Previous Years' Course Catalogues

The course will help students reflect deeply on pastoral practice through interdisciplinary engagement with emerging issues that challenge the practice of pastoral ministry in today’s world. Issues addressed would include the pervasive impact of climate change on physical and mental health, changing family structures, sexuality, and gender, economic privation, racism and other systemic injustices that undermine the sense of hope in a better future posing immense challenges for the effective practice of pastoral ministry.

This course will explore the Doctrine of Providence with readings across three genres: scriptural primary texts, commentaries on those from the tradition, treatises by ancient and modem authors. The goal is to arrive at an understanding of the explanatory power of Providence in terms of how it runs like an implicit element in and through the biblical canon, as well as the limits of its discourse. There will be eight 3-hour sessions: the scripture texts are those where the emphasis is as much on ' this life ' under God as it is on the glorious goal of the people of God: Genesis 37-50; Numbers 11-14; Job 38-42; Eccles 11-12; Ps 104; Wisdom 2-5; John 9; Acts 5:33-42; 17:16-32.

This course offers a close and critical examination of the life and theology of the 20th century German Lutheran theologian and churchman Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The goal of the course is to understand Bonhoeffer's writings and life within the context of his resistance to Nazi ideology and its accompanying theological milieu, as well as to imagine ways in which his work might be received and engaged in our contemporary context.

This course offers a close and critical examination of the life and theology of the 20th century German Lutheran theologian and churchman Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The goal of the course is to understand Bonhoeffer's writings and life within the context of his resistance to Nazi ideology and its accompanying theological milieu, as well as to imagine ways in which his work might be received and engaged in our contemporary context.

In this seminar course students will read and discuss twenty lectures by Karl Barth which explore twenty loci. These lectures were given in 1938, about the mid-point in Barth's working years. The instructor will endeavor to indicate how Barth's presentation of these lectures often modify his (and others) earlier positions and how they were in turn modified by Barth in his later writings. The intention is to present a survey of Barth's particular emphases including a description of their development. Attention will also be given to how Barth challenges various historical and contemporary theologies.

This course provides an overview of the essential models of psychotherapy in use today, including psychodynamic, existential, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, family systems, postmodern, social constructivist, somatic, and creative arts therapies. Techniques and skills associated with each modality will be explored, with an emphasis on how to sensitively and responsibly integrate theory with the practice of spiritual care and psychospiritual therapy. The course provides students with a foundation for ongoing study of specific psychotherapeutic models, and for the ongoing integration of concepts into clinical practice within a supervised learning process. Knowledge of various modalities will also help students make appropriate referrals when a client’s needs lie outside their scope of practice. The course supports the competencies of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) and the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and will also benefit students of theology who wish to augment their spiritual care skills.

This course provides an overview of the essential models of psychotherapy in use today, including psychodynamic, existential, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, family systems, postmodern, social constructivist, somatic, and creative arts therapies. Techniques and skills associated with each modality will be explored, with an emphasis on how to sensitively and responsibly integrate theory with the practice of spiritual care and psychospiritual therapy. The course provides students with a foundation for ongoing study of specific psychotherapeutic models, and for the ongoing integration of concepts into clinical practice within a supervised learning process. Knowledge of various modalities will also help students make appropriate referrals when a client’s needs lie outside their scope of practice. The course supports the competencies of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) and the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and will also benefit students of theology who wish to augment their spiritual care skills.

This course provides an overview of the essential models of psychotherapy in use today, including psychodynamic, existential, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, family systems, postmodern, social constructivist, somatic, and creative arts therapies. Techniques and skills associated with each modality will be explored, with an emphasis on how to sensitively and responsibly integrate theory with the practice of spiritual care and psychospiritual therapy. The course provides students with a foundation for ongoing study of specific psychotherapeutic models, and for the ongoing integration of concepts into clinical practice within a supervised learning process. Knowledge of various modalities will also help students make appropriate referrals when a client’s needs lie outside their scope of practice. The course supports the competencies of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) and the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and will also benefit students of theology who wish to augment their spiritual care skills.

This course provides an overview of the essential models of psychotherapy in use today, including psychodynamic, existential, humanistic, cognitive-behavioral, family systems, postmodern, social constructivist, somatic, and creative arts therapies. Techniques and skills associated with each modality will be explored, with an emphasis on how to sensitively and responsibly integrate theory with the practice of spiritual care and psychospiritual therapy. The course provides students with a foundation for ongoing study of specific psychotherapeutic models, and for the ongoing integration of concepts into clinical practice within a supervised learning process. Knowledge of various modalities will also help students make appropriate referrals when a client’s needs lie outside their scope of practice. The course supports the competencies of the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) and the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO) and will also benefit students of theology who wish to augment their spiritual care skills.

Foundations in the psychodynamic understanding of human development, theory of change and the therapeutic relationship, emphasizing the interpersonal, intersubjective and relational dynamics operative in the dyad. Focus on clinical case studies where students examine multiple perspectives of effective communication/listening in therapeutic relationship. Focus on both participants in the dyad and the multiple forms of communication both conscious and unconscious between them. The nature of transference/countertransference dynamics are explored, including 'enactments' and how they
contribute to depend understanding of communicational complexities.

This course will introduce central theoretical concepts in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and their importance in effective clinical work. An underlying premise of the course is that therapeutic action occurs within the relationship between therapist and patient, two individuals who struggle together to reclaim and deepen their shared humanity. While theory is essential to the task of providing responsible clinical care, it is understood that it always follows deeply attentive, empathic observation, not only of the patient, but of the psychodynamic processes that occur between the therapist and patient. Theory helps to ‘hold’ and ‘contain’ the therapist as she enters the unique, often strange and at times disturbing inner world of the person who seeks her help. Theory must always be held lightly while it is actively operative in the mind of the therapist as he navigates his way through the world that emerges within the analytic setting. A solid grounding in psychodynamic theory helps the therapist maintain a calm receptivity to the patient in the midst of unknowing, which most often characterizes the immediacy of clinical work. It also helps the therapist cultivate and sustain a reflective use of herself that establishes a safe and supportive professional framework that holds and protects both parties in the clinical dyad.

This course will introduce central theoretical concepts in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and their importance in effective clinical work. An underlying premise of the course is that therapeutic action occurs within the relationship between therapist and patient, two individuals who struggle together to reclaim and deepen their shared humanity. While theory is essential to the task of providing responsible clinical care, it is understood that it always follows deeply attentive, empathic observation, not only of the patient, but of the psychodynamic processes that occur between the therapist and patient. Theory helps to hold and contain the therapist as she enters the unique, often strange and at times disturbing inner world of the person who seeks her help. Theory must always be held lightly while it is actively operative in the mind of the therapist as he navigates his way through the world that emerges within the analytic setting. A solid grounding in psychodynamic theory helps the therapist maintain a calm receptivity to the patient in the midst of unknowing, which most often characterizes the immediacy of clinical work. It also helps the therapist cultivate and sustain a reflective use of herself that establishes a safe and supportive professional framework that holds and protects both parties in the clinical dyad.