Past Events

January 27, 2023, 1:00 p.m. (CST) Free Online Webinar (Zoom) Dr. Sarah Colyn is the Executive Director of Ministries of Pastoral Care, which works to equip the church through the cross, so that we might all become mature through union with Christ. She holds a BA from Calvin University, an MA in Christian Leadership and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and is a licensed psychologist in the state of Washington. An experienced psychotherapist and pastoral caregiver, Sarah has taught and trained pastors and counselors in academic and clinical settings, and is ever intrigued by the [...]

March 3, 2023,  9 a.m. — 5 p.m. Grand Parkway Baptist Church (12000 FM 1464, Richmond, TX 77407) Online Streaming Available Over the past three decades, Christian counseling author Dan Allender and Old Testament scholar Tremper Longman III have shown the fruitfulness that can come from bringing biblical and therapeutic wisdom together to address the big issues of life. Together they have written Bold Love, The Cry of the Soul (on the Psalms), Intimate Allies (on marriage), Breaking the Idols of your Heart (on Ecclesiastes), and God Loves Sex (on the Song of Songs). Join us for a celebration [...]

September 30, 2022,  9 a.m. — 4 p.m. Houston’s First Baptist Church – Downtown campus (1730 Jefferson St., Houston, TX 77003) Online Streaming Available What makes people flourish? Over the past 20 years, secular psychotherapy and psychiatry have been leaning more and more towards Buddhist models of flourishing and mindfulness meditation, and they work. However, Christianity has been helping people flourish for centuries using prayer, contemplation, and distinctly Christian meditation with God at the center of the process. Joshua J. Knabb, PsyD, ABPP, one of the most prolific authors and productive researchers in Christian psychotherapy and counseling today, will [...]

June 3, at 1pm CST | By popular demand, we are excited to have Dr. Paul C. Vitz join us for part 2 of The Amazing Contributions of Paul C. Vitz to Christian Psychology! Paul C. Vitz, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology at New York University, one of the most original contributors to Christian psychology over the past 40 years, is the author of a number of seminal Christian psychology books, including Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship, a devastating critique of humanistic psychology, and Sigmund Freud’s Christian Unconscious, a Christian psychoanalysis of Freud that turned his avowed explanation [...]

April 29, at 1pm CST | Our next webinar will feature Paul C. Vitz, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Psychology at New York University, one of the most original contributors to Christian psychology over the past 40 years. The author of a number of seminal Christian psychology books, including Psychology as Religion: The Cult of Self-Worship, a devastating critique of humanistic psychology, and Sigmund Freud’s Christian Unconscious, a Christian psychoanalysis of Freud that turned his avowed explanation for religion on its head, by demonstrating his public ambivalence towards God was rooted in the complexity of his family-of-origin, especially his poor relationship [...]

March 11, at 1pm CST | Warren Watson (LICSW, ret.) will be sharing with us a dimension of diagnosis usually left out of Christian counseling: evaluating the difference between a counselee’s “professed theology” (the theology a counselee consciously believes) and their “functional theology” (the theology they actually live out in their daily lives). Watson believes that helping Christian counselees recognize this gap is key to their progress, and without it, they simply can't address what's preventing them from getting better. We might consider this kind of diagnosis an example of Christian psychodynamic therapy. Watch the Webinar [...]

You're invited to come hear author and therapist Cathy Loerzel on Friday, January 21, at 7 p.m. She has recently co-authored Redeeming Heartache with Dan Allender, an excellent example of practical Christian psychology/counseling. The lecture will be held in Hinton 209 on the HCU Campus. Refreshments will be available at 6:30pm on the second floor. Please RSVP to gideon@HC.edu if you plan to attend in person. You can also watch live on HCU's YouTube Channel 1.

A webinar on December 3, 2021 at 1pm Central Time. Sandra Wilson is a speaker, former therapist, now a spiritual director, and a renowned author of three Christian psychology/counseling classics: Released from Shame, Hurt People Hurt People, and Into Abba's Arms. For those who register before Friday, December 3, we'll send a copy of one chapter from each book, since we'll be discussing her books, as well as her more recent work as a spiritual director. Sandra Wilson Books

Confession & Lament in Christian Soul Care The Psalms invite us to put our most difficult experiences into words and share them with God. Research on therapy has found psychological benefits from journaling and talking with others who are safe and empathic. The Gideon Institute sponsored a two-track conference where we heard from therapists, pastors, theologians, and sufferers speak about addressing sin and suffering by talking with God and others. It was held on October 29-30, 2021 in partnership with the Julianna Poor Memorial Counseling Center of Houston's First Baptist Church. Held live at the Downtown campus of Houston's First [...]

A Christian Model for Understanding and Working with the Heart  Presented by Dr. Eric Johnson, 2021 AACC Waymaker World Conference Christianity is a religion of the heart. In this workshop, we will consider how the heart can be understood as a psychological construct similar to, but different from, the mind and the focus of activity in psychotherapy and counseling when working with emotions, relationships, and the unconscious. Part of our time together will be spent practicing techniques that take people into their hearts. Learning Objectives Participants will: Articulate a Christian framework for licensed mental health professionals and psychologists working with [...]