Northcentral University

FACULTYSPOTLIGHT Social and Behavioral Sciences FACULTYSPOTLIGHT Social and Behavioral Sciences Daniel B. Pitchford, PhD Full-Time Faculty, Department of Psychology Dr. Pitchford began teaching at NCU in 2010 and has served various schools at NCU. He started as a part-time Faculty member in the Department of Psychology, worked as a full-time dissertation chair in the Graduate School from 2013-2016, and then moved to the School of Business as chair, teaching in the IOP program. In early 2018, he returned to the School of Psychology as professor, continuing his role as dissertation chair and teaching several courses. He received his PhD in Psychology from Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center and has a Master's in Counseling from George Fox University. He has co-developed and co-led a certification program on the specialization in trauma studies and in the area of suicide and psychological autopsies. He also worked as a psychotherapist in several capacities within the Department of Veterans Affairs, Native tribes in the United States, psychiatric inpatient hospital settings, and many not-for-profit organizations. Dr. Pitchford also serves in various community functions, including policy and program development/consultation for mental health organizations, as well as development of community-based intervention and treatment approaches and programs for psychological trauma and mental health support (throughout the Pacific Northwest). He has written several works in relationship to his research and clinical interests, and is co-author of Biography of Disease Series: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (ABC-Clio Press), and Humanistic and Existential Approaches in the Treatment of PTSD (Routledge), and author of Neuropsychology of Nightmares reported by Iraq War Veterans (Nova Publishers). He is currently working on a book about suicide and treatment approaches for veteran, active military and general adult populations in the West (Praeger). Some of Dr. Pitchford's research interests include meaning-making experiences of loss and nature of soul loss, culturally-informed psychological autopsies and suicide, and the nature of personal transformation and cultural mythology within experiences of traumatic stress. Along with his academic and clinical interests, he enjoys spending time being creative with culinary experimentation, writing poetry and music, and doing anything outdoors. He has a particular interest in life exploration, and often takes time to discover new cultures, practices, and areas unknown to him. He recently began a new adventure departing the Pacific Northwest and traversing the Yukon, settling into various parts of Alaska.

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