zachary kampf
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Depth Psychologist

ABOUT ME
I am a licensed clinical social worker with my doctorate in depth psychology, passionate about direct clinical practice as well as teaching and research. My intellectual interests are primarily in the mind-body problem, the larger question of the relationship of consciousness to the material world, archetypal cosmology, and the rhythms of the collective psyche as expressed in film and pop culture.
I host the monthly podcast Dionysia, exploring the deeper symbolic meaning in popular films, and write regularly in Death Coach, a blog ironically dedicated to living life to the fullest.
Like many psychotherapists, the reason that I’m now equipped with the tools to help others is largely because of the lessons I learned through my own psychological suffering. I tried several different kinds of therapy and found many of the approaches to be superficial. I felt like I was being given band-aids for the bleeding when I wanted to cauterize the wound.
I didn’t want coping skills for my depression, I wanted to know why I was depressed. I wanted to know why I kept behaving in such a way that I was undermining my own goals and unraveling the very life I was trying to build for myself.
I had taken psychology classes and completed a graduate degree in social work, only to find that the clinical skills I had learned were painfully inadequate in helping me answer these fundamental questions. And if I couldn’t answer them for myself, what business did I have trying to help others do the same?
My world quickly turned upside-down when I discovered the work of C. G. Jung, a psychological theorist distinguished primarily by his focus on the unconscious, instinctual, and transpersonal dimensions of the psyche. Through Jung I realized that I would never understand the source of my depression by analyzing the parts of myself of which I was already aware. I had to become conscious of the parts I didn’t yet know. This basic shift in my perspective completely changed my life. I wanted to help others achieve the same kinds of breakthroughs, so I decided to leave behind my previous life as a professional musician and start my career in clinical practice.
I have now spent four years working as a psychiatric clinician in both inpatient and outpatient settings, often with individuals experiencing psychosis or other acute mental health or substance use crises. I find my work deeply meaningful, and I love nothing more than seeing clients discover and live into their true potential.
Aside from direct practice, I am passionate about research and writing. My academic work has been published in Archai: The Journal of Archetypal Cosmology and Personality Type in Depth: Bridging Psychological Type and Depth Psychology.
