Scott Churchill

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Scott D. Churchill is Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Psychology at the University of Dallas. He served as department chair, founded the master's program in psychology, and retired in 2023. He is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and is internationally known for his work with existential phenomenology, his advocacy shaping APA ethics policies, and his research on human-bonobo communication, second-person perspectivity, and empathy.

Education and career
- B.S. in Biology from Bucknell University (1972)
- M.A. in Psychology (1974) and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology (1984) from Duquesne University
- Taught for 42 years (35 at the University of Dallas) in fields such as phenomenological research methods, depth psychology, projective techniques, primate studies including human-bonobo communication, film studies, lifespan development, empathy, and tropical ecology

Contributions and influence
- His work spans multiple disciplines and has been shared through keynotes and invited talks around the world
- He is a former president of the APA Society for Humanistic Psychology (Division 32), a member of the APA Council of Representatives, and editor-in-chief of The Humanistic Psychologist
- He represented the Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology within APA’s Division of Qualitative and Quantitative Research (Div. 5)

Ethics and policy reform
- Churchill has long been involved in ethics in psychology and led efforts within APA’s ethics committees and task forces
- Beginning in 2013, he worked to reform APA regulations to prevent psychologists from participating in or aiding torture
- In 2014, APA policy was changed to prohibit psychologists from involvement in torture settings like Guantánamo Bay and CIA black sites, unless they were providing treatment to fellow soldiers
- In 2015, he advocated expanding the ban to national security interrogations conducted by the U.S. government, including noncoercive methods, aligning APA with other major health organizations

Research and interests
- His research covers human-animal relations, animal-assisted therapy, human-animal bonding, animal welfare and cognition
- He has a particular interest in bonobos and what human-bonobo interaction can reveal about human kinship and intersubjectivity
- He has described animals as spiritual beings and explored how interspecies contact challenges conventional scientific boundaries

Other roles
- Beyond psychology, Churchill has engaged with cultural institutions as a fellow of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture and as a senior film and performing arts critic for Irving Community Television Network and the Dallas International Film Festival
- He has also served on editorial boards for professional journals in psychology