Three Decades of Continuing Education
In partnership with Baylor College of Medicine and the McGovern Center, our Psychotherapy & Faith conference is in its third decade providing continuing education. The conference’s distinguished faculty members continue to provide meaningful continuing education with powerful topics relevant to physicians, psychologists, social workers, licensed professional counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, addiction professionals, clergy, chaplains, theologians, spiritual caregivers, and other professionals from religious and spiritual communities with all levels of experience from novice to expert.
“The Institute is where I have a focused opportunity to be intentional about the role of spirituality in health and healing. Our Psychotherapy and Faith Conferences have been completely transformative not only in my clinical practice, but also in my personal life illuminating my “search for the sacred” in my activities and relationships.”
History of the Psychotherapy & Faith Conference
In the summer of 1992, Dr. William Cantrell retired as an Adjunct Faculty to the “Institute of Religion” and asked me to take his place. I agreed even though I knew almost nothing about the Institute except its location in the heart of the Texas Medical Center. At my first meeting, I met a passionate member of the Institute’s Board of Trustees, Mrs. Loise Wessendorff. Mrs. Wessendorff wanted to start a new conference with a very clear motivation and mission: “Preachers and Doctors don’t talk to each other enough. They should. I want to do something about that!” Loise knew that when people are hurting with emotional distress they often turn to their faith community with important questions about what is wrong with them and what type of help they need. For 24 years, the Annual Psychotherapy and Faith Conference has been a forum for mental health professionals and faith community leaders (Clergy, Chaplains, Theologians, and religious study academicians) to discuss shared topics of concern. Topics have ranged from clinical (depression, anxiety, and grief) to powerful emotions and yearnings (faith, hope, and love) to critical activities (child rearing and sanctification - illuminating the sacred in healing relationships). Neither mental health professionals nor clergy are predictably well-informed about their counterpart’s perspectives. The conference brings together local and regional faith leaders and mental health professionals, as well as interested laity and distinguished scholars, to discuss topics of common concern. We have the chance to appreciate our diverse conceptual approach in ways that enrich the “practices” of all involved.
It would be hard to say which speakers have been the “most influential.”Loise Wessendorff was especially fond of Gerald May and my beloved mentor Sherv Frazier. Very distinguished mental health professionals like George Vaillant, Ethel Person, and Kenneth Pargament have inspired our audiences on multiple occasions. Richard Kogan’s presentation on Gershwin was a masterful combination of music and narrative that deeply touched and moved the accidence fortunate enough to hear his presentation.
Authored by James W. Lomax, M.D.
