Meet the Existentialists

David Elkins, PhD

A licensed clinical psychologist and Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Pepperdine, where he taught for 25 years, Dr. Elkins has worked hospital, community health, and private practice settings, and was the Director of the Humanistic Psychology Center in Tustin, California. Dr. Elkins’ background in humanistic psychology is extensive. A former board member of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, Dr. Elkins was president of the APA’s Division 32, Society for Humanistic Psychology from 1998-1999 and currently serves on the board of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology and The Humanistic Psychologist. While at Pepperdine he designed and taught the existential-humanistic psychology track of their PsyD program. He also chaired the committee that achieved APA accreditation for the Pepperdine PsyD. Elkins’ most recent book is Humanistic Psychology: A Clinical Manifesto: A Critique of Clinical Psychology and the Need for Progressive Alternatives.