Dr. Andrew M. Bland

Education: After growing up in Atlanta, GA, I earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Georgia (2000), a master's degree from the University of West Georgia's humanistic psychology program (2003), and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Indiana State University (2013). 

Courses Instructed: I teach graduate and undergraduate courses in counseling and assessment skills, human development, family dynamics, personality, and psychology of creativity. Further, I instruct Directed Projects in Psychology (an undergraduate capstone field placement experience in applied psychology), and I provide clinical supervision to master's trainees. My teaching emphasizes systemic, holistic, culturally-informed, contextually-affirming, existential, humanistic, and phenomenological approaches in psychology/psychotherapy in dialogue with conventional natural science psychology and medical model-oriented therapies.

Scholarship: My scholarly pursuits (see below) provide both qualitative and quantitative support for the practical application of themes/principles from existential and humanistic psychologies (negotiating paradoxes and uncertainties in lived experience; meaning-making; cultivating intentionality, authenticity, cultural/contextual sensitivity, resilience, psychological flexibility, and sustainable transformative change) in cross-cultural encounters, relationships, work/careers, psychological suffering, the processes of therapy and education, creativity, leadership, and lifespan development.  My research has been highlighted in Time and Newsweek magazines. In addition, I provide professional development and personal growth trainings/workshops both at Millersville and in the Lancaster community on topics including existential/humanistic therapies, mindfulness, trauma work, suicide risk assessment, working with impoverished clients, and Personal Hero Identification (a therapeutic strategy I developed that applies the heroism science literature).

Service: I am a licensed psychologist with 20 years' experience providing therapeutic services in numerous settings including community mental health, hospitals, schools and colleges, and corrections; since 2016, I have practiced at Samaritan Counseling Center in Lancaster.  Further, I am immediate past-president and co-editor of the newsletter for the Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32 of the American Psychological Association [APA]), an associate editor of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology and an editorial board member or ad hoc reviewer for 11 other journals, a member of the scientific committee for the World Congress of Existential Therapy and of the conference program committee for the Psychotherapy Action Network (PsiAN).  Previously, I served as president (2020-21) of the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology (Section 3 of Division 5 of APA).

Passions: Listening to and creating music, gardening, traveling, and being with my wife and our two children.

My Curriculum Vitae

My ResearchGate Page

Selected Presentations

Bland, A. M. (2024, March). Old Saybrook 3: Commemorating the 60^th anniversary of Old Saybrook 1 in the spirit of Old Saybrook 2 [presidential address]. 17th annual conference of the Society for Humanistic Psychology, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

Bland, A. M. (2023, March). A research agenda for existential/humanistic psychologists in the 2020s [APA-approved CE presentation]. 16th annual conference of the Society for Humanistic Psychology, Albuquerque, NM, USA.

Bland, A. M., Schneider, K. J., Granger, N., Pyszczynski, T., Morrill, Z., & Singer, J. (2022, April). Polarization and social healing [invited moderator for conversation roundtable]. Advancing humanistic, existential, and transpersonal psychology and scholarship: Celebrating 10 years of University Professors Press conference, Virtual. 

Bland, A.M., DeRobertis, E. M., & Spaeth, D. (2022, March). Challenges and opportunities for humanistic education in the 2020s [APA-approved CE presentation]. 15^th Annual Conference of the Society for Humanistic Psychology, Virtual.  

Bland, A. M. (2021, June). One psychologist’s questionable research practices are another’s best practices: Appreciating epistemological diversity and working toward pluralism [conversation roundtable]. Annual Conference of the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology, Virtual.

Bland, A. M. (2019, June). Ethical conundrums in mental health case studies: A mixed-methods exploration [paper presentation]. 6^th Annual Conference of the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology, Boston, MA.

Bland, A. M. (2018, May). Thematic analyses of the relevance of Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning for promoting identity integration and intentionality in emerging adults [paper presentation]. 5th Annual Conference of the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology, Pittsburgh, PA.

Bland, A. M. (2017, October). Assessment meets automation: A humanistic psychologist’s response to computerized intellectual testing [paper presentation]. University of West Georgia Psychology 50th Anniversary Reunion and Conference, Carrollton, GA.

