A moment during the concelebration of the Mass.

Arlington, VA. September 11, 2008.  "I learned very valuable information which will help me in my role as a seminary formator," said Fr. Brett A. Brannen, Vice Rector, Mount St. Mary´s Seminary.  "I especially appreciated the review of the anthropological foundations and also the presentations on Discerning Psychological Problems."

Fr. Brannen was one of the 25 participants who attended Psychology Serving Pastoral Ministry, held August 11-15 in Bethesda, MD.

The second annual seminar, sponsored by the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS) and the Sacerdos Institute, attracted seminary rectors, vocations directors, diocesan and religious priests, and lay people involved in seminary formation, spiritual direction and psychological counseling.

Speakers included Paul Vitz, Ph.D., Fr. John F. Harvey, OSFS, Fr. James Tucker, S.S., and IPS Founder and Academic Dean Gladys Sweeney, Ph.D.

A sampling of the topics presented included: Clergy-Psychologist Collaboration; Discerning Psychological Problems; The Psychology of Attachment in Vocational Discernment; Enduring Personality Problems; and The Psychological Importance of Fatherhood.
 
Mass was concelebrated daily by the priest participants with lay people and religious sisters in attendance. There were also opportunities for idea-sharing and enrichment, as well as prayer.

"This conference exceeded my expectations. I thank the Lord for this whole experience," commented Fr. Edward Horning, pastor of St. Mary´s Parish in El Centro, CA.

Information About IPS
Founded in 1999 in Arlington, Va., IPS is a Catholic graduate school of psychology offering master´s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology, and a master´s degree in general psychology. The Institute´s unique curriculum integrates the science of psychology with insights about the human person from theology and philosophy.  IPS is training its students to use this integrated approach for comprehensive assessment and therapeutic intervention.

For more information, please contact:
Anne-Marie Dardis
Director of Admissions
Institute for the Psychological Sciences
703.416.1441 ext. 117
amdardis@IPSciences.edu

Institute for the Psychological Sciences
2001 Jefferson Davis Highway
Suite 511
Arlington, VA  22202
703.416.1441
703.416.8588 fax
info@IPSciences.edu
www.IPSciences.edu