I don’t have a traditional background. I went to a party when I was eleven and didn’t get back until I was forty five. Obviously, much of my life was misspent; however, I managed to put an end to more than thirty years of alcohol and drug addiction culminating with a stretch in the state prison system. While I was there, I found a path to sustained abstinence, and was encouraged by a teacher to pursue an education upon my release. She helped me with those tedious financial aide forms and by the time I was released, my grant was finalized, and all I had to do was enroll. So, upon being released from the California Department of Corrections on Dec 3, 1989, my first life came to an end. During that first life, however, I did manage to raise a daughter. I didn’t do a very good job of it, but I got it done, and we are the best of friends today. I have a ten year old granddaughter and a five year old grandson.

Fortunately, my grandkids will never see me the way my daughter did. They’ll never have to watch the police take me out of the house in handcuffs like my daughter did. They’ll never have to control their behavior according to what drug I was taking like my daughter did. And they’ll never have to endure being embarrassed in public like my daughter did. The most important thing I can share with you today, is that it hasn’t been necessary for me to take a drink or put a needle in my arm since May 7, 1990 (my last relapse date), and for that I am eternally grateful.

For those who are interested in chemical dependency, for whatever reasons, be sure to go to my web site at http://www.ScumbagSewerRats.com. I have created this website to draw interest to the book I am in the process of writing.

I graduated from Barstow High School in 1962. In 1992, thirty years later in my second life, I graduated, with honors, from Barstow College with an AA degree. I earned my BA in Psychology in 1994 from Chapman University when it had an academic center at MCLB (like Park University does now). In 1998 I earned a Master of Human Services in Community Psychology from National University in San Diego, CA. And on 2 Feburary, 2004 my Ph.D was conferred in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA.

Depth psychology is the psychology of the unconscious. The insights of the unconscious, the transferential field, and the symptom, as well as the experience of dream and the imaginal, are extended within and beyond the consulting room and applied to an investigation of culture and history. Our work, in depth psychology, aims to recover what has been forgotten and marginalized by the heroic, individualistic ego, and to develop a capacity to host image and psyche.

Besides being an adjunct faculty member at Barstow College, I have also taught Minority Group Relations for Park University at MCLB, Ft. Irwin, and Blythe CA.

PHILOSOPHICAL UNDERPINNINGS:

I believe that a commitment to a college degree is a commitment to learning. There was once a time when people sought a college degree based on the acquisition of knowledge. Most people don’t seek education for intrinsic purposes anymore. What we see now is people seeking college degrees for financial gain--career enhancement, or a better job or career.

A commitment to a condensed nine week online course is basically saying that you are self-motivated enough to keep up with a demanding regimen usually more stringent than an on-campus course. I have designed this course for students to succeed. There is a considerable amount of writing in this course. If students are not familiar with spell-check and grammar check in word-processing programs, I strongly suggest they get familiar with them. It is important to take pride in writing. It is a personal presentation to the outside world. Writing skills in this course will be rewarded. Errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling will be penalized. Writing skills are imperative, whether in college or in the work force. Most four-year universities require a writing exam before a degree will be awarded. A student who has poor time management skills, poor writing skills, or who tends to procrastinate, and is unable to communicate well in writing, will also be a poor candidate for a job, career option, or graduate school.