SELECTED Publications               

Bland, A. M. (In press). Research on existential-humanistic therapy. In L. Hoffman & V. Lac (Eds.), The evidence-based foundations of existential-humanistic therapy. American Psychological Association. 

Bland, A. M. (In press). Self-actualization and co-actualization. In L. Hoffman (Ed.), APA handbook of humanistic and existential psychology. American Psychological Association.

Bland, A. M. (2024). Fromm-Reichmann’s (1959) real loneliness in the contemporary United States. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. Advance online publication. Invited contribution to a special feature.

Bland, A. M. (2024). I-it versus I-thou science and society: Introduction to special feature on Maslow’s (1969) “Toward a humanistic biology.” Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 64(1), 79-103.

Bland, A. M., & Swords, B. A. (2023). Eupsychian versus authoritarian leadership: Existential-humanistic underpinnings and empirical support. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 63(4), 515–536. Invited contribution to special issue.

Bland, A. M., & DeRobertis, E. M. (2023). Humanistic psychology. In D. S. Dunn (Ed.), Oxford bibliographies in psychology. Oxford University Press. Invited contribution.

Bland, A. M. (2022). A 15-year progress report on the presence of humanistic/existential psychology principles in mental health outcome measurement: Thematic discourse and summative content analyses. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. Advance online publication.

Bland, A. M., & McQueen, K. S. (2021). Unemployment and marital quality in Great Recession America: An exploratory canonical correlation. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 61(4), 516-545.

Bland, A. M. (2021). The existential obituary writing technique for emerging adults: Thematic and content analyses. The Humanistic Psychologist, 49(3), 435-458.

DeRobertis, E. M., & Bland, A. M. (2021). Humanistic and positive psychologies: The continuing narrative after two decades. Journal of Humanistic Psychology. Advance online publication.

Bland, A. M. (2020). Existential givens in the COVID-19 crisis. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 60(5), 710-724.

Bland, A. M. (2020, January). Review of the book Integrated care for the traumatized: A whole person approach, by Serlin, Krippner, & Rockefeller (Eds.). Independent Practitioner, 40(1), 17-25. Invited contribution.

Bland, A. M., & Arons, S. M. (Eds.). (2020). The new-old: Recollections, reflections, and reconnoiterings of Mike Arons. University Professors Press.

Bland, A. M., & DeRobertis, E. M. (2020). Maslow’s unacknowledged contributions to developmental psychology. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 60(6), 934-958. Invited contribution.

DeRobertis, E. M., & Bland, A. M. (2020). From personal threat to cross-cultural learning: An eidetic investigation. Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, 51(1), 1-15.

Bland, A. (2019, October). The crisis of creativity, and The Courage to Create revisited. The Samaritan Connection, 30, 10.

Bland, A. M. (2019). The Personal Hero Technique: A therapeutic strategy that promotes self-transformation and interdependence. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 59(4), 634-657.

Bland, A. M., & DeRobertis, E. M. (2019). The humanistic perspective. In V. Zeigler-Hill & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.), Encyclopedia of personality and individual differences. Springer. Invited contribution.

Bland, A. M. (2018). Facilitating and assessing personal growth in helper development using Hart’s (2014) Four Virtues. The Humanistic Psychologist, 46(1), 6-29.

Bland, A. M., & McQueen, K. S. (2018). The distribution of Chapman’s Love Languages in couples: An exploratory cluster analysis. Couple and Family Psychology: Research and Practice, 7(2), 103-126.

Bland, A. (2016, December). Beyond SMART goals: A humanistic approach to treatment planning that satisfies managed care requirements. Society for Humanistic Psychology Newsletter.

Bland, A. M., & Roberts-Pittman, B. J. (2014). Existential and chaos theory: “Calling” for adaptability in career decision-making. Journal of Career Development, 41(5), 382-401.

Bland, A. M. (2014). Corrective experiences in corrections counseling. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Criminology, 6(1), 46-74.

Bland, A. M. (2013). A vision of holistic counseling: Applying humanistic-existential principles in the therapeutic relationship. Journal of Holistic Psychology, 2, 277-282 & 334-337.