John Van Ess Firman, M.A., M.F.T.

John was a licensed psychotherapist practicing in Palo Alto, California. He died on June 23, 2008, three months after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

John began his career in mental health in the late 1960s as a psychiatric technician at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Unit. He later worked in the state hospital system and in a county alcoholism unit.

John completed advanced training in psychosynthesis at the Psychosynthesis Institute, and for several months in 1973 he studied with Roberto Assagioli in Italy. He also received training at the Family Therapy Institute of Southern California and worked for several years as a psychotherapist and spiritual director on the staff of a Catholic parish in Los Angeles. He was an associate core faculty member at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology.

 Below is a link to a wonderful one-hour video interview with John:

http://psychosynthesisresources.com/pvp3.html