A Method to Madness: Dr. Rik Seefeldt
When Dr. Richard Seefeldt stands up to toast the end of Catalyst Session One in Paris, he routinely gets a cheering and screeching welcome that sounds positively Beatlesesque/Bieberesque. Does he pay his students to do this? One wonders. Or at least all of his colleagues wonder. Rik has been assistant director of The Catalyst since the program was founded, and his Psychology class is always sold out on the program fast and early. He loves punk music and knows Camden Towne about as well as an honorary member of The Pogues. Nobody has more pairs of Dr. Marten boots than Rik, and not too many people have been wearing Chuck Taylors as well or as long as he has. Without further ado…you can now meet Rik Seefeldt in his own words…
I’m Dr. Rik Seefeldt and I am the professor Madness on The Catalyst. I’ve been a Psychology professor for over 30 years and have been teaching students abroad for more than a decade. I’ve taught classes all over Europe but find that London and Paris have more to offer psychology students than almost any of the other cities I know and love. I am a counseling psychologist with an avid interest in exploring the history and current topics and controversies in the field of psychopathology. I’m also an avid music fan and love that I get to hang out in the city of some of my favorite old punk bands like the Clash, Sex Pistols, the Damned, Adam Ant, and the Pogues. The fact that there are thousands of brand new bands playing all over the city that are just waiting to be discovered is another of the reasons that I find London such a great place to start The Catalyst Program each year.
London also provides a perfect opportunity to introduce students to psychology topics old and new while exploring one of the world’s great cities. The fact that our class spends an incredible second week living and learning in Paris is also fabulous. I love being in these cities and exploring new places, interacting with British and EU scholars, and sharing places I’ve taken students many times before. London and Paris in the summer time are fantastic, and it’s always nice to return. As exciting as all this is, the travel is NOT what brings me back summer after summer.
By far the most exciting aspects of That Catalyst for me are the students I am privileged to meet each summer. This class has had a major impact on each and every student who has seized the opportunity to take it, and it never gets old to see how much these once-in-a-lifetime experiences make such a difference in their lives. This summer, I will have the opportunity to see how it will make a difference in your life. That’s the real reward of being the professor for this class, and that’s why I’m back again this summer! So now it’s time to take your turn…Madness in London and Paris in the summer. Perfect! I’m looking forward to meeting you, because this summer will be epic. (I wonder what aspects of London and Paris you’ll find to love the most? What great adventures you’ll have to remember a whole lifetime?) See you there!
