News

The Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Education, Health and Human Behavior’s (SEHHB) Department of Psychology will host its first Dreikurs Visiting Scholar, Paul Rasmussen, PhD, a clinical psychologist for the Veterans Administration in South Carolina, the week of March 26.

Rasmussen will host a free lecture entitled “Why is Adlerian/Dreikursian Thinking Relevant Today?” at 1:30 p.m. Monday, March 26 in the Morris University Center’s Meridian Ballroom. Throughout the week, Rasmussen will meet with interested individuals and small groups across campus.

“Dr. Rasmussen is an esteemed teacher, scholar and practitioner of psychology,” said Betsy Meinz, PhD, acting chair and professor of psychology. “We are thrilled to welcome him to campus for a stimulating and informative presentation on Adler-Dreikurs theory and practice, which focus on the holistic and socially embedded nature of humans, and the belief that human emotions and motivations are goal-directed.”

Rasmussen will consider such questions as, if humans could reset and fix all the problems of life, what realities in terms of good ideas would persist? What resources would we consider the most optimal to face life realities? What constitutes a good idea in discussion of the human experience?

“Visiting scholars like Dr. Rasmussen enhance the intellectual climate of the University and heighten the curiosity of our students and faculty members,” added Paul Rose, PhD, interim dean of the SEHHB.

SIUE’s Dreikurs Visiting Scholar Fellowship was established in 2016 to honor the ideas and methods developed by Alfred Adler and his younger colleague, Rudolf Dreikurs. Dreikurs taught at SIUE in the early 1960s and his influence in psychotherapy, counseling, education, parenting, and in broad areas of social relations, has been worldwide.

Photo: SIUE’s first Dreikurs Visiting Scholar Paul Rasmussen, PhD, clinical psychologist for the Veterans Administration in South Carolina.