Religion and Psychology

Purpose

Religion and Psychology explores and integrates the psychological disciplines, religious traditions, and modes of care and healing, with special attention to the resources provided by pastoral care and counseling, practical theology, including racial-ethnic, cross-cultural, and feminist perspectives. The program prepares students to engage imaginatively with such emerging questions and issues as the contextual nature of pastoral care, the diversity of human communities, and to delve into crucial theories and methods that enhance the quality of human life and enrich understandings.

Faculty

Core Doctoral Faculty

HERBERT ANDERSON • PLTS (Practical Theology) • Practical theology as an integrating framework for the practices of ministry; imperfect excellence in the practice of ministry; formation and supervision in ministry; ministry with the dying and grieving; pastoral care of families.

Consortial Faculty

PETER YUICHI CLARK • ABSW (Pastoral Care) • Spiritual care in Asian and Pacific Islander populations; dynamics of aging and religious faith; implications of Buddhist-Christian interreligious dialogue for pastoral caregiving; spiritual assessment based on the capacity for hoping/hopefulness; cultural competence and humility in spiritual caregiving; Clinical Pastoral Education.

HORACE GRIFFIN • PSR (Field Education and Pastoral Leadership) •Pastoral leadership (emphasis on religious and social justice) practical theology (study of narrative); pastoral theology (gender and sexuality); psychology of religion; intersection of race and homosexuality in the context of Christianity, particularly the Black Church.

FLORA A. KESHGEGIAN • CDSP (Pastoral Theology and Women in Ministry) •Practical theology; women in ministry; theological anthropology; soteriology; trauma; violence and reconciliation.

DAIJAKU KINST • IBS (Buddhism and Pastoral Care) • Foundations & development of Buddhist pastoral care, chaplaincy, counseling in interfaith context; critical foundations for effective interfaith dialogue; interface of traditional Buddhist psychology and contemporary psychoanalytic perspectives; the teachings of Eihei Dogen: Buddha Nature, Time and Self; contemplative development and the experience of Trust.

SCOTT SULLENDER • SFTS (Pastoral Counseling) • Loss, grief, and trauma; psychology and spirituality of aging; addiction and its treatment; interface between psychology and spirituality.

Degrees

M.A.

Offered at ABSW, CDSP, PLTS, PSR, SFTS

Overview

This area explores the contemporary disciplines of psychology, religious traditions, and modes of care and healing. Inherent to the area is the assumption that the resources of contemporary psychology, including social psychology, racial-ethnic, feminist, and cross-cultural perspectives, provide crucial theories and methods that enhance the quality of human life and enrich understandings of religion and theology.

M.A. Requirements

Ph.D.

The Religion and Psychology area is not accepting new doctoral students at this time. However, faculty in this Area offer courses, contribute to the interdisciplinary aspects of doctoral programs in other areas, and are available for membership on student's examination and dissertation committees.