Learning Models of Education at Saybrook University

Learning Models of Education at Saybrook University
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Why Saybrook
Why Saybrook
Because you will learn how to transform societies and communities, and also yourself.
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Our Humanistic Approach
We believe people are greater than the sum of their parts–to properly understand someone, we must acknowledge their full history.
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Leadership
Board of Trustees
Our leadership team embodies Saybrook’s humanistic mission, dedicating themselves to upholding the values that help students discover their purpose.
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The Community Solution
Saybrook University is a proud member of The Community Solution Education System, a nonprofit system of colleges and universities working together to advance student success and community impact.
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Belonging at Saybrook
Celebrate your differences and find commonalities at Saybrook, where we believe each unique voice adds intrinsic value to the educational experience.
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Alumni Affairs
Loan Repayment Programs
Your Saybrook adventure continues long after graduation.
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Programs
Areas of Study
Counseling
Humanistic Clinical Psychology
Humanistic Psychology
Integrative and Functional Nutrition
Integrative Social Work
Mind-Body Medicine
Psychophysiology
Transformative Social Change
Find the field that’s right for you: Counseling, Psychology, Transformative Social Change, Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Psychophysiology, Mind-Body Medicine, or Integrative Social Work.
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Degree Levels
Doctoral Degrees
Master's Degrees
Certificate Programs
Saybrook University offers Certificate, Master’s, and Doctoral degree programs.
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Program Explorer
Saybrook’s programs are designed to help you discover and develop more human-centered, just, and inclusive systems and practices.
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Regulatory Information
Accreditation
WSCUC Institutional Report 2025
Professional Licensure and Certification Disclosures
State Authorizations
Consumer Disclosures
Learn more about Saybrook University's accreditation status, licensure disclosures, state authorizations, and consumer disclosures.
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Student Experience
Student Experience
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STAR
No matter where you are today, your experience at Saybrook can help guide you toward a rewarding tomorrow.
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Saybrook Learning Model
Learning Model Overview
Community Learning Experience 2025
Online learning fueled by community and connection defines the Saybrook experience. Our learning model is designed to foster this collaboration and connection on a regular basis.
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Student Life
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Saybrook Standout
Your success as a Saybrook student is our top priority. These student services are yours to utilize, and they can help you thrive academically and personally in our learning environment.
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Faculty
Saybrook’s faculty will be the guides by your side, helping you discover the academic and professional paths that align best with your goals.
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Academic Calendar
Saybrook’s academic calendar includes weekly breakdowns of important dates, deadlines, and other calendar events you need to know as a member of our community.
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Academic Catalog
Our academic catalog contains information regarding important policies and procedures that govern both administrative and academic matters.
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Global Engagement
Discover life-changing study abroad opportunities at Saybrook, where collaboration transcends borders.
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Admissions
Admissions
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Learn more about the admissions process, including important dates, requirements, and timelines, before you apply.
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Stay up to date on all upcoming and future admissions events.
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Financing Your Future
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There are many ways to finance your Saybrook experience, and we’re here to help you find the best way forward.
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Military
Saybrook is a proud Yellow Ribbon institution, dedicated to supporting military members, veterans, and their families.
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International Students
International students enhance our learning environment. Learn more about the additional information you must submit to be considered for acceptance as an international student at Saybrook University.
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Transfer Students
Maintain your academic momentum at Saybrook University. We’re happy and eager to help welcome you into our community.
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UNBOUND Digital Magazine
UNBOUND Digital Magazine
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Explore how our community creates transformative change in our award-winning digital magazine, UNBOUND.
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Student Experience
Saybrook Learning Model
Saybrook Learning Model
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Student Experience
Saybrook Learning Model
The Saybrook Learning Model
As a pioneer of distance learning, Saybrook University understands there is no substitute for the joy, collaboration, and exploration that occurs when we connect as a community.
Online Learning Powered by Community and Connection
Distance learning began at Saybrook long before the recent shift toward online education. Where other schools struggle to adapt programming into digital formats or train on-ground faculty for virtual instruction, every degree program at Saybrook is designed for online students in mind.
We champion online learning yet recognize the importance that community and connection play in your personal and professional growth. To foster this growth, many of our innovative online degree programs are supplemented by University Learning Experiences. These experiences are specifically designed to bring you, your classmates, and the entire Saybrook community together for transformational in-person and online gatherings.
Community
Learning Experience (CLE)
Every odd year in the Fall
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Residential
Learning Experience (RLE)
Every Fall & Spring, unless enrolled in CLE
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Virtual
Learning Experience (VLE)
Every Fall & Spring, unless enrolled in CLE
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community learning experience
Community Learning Experience
The Community Learning Experience is an on-ground, five-day event that invites the
entire Saybrook community
to meet or reunite face-to-face, form genuine and lasting relationships, and engage with peers from around the globe. Each Community Learning Experience is a new opportunity for academic, professional, and personal exploration in a safe and supportive setting.
The Community Learning Experience is your time to escape the hustle and bustle of the outside world and allow yourself to become immersed in community and emerge transformed.
The Community Learning Experience is held during the fall term of odd-numbered years, or every other year after 2025 (2027, 2029, 2031, etc.). Attendance is required for students enrolled in Clinical Psychology, Counseling, Transformative Social Change, and Applied Psychophysiology programs.
It’s a time for us to get to know each other, to understand why we’re doing what we’re doing, how we’re going to take it back into the world and affect change with what we’ve learned here together.”
Edward Cleland, Student, Ph.D. in Mind-Body Medicine Program
residential learning experience
Residential Learning Experience
The Residential Learning Experience is a
key component of our clinical licensure programs.
Held at the beginning of each fall and spring semester, these on-ground learning intensives help Counseling and Clinical Psychology students acquire the necessary residential hours required by states for licensure eligibility.
Residential Learning Experiences act as a training ground for clinical students to put classroom theory into practice, hone clinical skills, and gain professional guidance directly from our experienced practitioner-scholar faculty.
Clinical licensure students should expect to attend Residential Learning Experiences twice every year. In the Fall of odd-numbered years when the Community Learning Experience meets, the Residential Learning Experience will also meet at the same time and location as the larger community gathering.
Students in the Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology program who reside in Washington state will also be required to attend midterms in Belmont, WA, to ensure they have the in-person hours required for licensure.
Register for the Spring 2026 RLE
So much of their work is learning to navigate all those different layers of clinical practice; the residency experiences contribute a lot to that.”
Jennifer Preston, Ph.D., Department Chair, Counseling Program
virtual learning experience
Virtual Learning Experience
The Virtual Learning Experience is a
five-day, online synchronous event
for you, your classmates, faculty, and staff to kick off the fall and spring semester as a collective before breaking out into smaller groups based on your program of choice.
Virtual Learning Experiences set the foundation for the semester ahead. Smaller groups meet to learn about your program as a whole; breakout sessions introduce each core course of the program; and didactic, research, and practice-oriented seminars provide a taste of the lessons to come. Also built into these experiences are time and space for socializing so you can bond with classmates and faculty before entering the classroom.
Register for the Spring 2026 VLE
Many times, people come here because they want to change the world. I think what also ends up happening in the process is, we end up changing ourselves.”
Luann Fortune, Ph.D., Faculty, Mind-Body Medicine
More Than 40 Online Programs
Saybrook
University is proud to offer you more than 40 online academic programs, with master’s degrees, doctoral degrees, and professional certificates in Counseling, Integrative Social Work, Integrative and Functional Nutrition, Mind-
Body Medicine, Psychology,
Clinical Psychology,
Psychophysiology, and Transformative Social Change.
Online Programs
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