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[religion and therapy]

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

February 20-22, 2008

Plenary Speakers

Mark R. McMinn, PhD, ABPP/CI is a Professor of Psychology at George Fox University. Mark McMinn received his undergraduate degree from Lewis and Clark College and a PhD in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University. McMinn taught at George Fox from 1984 to 1993 before leaving to help start the PsyD program at Wheaton College, where he later assumed an endowed chair position.

He has been a licensed psychologist since 1985 and board certified (ABPP) since 1995. He especially enjoys working with clergy, both in his clinical work and through a data-based method of church-based consultation. McMinn is a past president of APA’s Division 36 (Psychology of Religion) and the author of various trade books, professional books, and journal articles. Primary areas of research interest include clergy-psychology collaboration, clergy health, the integration of psychology and Christianity, and contemplative prayer.

Keith G. Meador, M.D., ThM, MPH, is Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and Associate Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center where he is co-director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, a center focused on nurturing research and a community of scholars at the intersection of spirituality, theology and health. He is also Professor of the Practice of Pastoral Theology and Medicine at Duke Divinity School where his scholarship includes research in practices of caring and the health of faith communities and clergy. He established Theology and Medicine at Duke Divinity School and has given leadership to varied programmatic initiatives one of which is the Caring Communities Program, which seeks to support health ministries and form caring communities throughout the Carolinas through education of clergy, health care providers, and lay leaders in the community. A physician and board certified psychiatrist, his work builds on his clinical, research and teaching background in mental health, pastoral theology, and public health about which he lectures widely and has published numerous publications including the co-authored book, Heal Thyself: Spirituality, Medicine, and the Distortion of Christianity. He is the Medical Director for Inpatient Psychiatry at the Duke affiliated Durham VA Hospital and serves as a senior fellow in the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development.

Marsha Linehan is a Professor of Psychology, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington and Director of the Behavioral Research and Therapy Clinics. Her primary research is in the application of behavioral models to suicidal behaviors, drug abuse, and borderline personality disorder. She has received several awards recognizing her clinical and research contributions, including the Louis I. Dublin Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Field of Suicide and the Distinguished Scientist Award from the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychopathological Association, a diplomat of the American Board of Behavioral Psychology and is currently President, Division 12, Society of Clinical Psychology, American Psychological Association. The treatment she has developed combines the technology of change derived from behavioral science with the radical acceptance, or “technology of acceptance,” derived from both eastern and western contemplative spirituality. The practice of mindfulness, willingness, and radical acceptance form an important part of her treatment approach. She has written four books, including two treatment manuals: Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder and Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder. She serves on a number of editorial boards, and has published extensively in scientific journals. She is founder of Marie Institute of Behavioral Technology, a non-profit organization that owns the company she founded, Behavioral Tech LLC, a behavioral technology transfer group. With them she is actively involved in developing effective models for transferring efficacious treatments from the research academy to the clinical community.

Dr. William R. Miller is Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico, where he joined the faculty in 1976 after receiving his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Oregon. He served as Director of Clinical Training for UNM's APA-approved doctoral program in clinical psychology and as Co-Director of UNM’s Center on Alcoholism, Substance Abuse and Addictions (CASAA). Dr. Miller’s publications include 40 books and over 400 articles and chapters. Fundamentally interested in the psychology of change, he has focused in particular on the development, testing, and dissemination of behavioral treatments for addictions. He served as principal investigator for numerous research grants and contracts, founded a private practice group, and served as a consultant to many organizations including the United States Senate, the World Health Organization, the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Institutes of Health. In recognition of his research contributions, Dr. Miller is a recipient of the international Jellinek Memorial Award, a career achievement award from the American Psychological Association, and an Innovators in Combating Substance Abuse award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. He maintains an active interest in pastoral counseling and the integration of spirituality and psychology. The Institute for Scientific Information lists him as one of the world’s most cited scientists.

F. LeRon Shults is Professor of Systematic Theology at Agder University in Kristiansand, Norway. Before teaching at Agder University he was Professor of Theology at Bethel Theological Seminary where he received the faculty excellence award in 1999.

Dr. Shults is the author of four books and has just finished two books (in press), one on Christology and Science, the other on The Holy Spirit. He has also co-authored two books with psychologist Steven Sandage, The Faces of Forgiveness, which received the Narramore Award for Excellence in the Integration of Psychology and Theology, and, most recently, Transforming Spirituality. He has published over 40 book chapters and articles, including articles in the Journal of Psychology and Theology. He currently is working on books on theology and desire and on theology and compassion. Dr. Shults received his Ph.D. in Theology and Philosophy from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1998 and a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Walden University. He is alum of Fuller Theological Seminary where he received his Masters in Theology in 1987.