Dr. Roger Brooke, Ph.D., ABPP, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Military Psychological Services at Duquesne University, will deliver a public lecture at Christian Theological Seminary (CTS) on Friday, April 20, from 7pm to 9pm. Titled “The Soldier’s Heart: A Moral and Spiritual Calling,” Dr. Brooke’s lecture will engage civilians, veterans, mental health care practitioners and faith leaders in a discussion that considers the unique psychological and spiritual challenges commonly experienced by military veterans returning to civilian life. His remarks will kick off the 19th annual Psychotherapy and Spirituality Conference.
A global expert on warrior cultures and a native of South Africa, Dr. Brooke worked with victims of violence on both sides of the political conflict that gripped the region during the 1980s. Drawing upon his work with servicemen returning from the war in Angola as well as academic studies focused on the Jungian psychoanalytic tradition, Dr. Brooke has written extensively about approaches for addressing post-traumatic stress disorder.
The Counseling Center at Christian Theological Seminary launched the Psychotherapy and Spirituality Conference in 1999 as a forum for dialogue among mental health and pastoral care professionals interested in the spiritual and psychological dimensions of life. Public interest in mental health issues inspired CTS to include a Friday evening public lecture. “The experiences veterans encounter upon returning to civilian life are intimately interwoven with the lives of those in the civilian community and the professionals who tend to the mental and spiritual lives of our veterans,” says Dr. Kelcourse, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at CTS. “The Friday evening workshop will examine the role civilians play in facilitating processes of homecoming and spiritual transformation.”
The Friday evening lecture is free of charge to military veterans (advance registration is required) and civilians may purchase tickets for $70. A Saturday workshop exclusively for mental health practitioners and faith leaders will examine an archetypical approach to combating post-traumatic stress injury. A Saturday afternoon seminar will explore clinical approaches to addressing combat nightmares. Practitioners attending the program on Saturday, April 21, may earn CEUs.
Information on tickets, CEUs and lecture or conference registration along with a detailed agenda is available at cts.edu or by clicking on this link.
