Martín F. Echavarría holds a degree in Psychology and Philosophy (Universidad Católica Argentina, Buenos Aires, 1997 and 1999). He earned his PhD in Philosophy from the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (Rome, 2004). He is a Professor of General Psychology at Universitat Abat Oliba CEU and Dean of the Faculty of Communication, Education, and Humanities at the same university. He is an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas (Rome). He has written dozens of articles and book chapters on the philosophical foundations of psychology in the light of St. Thomas Aquinas, and several books such as The Praxis of Psychology and Its Epistemological Levels According to St. Thomas Aquinas; From Aristotle to Freud; Currents of Contemporary Psychology; The Formation of Character through Virtues; Christian Anthropology and Mental Health Sciences; Virtue, Psychology, and Mental Health. Several of these books have been translated into Italian and Portuguese.
Mercedes Palet Fritschi. Born in Terrassa, Barcelona in 1958, she studied Philosophy and Educational Sciences, Psychology Section, at the University of Barcelona. She obtained her degree in 1981. Under the supervision of Dr. José María Alsina Roca, she presented her doctoral thesis at the same university in 2000. Since 1988, she has been residing in Switzerland, where she completed her training as a psychotherapist at the Viktor Frankl School (2009). She was a visiting professor at Universitat Abat Oliba Barcelona (2003-2012) and participates as a guest lecturer in university courses, in the training of psychologists and psychotherapists, as well as in psychology conferences. She is dedicated to school and family psychology and the practice of psychotherapy. Mercedes Palet bases her work on the teachings of St. Thomas Aquinas, in which she finds the theoretical and practical principles that guide her teaching and professional activities.
Dr. Helena Orellana is a licensed clinical psychologist in Virginia, Assistant Professor and Director of Clinical Training in Divine Mercy University’s Doctorate in Psychology program. She received her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Institute for the Psychological Sciences in 2017. Professional interests include the psychological and spiritual impact of trauma, psychodynamic and interpersonal theories, the supervision and training of graduate students, and the integration of a Catholic vision of the person with psychology, particularly through case formulation.
PHOTO
Dr. Suzanne N. Hollman is the Director of the Counseling Center and a Clinical Psychologist at the Catholic University of America. She is also Dean Emerita of the Clinical Psychology doctoral program at Divine Mercy University, where she additionally served as Vice President for Academic Affairs for international collaborations.
Dr. Suzanne Nortier Hollman, Psy.D., Ph.D., holds a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from The George Washington University and a doctorate in the History of Medicine from University College London (UCL). She also holds a master’s degree in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology from the University of Oxford. She has lived and worked on three continents and has subspecialties in university student mental health and well‑being, neuropsychological assessment, spirituality and mental health, and accreditation of graduate programs in Clinical Psychology.
She is an elected member of the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Commission on Accreditation and has served as Secretary of the National Council for Schools and Programs of Professional Psychology (NCSPP). She works as a consultant on matters related to suitability for religious life, mental health challenges among both lay and clergy populations, and the clinical supervision and training of graduate students in Psychology. She is also a member of the Catholic Women’s Forum of the Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Joseph Currier, PhD is a psychologist and Professor of Psychology at University of South Alabama (USA). His research focuses on addressing the multifaceted role of spirituality/religion in trauma, moral injury, and other mental health challenges in education, training and clinical practice. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in support of these lines of work and two books with the American Psychological Association (APA), entitled Trauma, Meaning, and Spirituality: Translating Research into Clinical Practice and Addressing Moral Injury in Clinical Practice. His work has been funded by John Templeton Foundation (JTF), Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), Templeton World Charity Foundation, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). He also served as Director of Clinical Training for the Clinical and Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program at USA from 2015-2020, Clinical Director for Veterans Recovery Resources from 2018-2022, and was a RWFJ Clinical Scholar Fellow from 2018-2021. He is incoming editor for APA’s Spirituality in Clinical Practice.
