Total Credits: 12 including 12 APA Credit
Conference Overview
The 2023 Catholic Psychotherapy Association Conference will feature educational sessions based upon our understanding of the human person according to Catholic anthropology. Particular focus will be given to ways in which human brokenness is made manifest within relationships and vocation. Current issues affecting all vocations in areas related to human sexuality will be discussed. It will explore the definitions of healthy human sexuality as created and intended by God with fidelity to the Magisterium.
Catholic mental health and affiliated professionals must be formed, informed, and equipped to address these concerns in ways that are ethically sound, empirically supported, faithful to Catholic anthropology, and practically feasible. The conference will address etiology and treatment of a wide array of wounds affecting the sexuality of persons in all vocations in areas including moral development, fidelity and fruitfulness. Particular attention will be given to topics related to etiology (medical, psychological, social, and spiritual), evidence-based treatment and legal protection for the Catholic therapist.
Embodiment of and witnessing to the Catholic understanding of the human person takes many forms, most of which require a great deal of grace and courage. As the Catholic Church at large embraces the upcoming synod, the Catholic Psychotherapy Association aims to serve the Church by addressing issues of human sexuality to help individuals restore communion and participation in the Church and discover their mission.
Inspirational Verses:
“And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one’? 6 So they are no longer two but one. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.”
“In the beginning was the Word, and Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.”
Patron: Patronage: St. John Paul II & St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
Man, whom God created male and female, bears the divine image imprinted on his body ‘from the beginning.’ Man and woman constitute two different ways of the human ‘being a body’ in the unity of that image. – TOB January 2, 1980
O Prince of Peace, to all who receive You, You bright light and peace. Help me to live in daily contact with You, listening to the words You have spoken and obeying them. O Divine Child, I place my hands in Yours; I shall follow You. Oh, let Your divine life flow into me.
I will go unto the altar of God. It is not myself and my tiny little affairs that matter here, but the great sacrifice of atonement. I surrender myself entirely to Your divine will, O Lord. Make my heart grow greater and wider, out of itself into the Divine Life.
O my God, fill my soul with holy joy, courage and strength to serve You. Enkindle Your love in me and then walk with me along the next stretch of road before me. I do not see very far ahead, but when I have arrived where the horizon now closes down, a new prospect will open before me and I shall meet with peace.
How wondrous are the marvels of your love, We are amazed, we stammer and grow dumb, for word and spirit fail us.
| Jesus-Centered Schema Therapy & Virtue-based Theology of the Body (935.1 KB) | Available after Purchase |
| Desire, and Fantasy: A Proposal for a Catholic Psychotherapy (419 KB) | Available after Purchase |
| The Role of Psychology in the Human Formation of Seminarians for Spiritual Fatherhood (2.6 MB) | Available after Purchase |
| Application of the Negative Dyadic Interactive Cycle for Reducing Conflict in Relationships: Cycle for Reducing Conflict in Relationships (241.7 KB) | Available after Purchase |
| Reintegrative Therapy: The Impact of Trauma Treatment on Male Sexuality. 1 (2 MB) | Available after Purchase |
| Reintegrative Therapy: The Impact of Trauma Treatment on Male Sexuality. 2 (1.4 MB) | Available after Purchase |
| Reintegrative Therapy: The Impact of Trauma Treatment on Male Sexuality. 3 (241.9 KB) | Available after Purchase |
| Reintegrative Therapy: The Impact of Trauma Treatment on Male Sexuality. 4 (475.2 KB) | Available after Purchase |
| Reintegrative Therapy: The Impact of Trauma Treatment on Male Sexuality. 5 (13.6 MB) | Available after Purchase |
Dr. McClure is a licensed psychologist at Novare Counseling Center and independent contractor at The Saint Paul Seminary in Minnesota. He received his Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Divine Mercy University. Previously, he earned a B.A. in Philosophy and Catholic Studies from the University of St. Thomas. He and his wife Lucy live in the Twin Cities.
He primarily utilizes Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) and Interpersonal Therapy. He conducts psychological evaluations for vocational candidates and also specializes in working with compulsive sexual behavior, leading psychoeducation/support groups for seminarians and clergy desiring to better live out passionate, joy-filled chastity
Sister Mary Patrice Ahearn is a Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan and a licensed clinical psychologist. She has experience working with priests, religious and seminarians in both assessments and psychotherapy. She has worked in her community’s Sacred Heart Mercy Health Care Center in Alma, Michigan and taught Applied Psychology and Counseling at the University of Notre Dame in Sydney Australia. After her assignment in Australia, Sister became the Director of Counseling Services at the Pontifical North American College in Rome for 3 years. Since 2021, she has worked at Divine Mercy University/Institute for the Psychological Sciences as the Training Director of the IPS Center and is an Assistant professor. She also continues a clinical practice providing psychotherapy and assessments.
Dr. Andrew Sodergren is a Catholic psychologist and Director of Psychological Services for Ruah Woods, a Theology of the Body ministry in Cincinnati, OH. He earned his Masters and Doctorate in clinical psychology from Divine Mercy University’s Institute for the Psychological Sciences. He also holds a Masters degree in theology from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family at CUA, where he annually teaches a course as an Adjunct Professor. He and his wife Ellie have been married 22 years and five children.
Dr. Sue Baars has worked extensively in the field of counseling since 1986 in both hospital and outpatient settings. She provides individual, marriage and family therapy in Irving, Texas, where she is privileged to collaborate with a team of Catholic therapists and psychiatric nurse practitioners at In His Image Counseling Center. Sue bases her treatment of emotional & spiritual problems on the integration of the Christian anthropology of St. Thomas Aquinas with modern psychological discoveries. She has presented at Catholic conferences around the country and has been a guest on EWTN’s Women of Grace. She often presents the work of her late father, psychiatrist and author Conrad Baars, a pioneer in the field of Catholic psychology. Sue cites the cultural erosion of the family as the root of the lack of affirmation from which many people in our time suffer.
Sue’s lectures include a series of talks given to priests: The Abode of Love: Developing the Heart. She and a colleague edited a collection of her father’s articles and monographs related to the priesthood entitled, “I Will Give Them a New Heart: Reflections on the Priesthood and the Renewal of the Church.” Sue was on the faculty of the Institute for Priestly Formation (IPF) from 2008 to 2015, where she taught diocesan seminarians. Sue has also written several book chapters on priestly formation. At present, she is working on developing a curriculum to train therapists in the Baars/Terruwe Model of psychotherapy. Sue is a Past President of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association and holds a doctorate in Family Therapy from Texas Woman’s University.
Information about Affirmation therapy and the Baars/Terruwe Model of psychotherapy may be found at www.BaarsInstitute.com.
Father Philip Bochanski, a native of suburban Philadelphia, studied at Saint Charles Borromeo Seminary and was ordained a priest of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1999. In addition to several parish assignments in the archdiocese, he has served as a high school religion teacher, chaplain to cloistered nuns, and a spiritual director for seminarians.
In 2009, Father Bochanski began serving as chaplain for the Philadelphia chapter of Courage International, an apostolate founded in 1980 to provide pastoral care for men and women who experience same sex attractions and who have made a commitment to living chastely. In 2015 he was appointed as Associate Director of the Courage apostolate, at which time he moved to the Diocese of Bridgeport, where the apostolate is based. He was appointed Executive Director of Courage International at the beginning of 2017. Father Bochanski is the author of six books, five sets of audio lectures, and numerous articles and book chapters, on various topics including church history, spirituality, evangelization and pastoral care. His most recent book, Wisdom of the Desert Fathers: Ancient Advice for the Modern World, was published by TAN Books in April 2020.
Father Bochanski currently serves as a consultant to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage. In December 2019, Pope Francis awarded him the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice†, a medal given in recognition of sustained and exceptional service to the Church.
John A. Di Camillo, PhD, BeL, is the Personal Consultations Director at The National Catholic Bioethics Center. He applies Catholic moral theology to science and medicine through writing, speaking, and fielding hundreds of individual and organizational consultations each year. He has spoken and written on maternal-fetal vital conflicts, reproductive technologies, end of life ethics, determination of death, organ donation, sexual orientation and gender identity issues, and cooperation with evil. His work also includes moral analyses of institutional collaborative arrangements and health insurance benefits. He lives in Lancaster County, PA, with his wife Serena and their children.
Researcher and professor at the University of Navarra (Spain), with several degrees in Education and Psychology. She also holds a PhD in Medicine in the area of Public Health and Epidemiology. For almost ten years, she worked as a teacher in schools, but currently combines her research work with psychotherapeutic practice. She co-directs a private psychotherapy clinic located in Pamplona (Spain).
She is author of more than 15 research articles, including an article evaluating the protective role of religiosity and sexual attitudes in early sexual initiation. In addition, she has a large number of oral and poster presentations in scientific congresses. Maria specializes in quantitative research methods, e.g., multivariate analysis with longitudinal and cross-sectional data. Her research interests include topics such as childhood and adolescence, marriage and family, and couple therapy and the integration between affectivity and sexuality. Her research focuses specifically on three areas:
The study of adolescent lifestyles and their impact on their affectivity and sexuality.
The evaluation of psychotherapeutic and psychoeducational processes.
The processes of affective maturation in adults to promote the integration between cognition and emotion through applications that will be able to apply in psychotherapeutic or educational settings.
Researcher and Assistant Professor at the Universidad de Navarra (Spain), Accredited Marriage and family therapist in Spain, President of the Spanish Society for Development and Research in Family Therapy. Autor of more than 20 research articles, dozens of brief paper and poster presentations in scientific congresses, co-author of 7 book chapters, as well as the editor and coordinator of a book with 8 international co-authors. I am the supervisor of 7 doctoral dissertations, as well as ad-hoc reviewer for the Journal of Marriage and Family, Family Process or Journal of Contemporary Family Therapy, among others. Member of the editorial board of Integratus. My principal research focused around couple relationships and processes of emotional development. From 2012 to 2018 I was the director of a general psychological health clinic which specializes in couple therapy (located in Spain) for six years, at the Diocese of Lugo (Spain), and currently I am the director of a private psychotherapy clinic located in Pamplona (Spain). Advisor of the Spanish National Conference of Bishops for the Marriage and Family Pastoral Care centers.
Michelle Browning is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Supervisor and EMDR Approved Consultant. She is in private practice and co-owner of Intuitus Group in Cedar Park, TX. She works with couples, families, and individuals experiencing various forms of trauma and relationship trauma, using EMDR Therapy. Michelle works with the Austin Diocese in various ways: screening and preparing couples for Diaconal Formation, assisting with Seminarian screening, offering expert opinion for the Tribunal Annulment process, and facilitating classes for Catholic adults struggling with the pain of divorce. Michelle served on the CPA Board of Directors as Treasurer from 2019-2021.
Peter Malinoski, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Indianapolis, focusing on unconscious psychological factors that thwart one’s capacity to receive love from God and other people and to love God and others. He provides training, human formation and consultation for about 50 Catholic therapists online in the Interior Therapist Community. His monthly podcast is Interior Integration for Catholics, through which he addresses the tough psychological issues Catholics face. Dr. Malinoski and his wife Pam have seven children and an infant grandson. In his free time also enjoys raising animals, vegetables, and fruits on his small farm.
Jody earned a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts from Thomas Aquinas College (California) where she flourished in the study of philosophy and theology. After returning to Canada, Jody soon married and embarked on a 25 year adventure in parenting and homeschooling her four children. Jody worked as an online teacher, home education consultant, and faith formation coordinator for many years. Jody earned a Masters in Clinical Counselling through Divine Mercy University (Virginia) where she was immersed in the study of psychological healing through a Christian lens. Jody’s own life experiences and challenges have provided a wealth of earned wisdom to enhance her professional development. Jody currently administers the Internal Therapist Community, a cohort of Catholic therapists who learn and use Internal Family Systems for their own human formation. Jody is a Registered Clinical Counsellor with the BCACC and she works full time in private practice. Jody has embraced her newest and most challenging role as a grandma.
Jennifer Madere, MA, LPC-S, is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer and founding partner of Intuitus Group in Cedar Park, Texas. She has accompanied child and adult survivors of trauma on their journey of healing and recovery in psychotherapy since 2003. She has experience working with women recovering from a wide range of traumatic experiences including domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and complex familial and organized abuse. She also trains clinicians in the ethical integration of faith and spirituality in clinical practice. Jennifer is the published author of several scholarly works on the topics assessment and treatment of dissociative disorders.
Maribel graduated from the University of Dallas with a B.A. in Psychology in 2004 and from University of North Texas with an M.A. in Counseling Psychology in 2007. Ms. Laguna is a Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor in Dallas, Texas, where she is the founder and owner of Cor Sacrum Counseling and Consulting. She is also the board president of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association. Maribel has worked as a counselor in a variety of settings including the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center, Genesis Women’s Shelter, and Dallas Independent School District Youth and Family Centers. She specializes in premarital preparation, marital counseling and vocational discernment, working closely with diocesan vocational leaders. Additionally, Maribel is a presenter at various Catholic conferences around the country and has been a guest on EWTN’s Cara a Cara.
Chiara Simeone-DiFrancesco PhD, psychologist (USA) (1990). Chiara is a trainer in Couples Therapy, holding Advanced & Trainer Certifications since 2008 in Individual & Couples, and the ISST certified Simeone-DiFrancesco ST with Couples Training CenterTM providing training & educational consultation. Chiara is the co-author of: Schema Therapy with Couples/ A Practitioner’s Guide to Healing Relationships.
Founder of the Special Interest Groups: ST-Couples & ST-OD (Organizational Development) involving multicultural/religious/minority dialogue. Her internship was at Boston City Hospital, Multi-cultural Training Program which attuned her to adjusting psychotherapy with cultural and religious awareness and diversity issues. In more recent years she developed and presented Schema Therapy for Organizational Development (ST-OD) and a Special Interest Group & training course for the International Society of Schema Therapy (see: https://schematherapysociety.org/ST-Organizational Development) which is designed to address Multicultural, Multi-religious and Multi-ethnic Diversity among clients and in organizations. She studied under Professor Edward J. Brueggman, SJ chair of Xavier University’s Theology Department and who had a 40 year prime time TV program weekly called: Dialogue, demonstrating dialogue among disagreeing and diverse perspectives, religious, political and cultural. Originator/developer of Connect-Talk® & Needs vs. Wants. “Connect-Talk®” has been developed by her as a core competency in ST-Couples. It is her integration of Schema Therapy & Mode awareness with the intricacies of equal-to-equal positive connecting and inner and outer dialogue. Jesus-Centered Schema Therapy®, an expansion of Schema Therapy (book in progress) This book has many chapters on Virtue-based Theology of the Body with clinical examples; Co-author: Schema Therapy with Couples, A Practitioner’s Guide to Healing Relationships, 2015, John Wiley & Sons, UK. (Incorporates concepts of Theol. Of the Body with mode work) Her private practice is Connect-Talk, LLC seeing clients from Wisconsin & Virginia (USA). Special studies & mentoring developed expertise in connecting with diverse multi-cultural populations and facilitating reconciliation and understanding/acceptance.
Chiara is very active in the Catholic Psychotherapy Association. She has respect for clients coming from differing religious persuasions, incorporating meaning in life and positive examples into their quest for Healthy Adult mode functioning. She sees the triadic integration of Spirit/Soul, mind/reason and emotions/body as promoting the most effective human flourishing. Presenter for ITEST (Institute for Theological Encounter with Science and Technology) on “The Psychology of Pornography” 10/23/21 This incorporates Theology of the Body. Recipient of the Pope St. John Paul II Academic and Research Excellence Award from the Catholic Psychotherapy Association, April 2022. Pope John Paul II is noted for his work on Theology of the Body. TOB elements are incorporated in the study of mode coping of Healthy Adult Mode versus Detached Self-Soother Mode in the book recognized by this award: “Schema Therapy with Couples: A Practitioner's Guide to Healing Relationships. “We recognize this book has made a laudable effort to narrow the gap between research and practice for Catholic clinicians and we would like to highlight the novelty and innovation displayed in this body of work.” (Jessica Barboza, Catholic Psychotherapy Association Scholarships and Awards Task Force).
Rev. David Songy, O.F.M. Cap., S.T.D., Psy.D., is a priest of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America, clinical psychologist, and author of Spiritual Direction for Priestly Celibacy. Prior to leading Saint Luke Institute, he was the spiritual director and prefect of studies at Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary in Denver, Colorado. He also was director of counseling services at the Pontifical North American College in Rome and held several positions at St. John Vianney Theological Seminary. Fr. Songy holds a doctorate in psychology from the University of Denver and a doctorate in sacred theology from the Teresianum, the Pontifical Institute of Spirituality in Rome. He is an international speaker on topics such as priestly spirituality, formation in celibate chastity, and healthy sexual integration and affective maturity.
Ray Biersbach has been a Catholic deacon since 1982. His ministry work has included service to a range of people. He practiced psychotherapy for 40 years, 30 of those as a licensed psychologist. He has performed research, taught at the masters, doctoral, and post-doctoral levels. He has served as director of clinical programs and retired as the psychology administrator for a New Jersey hospital for the seriously and chronically mentally ill. He currently writes full-time on the connection between psychotherapy and faith. He lives near Seattle with his wife of 46 years and has three grown children.
She is the co-author of two books, Get Out Now: Why You Should Pull Your Child from Public School Before It’s Too Late and Where Did I Come From? Where Am I Going? How Do I Get There? She has taught at St. Paul Seminary in Pittsburgh, Franciscan University of Steubenville, and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and has worked with the diaconate formation program for the Dioceses of Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.
She served as a consultant to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth and is a member of the Catholic Women’s Forum Advisory Council. She has lectured widely on the gender ideology, Catholic education, theology of the body, the personalism of Pope John Paul II, the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, and the vocation and dignity of women. She hosted St. Thomas Aquinas in Today’s World on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).
Julia Hogan-Werner is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Chicago, IL and owner of Vita Optimum Counseling & Consulting, LLC. She attended the Institute for the Psychological Sciences for her graduate degree and has spoken at Deloitte, Notre Dame University, and Metro Achievement Center for Girls. She leads workshops and writes on topics related to self-care, relationships and mental health. Her book, It's Ok to Start with You is all about the power of embracing your authentic self through self-care. Her second book, A Work in Progress: Embracing the Life God Gave You, explores concrete strategies for living an authentic life according to God's plan. She is passionate about empowering individuals to be their most authentic selves. You can find more of her work online at juliamariehogan.com.
Shane Gomes earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology in San Diego, CA. He is a North Carolina licensed clinical psychologist in private practice, and he is the chair and associate professor of psychology at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, NC. Dr. Gomes has worked for over 20 years in private practice both in CA and NC conducting individual, couples, family and group psychotherapy with various populations, especially individuals who struggle with pornography addiction, other sexual addictions, alcohol and drug addictions and gambling addictions. Dr. Gomes has taught both undergraduate and graduate psychology courses, including courses in human sexuality, psychology of gender, addictions, child sexual abuse and violence in relation to pornography and other addictions. Dr. Gomes had spent several years treating children and adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder and other mental disorders in an outpatient mental health clinic. He has given several trainings and workshops to mental health professionals on assessing and treating children and adolescents with bipolar disorder, attachment disorders with foster/adoptive children, and on law and ethics. In addition to professional experience, Dr. Gomes has taught religious education, confirmation classes, adult faith formation classes, and served as lector, sacristan, Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and choir member at his parish in CA and currently in NC. He has a small private practice in Gastonia, NC, and he has an extensive work history in inpatient psychiatric care, outpatient psychotherapy and day treatment with adults, children, adolescents, couples, families and groups. Dr. Gomes, his wife and two sons live in North Carolina.
Elizabeth Heuertz, MA, LPC, is a member of Intuitus Group in Cedar Park, Texas. She has provided psychotherapy services for adolescents and adults since 2015. Elizabeth completed training in prayer ministry in 2016 through the John Paul II Healing Center and has participated in numerous healing retreats through their ministry. She completed training in EMDR therapy in 2017. Elizabeth co-presented the poster “Integrating Psychological Healing with Spiritual Healing: Comparing and Contrasting EMDR with Inner Healing Prayer” at the 2019 Catholic Psychotherapy Association Annual Conference. She specializes in the integration of healing prayer and EMDR in the treatment of trauma and relational wounds.
Andrew Comiskey, M. Div., has worked extensively with the healing of the sexually and relationally broken. He is director of Desert Stream/Living Waters Ministries (which he founded in 1980), a multi-faceted outreach to the broken. Comiskey’s ministry grows out of his commitment to overcome homosexuality and his experience as the husband of Annette and as the father of four grown children and eight grandchildren. He is author of Pursuing Sexual Wholeness, Strength in Weakness, Naked Surrender, Rediscovering Our Lost Fullness (Sophia Press) and the Living Waters healing program. Andrew seeks to equip the global Church to be whole and holy, a Bride ready to receive Jesus. Andrew and Annette live in Kansas City, Missouri, where he attends and serves in a local parish.
Fr. Bryan completed his doctorate in clinical psychology from Divine Mercy University and is a registered psychologist in British Columbia, Canada. His clinical experience includes seminary, community mental health, and group practice – settings in which he has worked with clients of diverse cultural and sexual identities. Fr. Bryan is a priest of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, Canada, since 2011 and has served in parish, seminary, and vocations ministry. He is the clergy member of the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s committee for dialogue with the White Rock Pride Society. He is the current chaplain of the CPA.
Registration will be open from 7:00 - 9:00am
Please wait ...