A Special Interest Group of the
American Psychological Association's
Division 32, Humanistic Psychology

Always fighting apathy!

Confluence is an undergraduate humanistic psychology alliance that offers a place for multiplicity and diversity of thought, community, friendship and pro-action/activist outreach. We are open to all majors — all those interested in the psychological life of fiction, film, dance, politics, music, philosophy and everything else under the sun. We are unapologetic about our intellectual pursuits and unabashedly passionate!

Confluence embraces the belief in interparticipatory and interdisciplinary experiences and exchanges.  We imagine all students as themselves points of confluence — drawn to learn, engage, relate, and change.   

Robert McInerney, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology

Founder/Advisor of Confluence

Check out Professor McInerney's faculty video.

Ashley Bobak

Chair of Confluence

I am a junior psychology major here at Point Park. Although I am unsure of specifically what I would like to do with my degree, I am interested in pursuing clinical psychology. However, I am also interested in other practices of psychology as well. This past summer, I served as a KEYS (Knowledge to Empower Youth to Success) Service Corps AmeriCorps Member. I was placed at the Hazelwood YMCA and was in charge of a group of children - but was also interacting with all of the children at the camp most of the day. Having never worked with children before, it was an eye-opening experience. Besides learning how to care and mentor children, I also learned about the inequalities between the Pittsburgh communities. The staff and workplace environment was incredible, it was just difficult because of the lack of money the Hazelwood YMCA receives. Although our supplies were low, and our bus was broken down for a few weeks (without the bus, we had to cancel many field trips and improvise...a lot) we managed to have a good summer.  It felt like a dysfunctional family almost. No matter how many problems we had, I still loved those kids more than anything. So what I'm trying to get to, and I apologize for the rambling, I have become interested in community psychology and am considering perhaps working with nonprofits or other community resources in low income areas. I am excited to become the chair of Confluence and hope I can bring some new ideas to the alliance, and also work with incoming members to really have a great year.

Sarah Rectenwald

Co-Chair of Confluence

I am a senior psychology major at Point Park. This will be the first year that I am really involved with Confluence, and I am very excited. I am most fascinated with clinical psychology. Upon graduation, I plan to go on to graduate school to obtain a Ph.D. in clinical and community psychology. Ultimately, I dream of returning to Point Park upon completion of my education as a professor. I love being at school as well as teaching others, and I really want to help others become involved. So, this year I hope to organize plenty of activities and events to help the psychology community at Point Park grow. Also, I am very interested to become more involved in volunteering around the community. I am so happy to be the co-chair of Confluence, and I look forward to meeting you all.

Administrator of Confluence

This position is now open for the Fall, 2012 semester

Amanda Ingram

 Treasurer of Confluence

I am a senior psychology major at Point Park. I have been to my fair share of universities with an equally diverse selection in majors, but finally I have found my place at Point Park in the psychology program. My life goals are to finish my undergrad and move on to graduate school in hopes of attaining my Psy.D. in clinical psychology. Ultimately, my goal is to work with the rehabilitation of addicts, but I am really open to anything at this point.  It all peeks an interest for me. My plans for this coming year are to really get involved in the Pittsburgh community.  Since I actually live out here all year now, I figured it is about time to get involved with something that benefits someone else's life as well as my own.  So this year I plan on becoming involved with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape. PAAR is an awesome organization that educates and advocates an end to sexual violence right here in Pittsburgh. Anyway, enough about me and on to Confluence.  This year in Confluence, I would really like to focus on getting more people involved.  It is a great group to be involved with and it does an enormous amount of good for the community.  I would like to see new faces getting interested and involved in what we do. (:

Existential View on Education and Career

IMPORTANT CONFLUENCE LINKS:

Check out our Facebook page.

Confluence Events
Confluence Committees
Confluence Members
The Confluence Humanistic Journal

Interested in being a member of Confluence?

Contact Faculty Advisor Robert McInerney, Ph.D., at rmcinerney@pointpark.edu.

* Point Park University is located in Downtown Pittsburgh near the confluence of three rivers (Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers). Confluence means “with flow” or “streaming together” and describes both a place as well as continuous change. As streams come together they are momentarily both individual and undivided; they are never static, never simply one or many. The interstice of self with other within the University is the point of confluence.  And so, we imagine all students as temporary points of confluence drawn to learn, engage, relate and change.   

Oh yeah, and join Confluence to get a button: