Carl E. Thoresen

Carl E. Thoresen was a psychologist on the faculty of Stanford University. From 2005, he was also a senior fellow at Santa Clara University.

Education and academic career Many events and achievements in Thoresen's career as a psychologist were described in a profile published in 2009 in The Counseling Psychologist (CP), as part of its "Legacies and Traditions" series. Thoresen graduated with a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in history (1955), later received his MA (counseling, 1960) and PhD (psychological studies, counseling psychology, 1964) from Stanford University. After a brief period as an assistant professor of counseling at Michigan State (1965–1967), he returned to Stanford as assistant professor of education (1967). From 1975 until 2000 he served as professor of education, and by courtesy, psychology, and psychiatry. From 2000, he held the same title with emeritus status. From 2005, he was also a senior fellow at the Spirituality and Health Institute at Santa Clara University.

According to his CP profile, and by the National University of Ireland (Literature, 2004).

He was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1973. He was an elected Fellow of several major organisations, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (1982-), the American Psychological Association (1972-) and the Society of Behavioural Medicine (1986-). His professional publications number more than 200.

Research and influence According to the CP interview, Thoresen's "scholarly work, professional service, teaching, and mentorship have motivated many counseling psychologists to radically expand their areas of inquiry. He was among the first to focus counseling on observable behaviors and to apply psychological science and interventions to physical problems in medical settings. More recently, he has pioneered the study of the interface between spirituality and health" (p. 275).