I
received my B.A. in Philosophy and Art from Calvin College,
along with a
minor in Psychology. I knew at that time that I wanted to complete graduate
studies in psychology, so I minored in that area, but I also wanted to mark
my interest in art by completed a degree in that field. My primary medium
was lithography, followed by watercolor painting and pen and ink drawing. I
also completed a philosophy degree because I wanted to learn how to thing
rigorously about topics from a Christian perspective.
Following graduation, I worked for a year at a youth home in Grand Rapids,
Michigan, and my wife and I enjoyed our first year of marriage together. We
then moved to Wheaton, Illinois, where I completed my Psy.D. in Clinical
Psychology, M.A. in Clinical Psychology, and M.A. in Theological Studies. I
had the opportunity to be mentored by Stanton Jones, who was at that time
the Program Director and is now the Provost at Wheaton. His scholarship
included work on integration of psychology and theology and the topic of
homosexuality.
When I graduated from Wheaton in 1998 I moved to Virginia Beach and began
working in the doctoral program in clinical psychology at Regent. I
continued writing about integration and also about homosexuality. Since that
time I developed the Institute for the Study of Sexual Identity (ISSI), which
is a formal institute identity for my research team. You can learn more about
ISSI by clicking here, or you can visit the ISSI web page at www.sexualidentityinstitute.org.
There are now about 10 students in the doctoral program who actively participate
in ISSI. We work together in three major areas: research, training, and clinical
services. The research we conduct is on sexual identity, how it develops and
synthesizes over time, and the attributions people make in response to same-sex
feelings. Trainings are conducted monthly for students in ISSI. Clinical services
include individual, couple, family, and group therapy for people who experience
same-sex attraction.
I currently teach the following doctoral courses: Psychopathology, Family
Therapies, Advanced Marriage and Family Therapy, Ethics, and Human
Sexuality. I have also taught courses in geropsychology and Christian
healing. My philosophy of teaching involves seeing whatever subject matter
we study "through the eyes of faith." I tend to be student-oriented,
focusing on engaging students through the subject matter and its application
to their professional identity and ways in which God may be at work in their
lives. I also try to call students to be good stewards of the many resources
they have been given, to teach them to be advocates for those who are
marginalized, and to see what they do in the context of God's redemptive
plan.
I have recently co-authored a book on a Christian perspective on
psychopathology titled Modern Psychopathologies: A Comprehensive Christian
Appraisal (2005). I have also published three books on homosexuality and
sexual identity titled Homosexuality: The Use of Scientific Research in the
Church's Moral Debate (2000), Sexual Identity: A Guide to Living in the Time
Between the Times (2003), and Sexual Identity Synthesis: Attributions,
Meaning-Making and the Search for Congruence (2004).
In addition to these books, I regularly publish in APA journals, such as
Psychotherapy and Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, as
well as
integration journals, such as Journal of Psychology and Christianity and
Journal of Psychology and Theology. I encourage students in ISSI to present
at local, regional, and national/international conferences, and have
recently co-presented with students at the APA annual conferences, as well
as conferences hosted by the Christian Association for Psychological Studies
and the American Association of Christian Counselors.
In terms of professional service, I serve on the editorial board of the Journal
of Psychology and Theology, and Marriage and Family: A Christian Journal.
I have recently been honored to be awarded the Chancellor's Award for
Excellence (Professor of the Year) for research, service, and teaching (May,
2004) at Regent University. |
