Retirement Recognition

Paul Myers, PhD

Portland – Retired February 2025

I began my studies of psychology as a student in the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon, where I studied the Rajneeshees and how Oregonians were responding to their presence, among other things. My honors thesis was a content analysis of newspaper coverage of Rajneeshees, testing a hypothesis about how journalists distance themselves from some sources versus others. And while on that project I also worked on a statewide telephone opinion survey about attitudes toward Rajneeshees, and I went to Rajneeshpuram to conduct interviews and surveys with Rajneeshees. During this time, I was also enamored with the study of the history and philosophy of science. So when looking for a graduate school, I looked for a program that had a clinical or counseling psychology doctoral program and that included research into the history and philosophy of science, and I found that after reading an article from the American Psychologist that my dad gave me. That article was about values in psychology research written by Dr. George Howard. I immediately started a correspondence with him as a junior in college, and so when it was time for graduate school, I only applied to work with Dr. Howard at the University of Notre Dame.

I then earned my Masters and PhD at the University of Notre Dame where I studied both therapy and the history and philosophy of science which inform research on research methods in psychology. As a graduate student I taught courses; specifically, I was the Teaching Assistant (TA) for Graduate Statistics and a Department Consultant for Research Design. In Indiana, my wife and I also started our new family with the birth of our first son. It was a great experience to spend time in the Midwest and to make community in a new region, and I still keep in contact with past professors and students from those years.

Upon returning home to Portland, my career as a psychologist can be divided into three general chapters. In the first chapter, I worked in community mental health. I not only worked with clients across the life span, and those who manifested a wide array of often severe disorders, but also I was involved in administration and training such that when I left Delaunay Family of Services, I was the director of training and Adult Outpatient Program coordinator, and I represented Delaunay at regional meetings related to the launch of the Oregon Health Plan and the future merging of mental health centers. In this first chapter, I also served on the Oregon Psychological Association’s Legislative Committee and was part of the team effort that led to the creation of the “practice act” for the practice of psychology. I also had book chapters and journal articles published based on research done in graduate school. In these years I was fortunate to be trained, and supported by amazing, talented therapists (Gabardi, Preston, Percell, Jones, Coleman, Cooper, Stolz, to name a few).

The second chapter of my career was the time I served director of the University Health Center, which meant leading health services, counseling, and disability services at the University of Portland. I had a clinical caseload, was a campus crisis response coordinator, and also taught in the classroom and at workshops. I was also a regional and national leader in the Pacific Coast College Health Association and American College Health Association. I chaired a campus committee that moved the University of Portland (a Roman Catholic institution) to add sexual orientation to its non-discrimination statement. I supervised the creation of a model sexual assault reporting and support system on campus. I received the University’s highest award for promoting its mission, and the highest award for administrators. And the American College Health Association made me a Fellow, and awarded me its Miguel Garcia-Tunon Award for the promotion of human dignity for my work on promoting respect and understanding related to the influence of religious and spiritual experiences in health care decision making, and for promoting dignity and respect among the diversity of health care providers. I was able to do that work through conference workshops, regular newsletter articles, as well as chairing the Ethics Committee and updating the association’s Ethical Principles and Guidelines, and hosting an inter-faith listserv. During those 2 decades I also published articles on pharmaceutical marketing, preventing campus sexual assault, the language of leadership, and spiritual and religious experiences. I need to mention that while directing the counseling services Jenna LeJeune, Pete Morones, and Daisy Lembke stood out as three of the finest staff psychologists with whom I had the pleasure to work, and this is from among  a large number of good psychologists, since many beginning or early psychologists work in university counseling centers before setting up their own private practices. 

The third chapter of my career involved nearly a decade of private practice. I emphasized work with men, but did couples work and saw women as well. I loved the autonomy of running my own practice, but missed the community and diverse activities of University life.  For the first 7 years of private practice I was also blessed to share an office suite with Cindy Sturm and Marcia Johnston-Wood. And then I moved my office  to the Grant Park area in NE Portland for the next 3 years. I was able to join two consultation groups which allowed for ongoing professional support and development, as well as providing community and many laughs (thank you to Rosenzweig, Wilson, Martindale, Sacks, Morse, Richardson, Rosenberg, Volkin, Forster, Fulop, Coleman). My clients were from across the life span, rather than concentrated on college-aged clients. And the issues clients presented and the examples of resilience and creativity clients demonstrated were a constant inspiration to me as a therapist and as a person. I also want to mention that my interests in psychology and learning began with the example of my dad, David A. Myers (1943-2023) who was a psychologist with a long and distinguished career. I miss him every day and I am grateful for his example and support throughout my entire life.

In retirement, my goals are to increase quality time with my wife and family as well as friends. I also plan to continue life-long learning by studying music, writing, and reading widely. I hope to travel and to enjoy my passion for fly fishing. I also hope to continue to glean life lessons and appreciations from my reflections on my past interactions I was fortunate to have with clients and colleagues over the past 4 decades. I do feel I am retiring as a deeply fortunate person and I am filled with gratitude for the countless opportunities to live, love, learn, and serve.