Our Faculty

Dr. Debra M. Kawahara

Institute Director and Founding Faculty

Dr. Debra M. Kawahara is the Executive Director of the Illumination of Mindfulness Institute, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Distinguished Professor in the California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant University and the 2025 President of the American Psychological Association.   She is a widely published multicultural feminist scholar whose work centers on intersectionality, Buddhist psychotherapy, women’s issues, and the application of multicultural and feminist values and social justice principles. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association as well as the Asian American Psychological Association.

To get in touch with Dr. Kawahara, please email her at dkawahara@alliant.edu.

Dr. Liang Tien

Institute Associate Director and Founding Faculty

About the Professor

Dr. Tien holds a Psy.D. from the University of Denver, a Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. She was a founding faculty at Antioch University Seattle’s Psy.D. program and the program director and core faculty of the Psy.D. program at the California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant University, in Hong Kong.  In addition to her work in Buddhist psychotherapy, Dr. Tien has published and presented in the area of multicultural counseling, as well as conducted workshops on ethics and Buddhism.  She practices in the tradition of Theravada Buddhism.

To get in touch with Dr. Tien, please email her at liang.tien@alliant.edu.

Dr. Pauline Hall

Affiliate Faculty

Dr. Pauline Hall holds a Psy.D. from California School of Professional Psychology, Alliant University – Hong Kong.  She currently practices in Sydney, Australia.  In addition to clinical psychology, she underwent traditional Tibetan Buddhism mindfulness training, which became a cornerstone of her understanding of Buddhism.  She joined the Buddhist Psychotherapy case consultation group and then started research on Buddhist psychotherapy.

 

To get in touch with Dr. Hall, please email her at phallpsyart@gmail.com.

Dr. Jude Bergkamp

Affiliate Faculty

Dr. Jude Bergkamp is the Chair of the clinical psychology program at Antioch University Seattle, as well as clinical faculty in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington. He serves as President-elect of the National Council of Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP), and the American Psychological Association (APA) BEA/BPA Task Force on Doctoral Competencies in Health Service Psychology. His Buddhist practice started with Soto Zen and then migrated to the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism. His Buddhist studies focused on Vasubandhu. His scholarly and research interest are in the area of decolonization with a strong critique of the Western cultural appropriation of Buddhist concepts.

To get in touch with Dr. Bergkamp, please email him at udebergkamp@gmail.com.