A Brief Autobiography of Tory Hoff
Tory Hoff grew up in Salinas, California, and graduated with
a B.A. in Psychology from the University of California at
Davis in 1970 after having been immersed in the music and student aspirations of that era. He spent a year in Europe, where he spent time
in the vicinity of a Christian study centre called L'Abri. After a yaer building the family house outside Salinas, he moved to Toronto
to attend the Institute for Christian Studies, where he was introduced to the somewhat esoteric philosophy of Dooyeweerd
and more specifically acquired a wholistic, phenomenological perspective to issues such as mind and
body. Retroactively he was given a Certificate in the Philosophy of
Psychology 1976. He
worked with disturbed children in residential treatment for
a few years, completed in 1980 an M.A. from Carleton University in Ottawa, and in 1990
was granted his Ph.D. in the History of Psychology from York
University. His dissertation was on the demise of physiognomy and phrenology
as an expression of social and intellectual changes within Western society. From 1987 to 1994 he taught at the University
of Saskatchewan and at its Catholic affiliate, St. Thomas
More College, then returned to Toronto and obtained his
registration to practice as a counselling psychologist in
Ontario. Assisted by his administrative and clinical staff, he
provides psychological therapy to a wide range of clients, but
mostly those suffering mental trauma and depression due to an
accident. Many of his patients have been diagnosed with posttraumatic fibromyalgia. He
also works part-time for Christian Counselling Services as its psychologist.
A collector of old psychology and phrenology books
since the early 1980's, he began to sell used books his last year in Saskatoon,
and in the fall of 1995 started to list them on his first website.
When not seeing clients or taking a break with the book business, he
spends time with his partner, Linda McClelland, at their
home in the Beaches. They still manage to get to the dance floor. A member of the Longboat Running Club since 1994, he tries to stay in shape running
a few races a year when not injured, his favourite being the Big Sur Marathon near where he grew up.
He and Linda bought
another house in 2006, located an hour east on a quiet street in Port
Hope among several old houses. Meanwhile, the garden and rocks in Toronto are coming along
but the house itself awaits renovation if the money ever accumulates. Little time to read books or publish academic
research these days.
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