By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic
Photographer: TOM TRACY | FC
From left, Sandra Rodriguez, Gerry Crete, Carlos Gomez and Kelly Morrow, members of the Catholic Psychological Association, who were on hand for the Convocation of Catholic Leaders held in July in Orlando.
FORT LAUDERDALE | The Catholic Psychotherapy Association, a relatively young entity promoting a stronger integration of mental health practices and the Catholic faith, will hold its annual convention here this fall.
The Sept. 21-23 event at the Hyatt Regency Pier 66 will also mark the group’s 10th anniversary. It was formed through the integration of several regional groups of mental health professionals who wanted to create a Catholic network of faith-based resources and professional development.
An optional pre-conference day of reflection for 200-300 attendees will kick off the event and provide participants a faith-based grounding. The day will include presentations by Miami’s Mother Adela Galindo, foundress of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and Msgr. John Esseff, who is on the board of directors of the New York-based Sacred Heart Apostolate.
“We will be offering a retreat day on integration and consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary as this is very significant,” said Carlos Gomez, the group’s president, who attends St. Thomas the Apostle Parish in Miami.
“At the opening Mass (of the conference) we will consecrate our association to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in this 100th year anniversary of the apparitions of Fatima,” he added. “Some of these talks will have a big impact and will be a powerful tool for attendees.”
Gomez is a bilingual licensed psychologist in private practice in Miami. He has a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, a master’s and a doctoral degree from Florida State University, and a fellowship from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital. His bio states that his professional work is dedicated to the integration of faith and psychological science.
He is also a private consultant to Catholic seminaries and part of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association’s burgeoning network of consultant psychologists, who conduct screenings for seminaries, religious congregations, and diaconate programs.
Headlining the group’s conference in Fort Lauderdale will be two keynote speakers:
- Kenneth Pargament, emeritus professor of psychology at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, who studies the relationship between religion, psychological well-being, and stress. He is also licensed in clinical psychology and has a private practice. Pargament is credited with over 200 published papers on religion and spirituality in psychology. He is world-renowned for his scholarly contributions to the psychology of religion, and for providing clinically relevant scientific analyses of religion's role in mental health.
- Gregory Kenneth Popcak, a nationally recognized expert in pastoral counseling, especially in the areas of affective disorders (depression, anxiety) and marriage and family problems. Popcak, who lives in Steubenville, Ohio, is founder and executive director of the Pastoral Solutions Institute, an organization dedicated to helping Catholics find faith-filled solutions to tough marriage, family, and personal problems. He is an internationally recognized expert on the practical applications of St. John Paul II's Theology of the Body to marriage, family, and personal issues.
The Catholic Psychotherapy Association’s founding members began networking in the mid-2000s, joining with other like-minded Catholics from different parts of the country with a view to starting a national group for Catholic psychologists and mental health professionals. Their inaugural national gathering took place in 2007.
Now the association has a part-time operations officer and has been growing mostly by word of mouth, with a focus on improving member services, professional development and promoting a call to holiness among mental health professionals.
The general membership of about 300 nationwide includes psychologists, licensed clinical mental health professionals, academics, licensed clinical social workers, licensed marriage and family therapists, licensed mental health counselors, psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners.
“One of the areas I am hoping we grow is the inclusion of school counselors because they are crucial, especially in Catholic schools,” Gomez told the Florida Catholic.
“From a Catholic perspective, we know the mission of Catholic schools is to evangelize. And in the culture today where children and parents are facing a lot of challenges, good school counselors are sometimes the first line of defense out there,” he said. “It is helpful to have a larger community (for consultation) in terms of helping to prevent student problems and growing strong, healthy youngsters.”
Conference attendees will garner 11.5 continuing education credits, over half of annual requirements, Gomez noted.
Breakout sessions will address such topics as Catholic bioethical issues; legal framework for therapists; fatherhood and masculinity; substance abuse and sexual addiction; healing and trauma; and marital healing.
“My biggest hope for the conference is to encourage a Catholic understanding of our professions, and we plan on having a follow-up for local people. We want to get people together to turn all of this into local action,” Gomez said, noting that “some of the most important conversations happen after hearing these great speakers. Our attendees really enjoy fellowship, networking, and meeting like-minded professionals.”
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