Jesus is the ultimate embodiment of the integration of psychology and theology. He was able to hold physical and spiritual truths together in perfect harmony and offered a path to complete healing. This class will address understanding the relationship between accessing psychological assistance and leaning into Biblical resources to help oneself and others grow in psychological and spiritual wellness.

The concept of trauma has become a part of our everyday existence. It is something that is spoken about in the grocery stores, at schools, at home, at church and in social media, yet there is limited knowledge about what it really means. It is also hard to grasp how this concept fits into a scriptural context and how we should understand trauma as Christians. This class will look at understanding trauma basics through the integrative lens of counseling and the scriptures.

In our journey as disciples who are also parents, it can perhaps be most difficult to manage parenting through the adolescent years. It is a sensitive, volatile time of life, but also has great potential. As disciples we carry intrinsic and cultural expectations that our children would become disciples and thrive, yet we have little control over their decisions. We can carry many concerns about the impact of outside influences such as social media, the evolving (or devolving) culture, increased access to information good and bad, dating, friend choices, and other life issues. One can wonder, “How do I support the healthy development of my child while having a positive spiritual influence?” (even after your child is baptized) Through this class I would like to offer hope, encouragement, and clinical guidance from the perspective of a therapist who has counseled many adolescents and their families over the past 20 years but also as a parent of a 25-year-old and 3 teens who is still currently navigating the process. I would like to help define success in parenting beyond the child being baptized and discuss the role of personal peace in creating a successful parenting experience.

Themes

--Peace as a calling card of the master
--Moratorium as a space for the creation of identity
--Influence vs. control
--Cognitive Development
--Psychosocial Development
--Faith Development