Course Catalogue 2025-2026

The Roman Catholic Church is in the midst of a Synodal process, one which Pope Francis has declared to be the ongoing manner of proceeding for the Church. "The Synod is not a parliament or an opinion poll; the Synod is an ecclesial event and its protagonist is the Holy Spirit." This course will trace the theological origins from Vatican II (Lumen Gentium and the particular focus on the People of God) and key characteristics of the process (listening, spiritual conversation, discernment, all of which have a significant theological foundation). The responses already received from the universal church will be considered including concern for: the ecumenical and inter-faith engagements that have occurred; the importance of co-responsibility; the participation of women and young people; and a universal concern for minority groups; the ongoing need for formation. The course will also consider the challenges that the process faces as it continues.

This course provides an historical analysis of the evolution of Catholic elementary and secondary schools in Ontario, from the 1830's to the present. In addition students will study the development separate school boards and legislation.

For educators, ministry personnel, artists, administrators, teachers, who seek to integrate creativity in pastoral practice, the course will examine theories of creativity in order to explore the historical development of the concept as it influences cognition, learning and innovation. In addition we will study theories of play and the place of imagination in fostering spiritual formation and human development. Students with an interest in the arts are also welcome to participate in this seminar.

For educators, ministry personnel, artists, administrators, teachers, who seek to integrate creativity in pastoral practice, the course will examine theories of creativity in order to explore the historical development of the concept as it influences cognition, learning and innovation. In addition we will study theories of play and the place of imagination in fostering spiritual formation and human development. Students with an interest in the arts are also welcome to participate in this seminar.

The course will focus on the translation of a variety of types of Hellenistic texts (e.g., decrees, sacred laws, magical papyri, aretalogies, Philo, hermeneutic corpus) and on their grammatical and syntactical analysis. 

This course supports students to develop collaborative team-based skills to practice effective spiritual care in healthcare and other settings. It enables students to build interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and relationships to work in the complex dynamics of multi-service healthcare contexts. The course is strongly recommended for students seeking to serve in health care contexts. Learning modules are taken from the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE) program of Interprofessional Education (ipe.utoronto.ca/u-t-ipe-curriculum) alongside students in medicine, nursing, social work, occupational therapy, etc. Each required module is offered remotely (with some in-person options) ranging from 1.5 to 3 hours each. Elective modules provide many options for students to choose from that vary in length and weight. Required and elective modules enable excellent opportunities for building competency in client-focussed interprofessional collaborative care.

This course supports students to develop collaborative team-based skills to practice effective spiritual care in healthcare and other settings. It enables students to build interdisciplinary knowledge, skills and relationships to work in the complex dynamics of multi-service healthcare contexts. The course is strongly recommended for students seeking to serve in health care contexts. Learning modules are taken from the Centre for Advancing Collaborative Healthcare & Education (CACHE) program of Interprofessional Education (ipe.utoronto.ca/u-t-ipe-curriculum) alongside students in medicine, nursing, social work, occupational therapy, etc. Each required module is offered remotely (with some in-person options) ranging from 1.5 to 3 hours each. Elective modules provide many options for students to choose from that vary in length and weight. Required and elective modules enable excellent opportunities for building competency in client-focussed interprofessional collaborative care.

This course examines the social determinants of addiction and considers the past and current influences on addiction counselling and approaches to treatment. In doing so it expands the biopsychosocial perspective of the field of psychology and addiction to include spirituality and cultural sensitivity as important determinants in assessment and treatment choices. The course will introduce students to specific assessment, interviewing and treatment modalities that are used in addiction counselling. Students will gain an understanding of the experience of addiction and the importance of the motivation to change. Students will gain an overview of relapse prevention as well as crisis intervention and the contexts of therapy for addiction treatment. Students will practice motivational interviewing and gain a basic understanding of how Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT) is used in treatment programs in the greater Toronto area. Students will also wrestle with spiritual and theological understandings of addiction. This course has been designed for training professionals who will practice in institutional contexts (including addiction treatment centres, hospitals, hospices, schools, and prisons) and in congregational or social ministry contexts.

The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, developed by Richard Schwartz, is a psychotherapeutic modality that has proven useful not only for trauma work, but for a wide variety of mental health issues. While IFS is relatively new, it builds on a model of the psyche/soul with deep roots in the history of psychotherapy. The idea that the psyche is composed of an internal family of autonomous parts, many of them unconscious, goes back to C.G. Jung and the French schools of hypnosis that came before him. It also has resonances Freudian object relations. But Shwartz’s method of identifying and working with these internal parts sets his modality apart as innovative, elegant, and transformative. This course offers a comprehensive overview of Schwartz’s basic theoretical orientation with a heavy emphasis on clinical practice through case studies, personal exploration, and role playing. We will pay particular attention to the spiritual dimensions of IFS and their potential use in spiritual care and spiritually integrated therapy.

This course examines diverse models for assessing the acute and chronic distress that stems from the psychological, emotional, social, and/or spiritual dimensions of life. In this program, students are equipped to assess various forms of distress and to develop plans for providing therapy that are based on evidenced-based research and best practices. Students will explore theories in the field of assessment (spiritual assessment, psychological assessment, DSM-V, MMSE, and so forth) and they will engage in experiential learning opportunities (case studies, role plays, and so forth) that develop their assessment and care planning skills. This course has been designed for professionals who practice in institutional contexts (hospital, hospice, schools, prison, and so forth) and in congregational or social ministry contexts.

This is a course in spiritual theology, it explores theologies and practices of Christian spirituality, i.e., the study of the experience of God; what the Reformed Protestant tradition has called ‘piety.’ The course will look at spiritual theologians in the history of Reformed Protestantism, the themes they wrote about, and the implications for spiritual practices today. Throughout, the course we will examine ‘Reformed’ spirituality in relation to catholic, ecumenical, contemporary and Indigenous spiritualities. The first half of the course focuses on the spiritual theology of the sixteenth century Reformer John Calvin, set against the Catholic spirituality which preceded it, and the theology and practices of the means of grace (the Word, the sacraments, and prayer) which emerged from it in the Reformed tradition, including a discussion of the significance of these practices for people of faith today. The second half of the course highlights key moments, figures, and themes in the history of Reformed spirituality, and sets these in conversation with contemporary spiritualities.

The cross-disciplinary (pastoral and theological) 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.