonal psychology and allied disciplines find expression in real-world applications. Such applications may include social change and sustainability, therapy and coaching, business and human resource management, research and education, and health and social care – to name but a few. Research aiming to address ‘theoretical/conceptual’ issues will also be fostered.

Scope

For the purposes of this programme, we interpret the term ‘transpersonal psychology’ broadly. We are open to any proposed research that relates to the transformative potential of humans, recognising that we are larger and more embedded in the world than many reductionist and functional psychological models suggest, that consciousness may transcend the individual brain, and that our highest aspirations may include experiences and states of being traditionally explored through spirituality and mysticism. We recognise that global issues are paramount and that changing our relationship to earth requires a shift in our understanding of consciousness amongst other changes. Our hope is that this doctoral programme can make a difference to the sense of responsibility that our cultures foster and to the ways in which we relate to other beings.

Study Length

• Full time: To study full-time you must be able to commit at least 36 hours per week to your research. For full-time students the thesis can be submitted in a minimum of three years (maximum four years).
• Part Time: Part-time students will be expected to devote a minimum of 12 hours per week to their research and can submit their doctoral thesis in a minimum of four years (maximum seven years).

When you accept a place on the Alef Trust-LJMU collaborative PhD you will be assigned a supervision team that will include a lead supervisor and one or more co-supervisors. An initial meeting between you and the supervision team will clarify basic operating principles—frequency of meetings, who will be involved in meetings, as well as the steps to be taken and when.

In conjunction with Alef Trust staff, the LJMU Doctoral Academy will provide an induction to your PhD programme. You will be introduced to all the facilities available to you as a member of the Doctoral Academy and as a member of the Alef Research Community. Supervision meetings will focus not only on your research plan but also on your researcher development plan designed to cultivate your efficacy as a researcher.

Your doctoral journey involves frequent reviews to ensure that you are producing work to the required standard and that you are adhering to the appropriate timeline. The first step is to attain programme approval and have your project registered by the Faculty Research Degrees Committee in LJMU’s Faculty of Health, which is where the School of Psychology is located. Programme approval will require scrutiny of any ethical issues surrounding the use of human participants in your research project. Your supervision team will guide you through this step, which should be completed within three months for full-time (FT) students, or 6 months for part-time (PT) students.

Within 12 months (FT students) or 24 months (PT students), the confirmation review must take place. This is a formal review for which you submit a written account of your progress and give an oral presentation. The review panel, which includes your supervisors and an independent assessor, will meet with you to determine whether your progress to date confirms that you have the potential to achieve the PhD.

The final thesis will be examined by both internal and external examiners. The internal examiner may be drawn from either Alef Trust or LJMU staff. The external examiner will be an academic having expertise in the research area but with no formal connection with either Alef Trust or LJMU. Examination of your thesis includes an oral meeting with the examiners (viva voce examination, conducted either online or in-person). The period allowed from enrolment to the submission of your final thesis can be found under the section on Registration Periods in the LJMU Academic Regulations for Research Degrees.

Assuming a successful outcome to the examination, LJMU will award the PhD in Applied Transpersonal Psychology, and you will be invited to an award ceremony in Liverpool. Alef Trust generally operates an online award ceremony to complement that organised by LJMU in Liverpool.