Steven J. Sandage, Ph.D., LP, is the Albert and Jessie Danielsen Professor of Psychology of Religion and Theology with appointments in the School of Theology and the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Boston University. He is also Research Director and Senior Staff Psychologist at the Albert & Jessie Danielsen Institute. He is the author of 8 books and over 200 articles with recent volumes published by the American Psychological Association including: Forgiveness and Spirituality in Psychotherapy; Relational Spirituality in Psychotherapy; and Spiritual Diversity in Psychotherapy. His research is currently funded by the John Templeton Foundation, the Peale Foundation, among other foundations. He also practices as a Licensed Psychologist at the Danielsen Institute with clinical specializations that include couple and family therapy, multicultural therapy, and spiritually integrative therapy.
D. Raúl Sacristán López (Madrid, 1976) is a diocesan priest of Madrid, ordained in 2006. He holds a PhD in Theology from the Universidad Eclesiástica San Dámaso, with a thesis on affectivity according to St. Thomas Aquinas. He has a degree in Psychology from the Universidad Complutense. He is a professor of moral theology and psychology at UESD, and also collaborates with the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. His research focuses on affectivity, particularly in the dual aspects of psychology and theology. Among his publications are: Psychology of Religion (UESD), Moved by Love. Analysis of Affective Dynamism (UESD), Psychology, Person, and Family (Didaskalos), and Education and Affectivity (Didaskalos). He is a member of the Veritas Amoris Project research group.
SPEAKERS
Stefano Parenti is a husband, father of four, and works as a psychotherapist in Milan, Italy. He specializes in masculinity, pornography addiction, and marital support. He is the president of the Catholic Association of Psychology. His latest book is “On the Shoulders of Giants: Psychotherapy from the Perspective of Thomas Aquinas.”
Juan Pablo Rojas Saffie: Doctor and Master in Humanistic and Social Studies from the Universitat Abat Oliba CEU, Barcelona. Clinical Psychologist from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Specialist in Composition and Musical Arrangements from the Modern School of Music. EMDR Therapist. Co-founder of the Catholic Song Foundation, the Human Root Foundation, and the Integral Person Psychology Association. Since 2017, he has been a lecturer at the Universidad Finis Terrae, where he currently serves as the Director of Research at the School of Psychology.
Patricia Martínez Peroni holds dual Argentine-Spanish nationality, is married, and is the mother of five children. She has a degree in Psychopedagogical Sciences from the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina and in Psychology, with recognition by the MEC at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. Additionally, she has a Master’s in Humanities from the Universidad Francisco de Vitoria, Madrid. Currently, Patricia is a professor at the Universidad San Pablo CEU in Madrid, where she teaches courses in the Law and Criminology, Psychology, and Nursing programs. Her experience includes participation in international conferences, seminars, and appearances in the Spanish Senate. She has been a professor at various institutions, a university advisor, and the director of a psychopedagogical office.
Ruth de Jesús Gómez, doctor in Humanities and Social Sciences from UFV, with the thesis “The Study of Emotions in Richard Lazarus and Magda Arnold. The Need for Anthropology and Metaphysics to Understand Affectivity in Psychology.” She holds a degree in Psychopedagogy from the Pontifical University of Comillas, a diploma in Pedagogy and Teaching, specializing in Special Education, from UCM. She also has a Master’s in Humanities from UFV. She is a professor at UFV in the Master’s in Educational Guidance, the Expert in Affectivity and Sexuality, the Expert in Educational Transformation, the International Program of Guidance, and the Psychology degree, teaching the subjects of Psychology of Affectivity and Emotion and Life Cycle. She is also a professor in the Master’s in Integral Psychology at UFT (Santiago de Chile). With over 15 years of experience in university teaching, she has worked for 14 years as a counselor in secondary education. She combines university teaching with educational counseling for parents and guidance for adolescents and young people in their process of personal and emotional maturation.