Lily Vassiliou

Lily Vassiliou, Ph.D.

Education:
PhD in Psychology, Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, Ohio
MA in Process Work, Graduate School, Process Work Institute, Portland, Oregon
Diploma in Process Work, Process Work Institute, Portland, Oregon
Graduate Training in Couples, Family & Group Therapy, Athenian Institute of Anthropos (AIA.), Athens, Greece
Diploma in Social Work, Institute for the Development of Social Work, Athens, Greece

License:
1986, License to Practice Social Work in Greece, Hellenic Republic, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Directorate of Social Work, Athens, Greece

Areas of Substantive Knowledge:
Process Work, Group & Family Therapy, Social Work, Conflict Facilitation, Organizational and Group Work, Open Forums

Professional Background:

  • Counselor of individuals, couples and families.
  • Adjunct Faculty: Process Work Institute Graduate School, Portland, Oregon.
  • Co-founder of Process Work Greece
  • Associate of the Athenian Institute of Anthropos, Athens, Greece.
  • Counselor at River’s Way Clinic in Portland, Oregon (1996-1999) under the supervision of Dr. Gary Reiss, licensed social worker and Dr. Sonja Straub, licensed clinical psychologist, providing counseling services to low-income people in Portland, Oregon.
  • Staff member of the Lava Rock Dreambody Clinics on the Oregon Coast (1995 to present), a forum providing the opportunity for people who are physically ill to go deeper into their body experiences and discover the energy behind their symptoms.
  • Staff member of the Extreme States Clinics on the Oregon Coast (1995-1999) a forum providing the opportunity for people to explore the meaning and value of extreme states of consciousness.
  • Staff member (1995 to present) and co-organizer (1992-2002) of the Worldwork Seminars, a forum providing the opportunity for people from all over the world to come together to focus on social, environmental and political issues using group process skills.
  • Organizer and Facilitator of Public Open Forums in Portland, Oregon (1993 to present) on a variety of social issues, including racism, economics, sexism, homophobia, homelessness, environmental issues, controversial ballot measures, etc.
  • Counselor in Athens, Greece (1986-1990) under the supervision of Dr. Petros Polychronis, Child Psychiatrist, working with individuals, couples and families.
  • Social Worker in Athens, Greece (1985-1990) in a variety of settings including a public hospital, a community development program for refugees from Iran and Iraq, a program for the prevention and treatment of the neglect and abuse of children, and a program for the de-institutionalization of the children and the staff of an institution for young children.
  • Coordinator of Psycho-Educational Programs for Children of the Athenian Institute of Anthropos in Athens, Greece, (1985-1986).
  • Coordinator of International Conferences of the Athenian Institute of Anthropos in Athens, Greece, (1984-1988): Chairperson of the organizing committee of the 8th International Delphic Symposium on Family Therapy, sponsored by the World Psychiatric Association, and of the Athenian Symposium for Group Process: East West, sponsored by the International Association for Group Psychotherapy.

Publications:
2005, Discovering Meaning in Panic: A Process-oriented Approach to Panic Attacks. Unpublished Dissertation, Union Institute and University

2002, “Mauthausen: A Journey Into History Then and Now.” The Journal of Process Oriented Psychology, vol.8 no.2. (p.46-57)

1999, On the Path to a Black Tongue: A Greek Woman’s View on Sexism. Unpublished MA thesis, PWCP

1986, The Contemporary Form of the Important Relationship in the Greek Family. A.I.A. Technical Report, no.29, Athens, Greece.

Personal Statement:
In Process Work I found a paradigm that views process (i.e., what is happening) as the teacher; a paradigm that values all experiences and finds treasures hidden in the most troublesome of them. This worldview fit my feeling about life. Being immersed in it has given me a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. The wide spectrum of applications of this paradigm and the myriad aspects remaining to be discovered thrill my inquisitive nature. For the last few years I have been focusing on the application of process thinking to panic attacks. Through this research I have come to appreciate these experiences as potential doorways into unknown aspects of ourselves that can connect us to a deeper direction of our lives.

Currently I am attempting to follow a creative impulse in me to present my understanding of these experiences in the form of a book. While following this impulse I am acutely aware of the escalating tensions on our planet, and agonize about ways to be more actively involved in holding and working with them. I yearn to be part of a collective awareness that can ride this wave of escalation, stay with its intensity, make space for the complexity involved so that the inherent diversity is seen, appreciated and deepened until it guides us to an underlying common ground – a feeling atmosphere from where a sense of community and momentary resolutions emerge. I am passionate about this kind of worldwork and about living life as a divination process.

I love gazing at the ocean on the Oregon coast, sailing the Aegean, lying in the sun, sleeping under the stars, getting lost in music, gardening, cooking, doing things with my hands, building, chopping wood, pushing myself to my physical limits and beyond, all of which somehow help me get in touch with the sense of the mystery of life [Portland, July 2005].