Richard Beck, PhD

Bio: Richard Beck (PhD) is the Senior Fellow of the Landon Saunders Center for Joy and Human Flourishing at Abilene Christian University. Richard has published numerous books concerning the integration of faith and psychology, most recently The Shape of Joy: The Transformative Power of Moving Beyond Yourself.

Presentation Description:

For decades, positive psychology has focused on understanding psychological well-being and flourishing and its findings have significantly influenced both mental health practices and popular wellness culture. Practices like gratitude and mindfulness, for instance, have become mainstream and are widely utilized in therapeutic settings. However, while positive psychology’s empirical research highlights the importance of transcendental values—such as virtue, mattering, hope, meaning in life, awe, and cosmic gratitude—it remains constrained by its commitment to empirical science and consequently cannot provide a fully adequate account of flourishing. As a result, there’s an emerging consensus that a more comprehensive understanding of human flourishing requires metaphysical and spiritual approaches that embrace transcendent values.

Carissa Dwiwardani, PhD

Carissa is a Professor of Psychology at Biola University, and Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Psychology and Theology. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and is board certified in clinical psychology (ABPP). She obtained her PhD in clinical psychology at Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University. She has published peer-reviewed journal articles in positive psychology, Christian integration and multicultural psychology, and is the co-author of a book by IVP Academic, The Integration Journey: A Student’s Guide to Faith, Culture and Psychology

William B. Whitney, PhD

William is an associate professor of psychology at Azusa Pacific University. He obtained his PhD from Fuller Theological Seminary. His research and teaching focus on the integration of theology, positive psychology, human development, and culture. He is the co-author of The Integration Journey (IVP, 2024) and Theology for Psychology and Counseling (Baker Academic, 2022), both of which explore how foundational principles of Christian theology can shape and enrich clinical practice and research in psychology. His research has received funding from the John Templeton Foundation and the Louisville Institute. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist and maintains a small private practice in Pasadena, California.

Cassandra D. Page, PsyD

Cassandra is the Assistant Dean to the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences and Program Director and Associate Professor in Regent’s School of Psychology and Counseling. She revels in each dynamic interaction held with administrators, students, faculty, and staff, to create potential avenues for unvoiced stories, advocacy, and change. She is the faculty advisor to two research teams of multicultural students that are housed in the intersectional spaces of racial identity development, professional identity development, and advocacy, particularly from a Christian lens. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and publishes in the areas of psychology and social justice. She has a clinical practice with the Black American community of Hampton Roads, Virginia. As an attachment-informed and dynamically interpersonal psychologist, she thrives when clients pursue questions of identity and purpose as they navigate issues of attachment, intersectionality, and adjustment. Since earing her PsyD, her scholarship has helped forage spaces of social justice pursuits, mentorship, and addressing gaps of multicultural training for pastoral members, students pursuing clinical psychology, and peers.

Roy Barsness

Conventional supervisory relationships follow a teaching model, where the supervisor shoulders the responsibility of advising, critiquing, offering feedback. This seminar introduces a new model of supervision, that emphasizes affect over cognition and privileges the therapist’s subjectivity as the primary access point to the patient’s internal and interpersonal world.

Kharma Parker, Eric L. Johnson, Fernando Garzon

Internal Family Systems is a therapeutic model rapidly growing in popularity. In this workshop IFS will be briefly introduced; outlining foundational concepts and flow. Both concerns and strengths regarding the model will be discussed from a Christian worldview. Implications for clinical practice are discussed and alternate adaptations will be proposed.

Mark Yarhouse, Julia Sadusky

In this workshop we will review the diagnostic criteria for Gender Dysphoria in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fifth Edition Text Revision. We will discuss assessment of Gender Dysphoria in adolescents and emerging adults, including domains from a comprehensive gender interview, including gender history, onset and course of symptoms of gender dysphoria, consistency of cross- or other-gender identity, response to changes at puberty, and so on. We will also identify screeners for common co-occurring concerns, measures of past and current gender dysphoria, body image, and quality of life. We will set this discussion of assessment in the context of larger cultural discussions and controversies in care for youth today, including recent guidelines, recommendations for assessment, and review documents.

2025 Post-Conference Workshops

Post-Conference and Post-Conference Workshops require registration and additional costs; they are not included in the general conference registration fee.

Randolph K. Sanders

Clients often come to therapy with spiritual concerns or questions about moral values. It is vital that clinicians know how to respond to these issues ethically. In this workshop, we will consider ethical standards that relate to these issues including therapist competence, relevant informed consent, and the welfare and autonomy of the client. Case studies will be used to practically illustrate points and suggest ways for creatively handling ethical dilemmas.

Earl Bland, Brad Strawn, John Poston, Tessa Trussell Wolf

This seminar begins with clinical cases – love stories – relationships freighted with all the complexities and nuances of longing and connection experienced in the therapeutic frame. Responding, two seasoned clinicians broaden our thinking about love in clinical work, its temptations, its promises, its disappointments, its embodiment of Christ, and its cure.

Ted Witzig

When OCD afflicts Christian clients, the symptoms (and treatments) are frequently misunderstood by the sufferers as well as their family, clergy, and other health professionals. This workshop will provide clinicians with practical skills to support and integrate the client’s spiritual beliefs into empirically-supported treatments for OCD.