The Future of Mental Health is Whole-Person and Spiritually Integrated
You already care for the mind.
Now, the soul.
The Future of Mental Health is Whole-Person and Spiritually Integrated
You already care for the mind.
Now, the soul.
What Catholic Christian Integration Offers
Catholic Christian wisdom brings a rich, time-tested understanding of the human person — body, mind, and soul — created for relationship and healing.
It offers a vision of wholeness that unites psychological insight with spiritual meaning, clinical skill with compassion, and science with hope.
Rather than separating faith from therapy, the Catholic tradition provides:
- A clear view of human dignity — every person is made in the image of God and worthy of care.
- A moral and spiritual framework — guiding clients toward meaning, virtue, and flourishing.
- Ancient practices — reflection, forgiveness, discernment, and prayer — that align with modern approaches to healing and growth.
- Community and sacramental life — grounding therapy within belonging and hope.
This understanding doesn’t narrow therapy — it deepens it.
It helps clinicians see and support the whole person, leading to transformation that reaches the soul as well as the mind.
Why It Matters for Every Clinician
With over 160 million Christians in the United States—about 62% of the population—faith remains central to many people’s lives.
Among them are more than 70 million Catholic Christians, alongside roughly 104 million Protestants and 8 million Orthodox and other Christian believers.
Understanding the Catholic Christian worldview isn’t only theological—it’s part of cultural competence for modern mental-health care.
Yet the principles behind it speak to anyone who values whole-person healing. The Catholic Christian view of the human person offers language and practices that can enrich therapy for clients of any or no faith.
Through our training, clinicians learn to:
- Integrate faith and meaning into therapy ethically and effectively.
- Apply evidence-informed spiritual practices—like reflection, forgiveness work, and the Daily Examen—to strengthen insight and resilience.
- Build confidence in addressing a client’s values and beliefs with respect, not assumption.
Rooted in Catholic Christian wisdom yet open to all, this approach helps therapists bring depth, hope, and healing to every client relationship.
Continuing Education Provider
Elijah Institute has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7719. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Elijah Institute is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Endorsements
Most Reverend Bernard A. Hebda Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis
Fr. James M. Perkl Pastor, Mary, Mother of the Church
Fr. James M. Perkl Pastor, Mary, Mother of the Church
"As Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, I support the mission of the Elijah Institute in its dedication to the integration of Catholic faith and evidence-based psychotherapy. In a world where the need for authentic, faith-informed mental health care is growing, I support the Elijah Institute’s desire to provide essential training fo
"As Archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, I support the mission of the Elijah Institute in its dedication to the integration of Catholic faith and evidence-based psychotherapy. In a world where the need for authentic, faith-informed mental health care is growing, I support the Elijah Institute’s desire to provide essential training for mental health professionals who seek to serve individuals, families, and Catholic communities with both professional excellence and spiritual integrity. I commend their efforts to form practitioners who uphold the dignity of the human person and foster true healing through a synthesis of psychological expertise and Catholic anthropology."
Fr. James M. Perkl Pastor, Mary, Mother of the Church
Fr. James M. Perkl Pastor, Mary, Mother of the Church
Fr. James M. Perkl Pastor, Mary, Mother of the Church
"There is no contradiction between the wisdom of the Church and the science of mental health. Forming clinicians in both is not only possible—it is essential to truly serve the Body of Christ. As a pastor and a first responder chaplain, I see every day how imperative it is to provide mental health support that is deeply grounded in Catho
"There is no contradiction between the wisdom of the Church and the science of mental health. Forming clinicians in both is not only possible—it is essential to truly serve the Body of Christ. As a pastor and a first responder chaplain, I see every day how imperative it is to provide mental health support that is deeply grounded in Catholic teaching. The Elijah Institute's training is vital to health and wellbeing of our culture”
Mission Partners
Grace and Post-Traumatic Growth
God brings beauty forth from brokenness. Join media personality and mental-health advocate Carly Aplin Zucker and Catholic psychologist Dr. Gerry Crete, author of Litanies of the Heart and contributor to the popular Hallow prayer app, Come Support the Elijah Institute at Beauty in Broken Glass—a morning of storytelling, reflection, and renewal exploring how faith transforms suffering into strength and restores the wholeness of the human heart.
📅 Thursday, November 20, 2025 | 8:30–11:00 a.m.
📍 Anselm House – Melrose Station, 720 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN