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.
The Catholic Psychotherapy Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Catholic Psychotherapy Association maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Jennifer Madere is a LPC-Supervisor, EMDRIA Approved Consultant/Approved Trainer and CSAT Candidate in private practice. She is a 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.
Jennifer supervises graduate and post-graduate clinicians and consults and offers training and consultation related to treatment of complex trauma, pathological dissociation, and EMDR therapy. Jennifer also trains fellow clinicians in the ethical integration of faith and spirituality in clinical practice. Jennifer is a past President of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association, a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) and co-teaches the EMDR therapy training offered by ISSTD.
In addition to numerous professional presentations in local, national, and international conferences, Jennifer is the published author of several scholarly works on the topics of consultation and screening, assessment, and differential diagnosis for dissociative disorders.
Since 2015, Jennifer has collaborated with D. Michael Coy, LICSW, and Paul Dell, PhD to update the interpretive manual and associated documents for the Multidimensional Inventory of Dissociation (MID) and make the MID documents and training accessible to clinicians and researchers world-wide (see www.mid-assessment.com).
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 short-term psychodynamic models like Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP), Intensive Short-term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) 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
Dr. Andrew Sodergren is a Catholic psychologist and Director of Psychological Services for Ruah Woods Institute, 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 taught as an Adjunct Professor for 13 years. Dr. Sodergren co-authored a chapter in Gender Ideology and Pastoral Practice: A Handbook for Catholic Clergy, Counselors, and Ministerial Leaders. He previously contributed chapters on the “Psychology of the Sexual Difference” to the book Sexual Identity: The Harmony of Philosophy, Science, and Revelation and on forgiveness in marriage in the book Torn Asunder: Children, the Myth of the Good Divorce, and the Recovery of Origins. He is an active member of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association (CPA) and is a frequent speaker for professional and lay audiences on topics involving the integration of psychology and the Catholic faith. In 2023, he was honored by the CPA with the Our Lady of Good Counsel Clinical Excellence Award. He and his wife Ellie have been married 25 years and have 5 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 and 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. For appointments, please visit ihicounseling.com.
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).
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, gambling addictions, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, trauma, eating disorders, sleep disorders, schizophrenia and personality disorders.. 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.
Joseph Nicolosi Jr., Ph.D. is a licensed clinical psychologist, author, researcher and clinical
director at The Breakthrough Clinic in Southern California.
He is the president of the Reintegrative Therapy Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in which trauma treatment is the goal, and sexual attraction change is often the byproduct. Dr. Nicolosi has provided expert testimony in multiple legislative hearings across the United States on psychotherapy bans related to LGBT-related therapy, has appeared on network television news programs and podcasts and has written for The Federalist and the Washington Examiner. He is the author of multiple peer-reviewed, published articles on Reintegrative Therapy®. He received his Ph.D. in 2009 from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.
Michael Gasparro, M.A., holds dual licenses in California as a licensed marriage and family therapist and a licensed professional clinical counselor. Michael presents at conferences and seminars in the United States and abroad regarding matters of same-sex attraction, obsessive compulsive disorder, and other issues related to human sexuality. He often appears as a guest on various Catholic media outlets, such as "The Drew Mariani Show," and "Trending with Timmerie," on Relevant Radio, to discuss these same issues. He serves on the board of directors for the Alliance for Therapeutic Choice and Scientific Integrity, which promotes the research and treatment of human sexuality issues informed by Judeo-Christian values. Michael trained for four years under the supervision of the founder of Reintegrative Therapy®, Dr. Joseph Nicolosi Jr., and opened his own private therapy practice based in Southern California in 2022. He received his master of arts in marriage and family therapy in 2017 from Hope International University.
Chiara Simeone-DiFrancesco PhD, psychologist (Clinical & Counseling Psychology) (1990) see clients mostly on-line in her practice, Connect-Talk, LLC & Jesus-Centered Schema Therapy Institute in two states, WI & VA. Chiara is a trainer in Couples Therapy, holding Advanced & Trainer Certifications since 2008 in Individual & Couples.
Founder of the Special Interest Groups: Schema Therapy-Couples. In this, for over 10 years, clinicians gather monthly online from around the world to discuss interventions for complex relationships and couples work.
She also founded the SIG Schema Therapy-OD (Organizational Development) involving multicultural/religious/minority dialogue. Having studied under Professor Edward J. Brueggman, SJ chair of Xavier University’s Theology Department, who had a 40 year prime time TV program weekly called: Dialogue, she engaged in special studies & mentoring to develop expertise in connecting with diverse multi-cultural populations and facilitating reconciliation and understanding/acceptance.
Dr. Simeone-DiFrancesco is the 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.
Dr. 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. For Christian clients, she specializes in Jesus-Centered Schema Therapy, a Culturally Competent Therapy for Christians, which invites Jesus into the sessions through His Model, Lectio Divina with His Word and in guided imagery to provide healing, direction, formation and reconciliation. This also involves trauma work and healing of schema/lifetrap patterns. She sees the triadic integration of Spirit/Soul, mind/reason and emotions/body as promoting the most effective human flourishing. Besides seeing individual clients, she has a special focus on couples marital healing and trauma affecting couples.
Her Simeone-DiFrancesco Schema Therapy International Training Center with Couples trains and certifies therapists in a number of venues: CULTURALLY COMPETENT SCHEMA THERAPY WITH COUPLES FOR CHRISTIANS; JESUS-CENTERED TRAINING FOR THERAPISTS, & SCRIPTURAL PASTORAL FOUNDATIONS.
