Bring It On actress Eliza Dushku fulfilled a new dream, earning an advanced degree in clinical mental health counseling.
Expressing immense joy and gratitude, actress Eliza Dushku celebrated the completion of her master’s degree on Instagram, describing the achievement as more than just a success but a profound realization of a deep calling. She highlighted how the experience symbolized genuine growth, renewed energy, and the fulfillment of her passion.
Dushku received a Master of Arts degree from Lesley University late last month.
After nearly ten years of dedicated introspection and the construction of a fresh chapter in her life, Dushku shared her appreciation for reaching this significant milestone. She expressed thankfulness to her highest self for bravely venturing into the unknown and making her dreams a reality. Additionally, she acknowledged her family, including her husband Peter Palandjian and their children Philip, 5, and Bodie, 3, for their unwavering love, support, and the sacrifices they made to help her pursue and achieve her educational goal.
Married since 2018, Dushku and Palandjian, along with their two young sons, were present to witness and celebrate this memorable moment during Dushku’s graduation ceremony, marking the culmination of her academic journey.
“And to my family, friends — new and old — my colleagues/classmates, professors/teachers, and community, I give thanks: for rooting me on, encouraging me day in and day out, and affording me the grace, strength, and space to step fully into these past years of clinical training,” she wrote. “Today, I stand grounded and ready to support others on their journeys of becoming — through self-discovery, healing, and transformation. The connectedness I feel in holding safe, compassionate space for those who seek the undertaking is such lifeblood now.”
She concluded, “To possibility, hope, and healing, all. Non sibi sed toti 🤍.”
Dushku took a step back from acting in 2017, turning to a new career in mental health counseling. In a 2024 profile for Boston Magazine, Dushku revealed that she is certified in psychedelic-assisted therapy.
“I had the means to shift directions and choose a course in my life that focused on healing myself so that I could help heal others,” Dushku told the outlet. “I would be remiss if I didn’t now share the transformation and the peace and the passion that I have. This is just absolutely so clearly my real calling, my real purpose.”
According to Dushku, she had previously used psychedelics to help recover from past traumas.
“I found myself feeling so wholly unwell,” she recalled. “So painfully vulnerable, raw, exposed — terrified and suffering from what was diagnosed as PTSD. I finally surrendered and began to feel a release and a sense of peace and security and calm whooshing through me.”
Dushku revealed past struggles with alcoholism and addiction in 2017.
