Continuing Education Course for California Psychotherapists on the Portuguese Coastal Way of the Camino de Santiago
September 27 - October 10, 2025
Join us on the Camino de Santiago as we walk the Spanish portion of the Portuguese Coastal Camino to Santiago de Compostela and explore the many parallels between pilgrimage and psychotherapy. This adventure will be an opportunity to learn about the process of pilgrimage, have a lot of fun, and earn 20 CE credits while being a part of a pilgrimage of a dozen women.
Being on a pilgrimage can be deeply transformative if done with intention, much like psychotherapy. A pilgrimage, like the therapeutic relationship, offers a safe “container” that encourages reflection and insight. Walking day after day without distraction in a beautiful natural setting with an ancient spiritual history allows for a visceral sense of there being a “bigger picture.” Like therapy, the Camino shows us how to just keep walking through the hard bits and the easy bits, noticing the small miracles along the way.
Itinerary:
Day 1: Baiona
Day 2: Baiona
Day 3: Nigran. 6 kms
Day 4: Vigo 20 kms
Day 5: Redondela 15 kms
Day 6: Arcada 8kms
Day 7: Pontevedra 12 kms
Day 8: Combarro 10 kms
Day 9 Vilanova de Arousa 7.5 kms (we will be driven from Combarro to 7.5 kms from Vilanova de Arousa)
Day 10 Padron (mostly by boat)
Day 11 Teo 12 kms
Day 12. Santiago de Compostela
Day 13. Santiago de Compostela
This itinerary includes a detour onto the Spiritual Variant of the Portuguese Way, a beautiful, less traveled Camino featuring travel by boat along the route that legend suggests was the route of the “stone boat” that brought the body of St. James to Galicia. This route is lined by monuments rising out of the sea.
POST-CAMINO EXCURSION
Following our walk we will be offering a 2 day excursion in a comfortable minivan to the beautiful Atlantic coast of Galicia led by out friend and long-time resident of Santiago, Reina D’hoore. We will visit Finesterre (the end of the earth) and Muxia, two pre-Christian ends of the Camino on the Atlantic Ocean; Castro (ruin of Celtic village with round stone houses) Baroña; the waterfall of Xallas in Ezaro, the only waterfall in Europe that falls into the sea; Carnota, one of the longest beaches in Galicia and also a natural park, sacred land to the Celts; Muros, a Medieval fishing village; Noia, another Medieval village on the sea where we will spend the night; and Riveira, where we will visit the Dolmen de Axeitos and Castro da cidá.
This excursion will include a night in Noia and a night in Santiago upon our return. Two nights in hotels, all meals, and transportation are all included in price.n($500)
Cost for Camino: $4000 including lodging, breakfast, and dinner, luggage transfers between hotels and CE instruction and discussion. There are a limited number of single rooms for an extra $500.
FACILITATORS:
Patti Wiley, PhD, LMFT has been a psychotherapist for 35 years and has taught Jungian, relational and feminist therapy. She lived in Spain for two years in her youth and is a student of the pre-Christian and medieval history of the Camino. This will be the 4th group Camino that she has organized.
Jozeffa Greer, LMFT, has been a psychotherapist also for 35 years. She has been on two pilgrimages with Patti. This will be her first time helping as a facilitator.
PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF BOTH OF US FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT.
Patti Wiley: pattilorwiley@gmail.com (510) 282-8305
Jozeffa Greer: jozeffa@mac.com (916) 736-6300