She is the first author of “Schema Therapy with Couples: A Practitioner's Guide to Healing Relationships” published in 2015 by Wiley & Sons for which the CPA granted the Pope St. John Paul II Award for Science and Research. “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).
In another area of focus, Dr. Simeone-DiFrancesco is the CEO of Jesus-Centered Institute, LLC & Dialog International Press, LLC, where she is very involved in the production of Catholic spiritual podcasts, evangelizing materials and videos, and the publication of books.
Lastly, she is the organizer of a developing non-profit whose goal is to provide training funds to assist Christian therapists in Jesus-Centering. She welcomes collaborators in this endeavor.
Michelle Browning is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist Supervisor and an EMDR Approved Consultant & Trainer. She is a co-author of the CPA Code of Ethics. She has been in private practice for 11 years and is co-owner of Intuitus Group in Cedar Park, TX. She works with couples, families, and individuals experiencing various forms of trauma and relationship trauma. Michelle assists her Diocese with 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.
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.
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.
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.
Peter Malinoski, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and co-founder and president of Souls and Hearts, which brings the best of human formation resources grounded in a Catholic understasnding of the human person to the internet. Through his podcast Interior Integration for Catholics,, his weekly reflections, and through his leadership of the Resilient Catholics Community, he helps Catholics overcome the natural-level human formation deficits and obstacles so that they can experience greater interior integration and unity, freeing them to receive love and to love God, others and self in a more more ordered way. This opens the door for a much deeper and more intimate union with God in the three Persons of the Trinity and the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother.
He provides training, human formation and consultation for about 50 Catholic therapists online in the Interior Therapist Community. His monthly podcast is
through which he addresses the tough psychological issues Catholics face. Dr. Malinoski and his wife Pam have seven children and an infant grandson. He also has a private practice. 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.
An alumnus of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Matt began his career as a youth minister and music minister serving in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and Diocese of Camden. He has more than twenty years of executive experience across multiple industries including hospitality and telecommunications where he was responsible for building and leading teams across an international footprint. His leadership experience spans from startup to Fortune 50, in non-profit and private sectors. Beyond his career, Matt has also volunteered as a member and Vice President of the Board of Directors for Camden County Habitat for Humanity and served as a member of the Camden Diocesan Pastoral Council. Highly sought after for speaking and facilitation engagements, Matt is enthusiastic about organizational design, team development, customer engagement and business operations strategy, but he is most passionate about family and faith.
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.
| Availability | Module Title | Speaker | Credits | Course Type | Duration | Course Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At the time of purchase |
Jesus-Centered Schema Therapy & Virtue-based Theology of the Body. On Demand
|
Dr. Chiara Simeone DiFrancesco, Licensed Psychologist, VA & WI
|
Total Credits: 1.5 APA Self Study Credit | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
The Integrated Catholic Therapist: A Compassionate Approach to Sexual Concerns using IFS. Parts 1 and 2 On Demand
|
Peter Malinoski Ph.D.
Ms. Jody Garneau
|
Total Credits: 3 APA Credit | On Demand | 3 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
Application of the Negative Dyadic Interaction Cycle for Reducing Conflict in Relationships. On Demand
|
Mrs. Michelle Browning, LMFT-S
|
N/A | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
A sacred place of tension: A Dialogue between Affirmative and Sexual Orientation Change Effort (SOCE) approaches to treating Catholics with same-sex attractions. On Demand
|
Dr. Daniel McClure, PsyD, LP
Fr. Bryan Duggan
|
Total Credits: 1.5 APA Self Study Credit | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
Anthropology Matters: Influence and Effect on Approaches of Affirmative Care vs. Baars Affirmation Therapy. On Demand
|
Dr. Sue Baars, PhD, LPC-S, LMFT
Dr. Theresa Farnan
|
Total Credits: 1.5 APA Self Study Credit | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
Pornography and the Catholic Response. On Demand
|
Dr. Shane Gomes, PhD
|
Total Credits: 1.5 APA Self Study Credit | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
EMDR Therapy in a Catholic Context – interweaving applications of inner healing prayer. On Demand
|
Jennifer Madere
Ms. Elizabeth Heuertz
|
Total Credits: 1.5 APA Credit | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
Rediscovering Our Lost Fullness: A Guide to Sexual Integration. On Demand
|
Mr. Andrew Comiskey
|
N/A | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
Reintegrative Therapy: The Impact of Trauma Treatment on Male Sexuality. On Demand
|
Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, Jr
Mr. Michael Gasparro
|
Total Credits: 1.5 APA Self Study Credit | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
Desire, and Fantasy: A Proposal for a Catholic Psychotherapy. On Demand
|
Deacon Raymond Biersbach
|
N/A | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
The Role of Psychology in the Human Formation of Seminarians for Spiritual Fatherhood. On Demand
|
Fr. David Songy O.F.M.Cap., S.T.D., Psy.D.
|
Total Credits: 1.5 APA Credit | On Demand | 1.5 Hours | More info » |
| At the time of purchase |
Becoming Man and Woman: Theology, Psychology, and Healing of Sexual Identity. On Demand
|
Dr. Andrew Sodergren Psy.D.
|
Total Credits: 1.5 APA Self Study Credit | On Demand | 1 Hour 33 Minutes | More info » |
