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David Lukoff, Ph.D. has been a clinical psychologist for 25 years and is currently a professor of psychology at the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology in Palo Alto, California. He has also taught at Harvard, UCLA, Oxnard College, Saybrook Graduate School, and the Institute of Integral Studies, as well as having led workshops around the world. Much of his clinical experience has been with patients suffering from serious mental disorders. He reports that he has found spirituality to be a central part of the recovery process for most patients. Much of his treatment approach arises from a brief psychotic experience he had which lasted two months. Spirituality played an key role in his own recovery. Dr. Lukoff was instrumental in getting a new diagnostic category, Religious or Spiritual Problem, accepted into the DSM IV. Much of his current focus is training other mental health professionals in Spiritual Competency, that is to recognize and know how to work with spiritual issues in their clinical work. He is author of 70 articles and chapters on spiritual issues and mental health. He has also designed and taught online courses for the past 12 years. His Spiritual Competency Resource Center provides access to online resources that enhance the cultural sensitivity of mental health professionals, including online courses, guides to internet resources, and articles on the clinical applications of spirituality.