Saybrook University

Saybrook University is a private graduate institution based in Pasadena, California. Founded in 1971, it focuses on humanistic psychology and related fields within the social sciences and humanities. The university offers master’s and doctoral programs, many delivered in low-residency or online formats designed for working professionals. Saybrook is institutionally accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission. Academic areas include psychology, counseling, leadership and management, mind-body medicine, and organizational systems. The university is structured as an exclusively graduate institution and attracts students interested in humanistic, integrative, and interdisciplinary approaches to education and research.

Saybrook University was founded in 1971 in California as the Humanistic Psychology Institute by Eleanor Camp Criswell and colleagues associated with the humanistic psychology movement. The institution emerged from a 1964 psychology conference held in Old Saybrook, Connecticut, which helped shape its name and philosophical foundations. Created to advance humanistic and existential approaches to psychology, Saybrook emphasized graduate education for working professionals. In the 1980s, it became Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center, reflecting its expanding doctoral programs and research focus. The institution later adopted the name Saybrook University to reflect broader academic offerings beyond psychology. In 2014, Saybrook University affiliated with The Community Solution Education System, gaining shared administrative support while maintaining its academic mission. Today, Saybrook University in Pasadena, California, operates as a private, regionally accredited graduate institution offering low-residency and online programs grounded in humanistic scholarship.