Integration in the classroom: ten teaching strategies.
McMinn, Mark R. ; Moon, Gary W. ; McCormick, Angela G. 等
Teaching integration involves engaging students as active
participants in the unfolding relationship of psychology and
Christianity, with a particular focus on integration. Ten specific
teaching strategies are offered to help students enter into the
challenges and opportunities of integration. The teaching strategies are
organized according to Moon's (1997) four directions for
integration: practical, personal, classic, and contemporary.
**********
When Bain (2004) reported the results of a 15-year study on what
the best college teachers do in the classroom, he emphasized the
importance of lively engagement, where students are ushered into the
drama and mystery of a particular discipline. Bain writes:
The best teachers often try to create what we have come to call
" a natural critical learning environment." In that
environment, people learn by confronting intriguing, beautiful, or
important problems, authentic tasks that will challenge them to grapple
with ideas, rethink their assumptions, and examine their mental models
of reality. (p. 18)
Though Bain's research pertained to a variety of disciplines
and worldviews his notion of crafting a "natural critical learning
environment" seems particularly fitting for those attempting to
teach the relationship of psychology and Christianity.
There are various views regarding the proper relationship between
psychology and Christian theology (Johnson & Jones, 2000), ranging
from those who perceive that the two disciplines should be relatively
independent to those who believe one should be mostly quieted by the
other. In this article-crafted by two professors and a graduate student
each with a variety of experiences and perspectives on integration-we
begin with the assumption that a mutually transformative integration is
a worthy endeavor. That is, our faith ought to be influenced by what we
discover in psychology, and our psychology ought to be influenced by
what we discover in Christian theology. We explore possibilities for
creating a learning environment where students enter into the realm of
integration as active participants more than passive learners. We do
this by revisiting the 4 directions for integration offered by Moon
(1997): practical integration, personal integration, classic
integration, and contemporary integration. In each case, we offer
teaching strategies designed to engage students in the integrative
process.
PRACTICAL INTEGRATION
Today's integration is strongly influenced by the growth of
clinical psychology doctoral programs housed in Christian institutions.
Not surprisingly, integrative conversation. For example, "Should I
pray with clients?" "What sort of integrative work is possible
if the client and therapist do not share a Christian faith
commitment?" "Is forgiveness a reasonable goal for Christian
survivors of sexual abuse?" Students often enter graduate training
with the expectation that their professors will offer dear and
compelling answers to these questions and more, and then feel
disappointed-even disenchanted-when they discover wide-ranging opinions
on issues of practical integration. Offering students access to this
range of opinions is an important goal for teaching practical
integration.
Teaching Strategy: Talking to the Integrators (McMinn)
Once students work through the disappointment or realizing there is
not a single textbook on how to do practical integration, they are often
eager to understand the variety of perspectives that Christina
psychologists hold. One way to do this is to assign a textbook that
offers multiple perspectives on the relationship of psychology and
Christianity, such as Psychology & Christianity: Four Views (Johnson
& Jones, 2000). Another way is to assign more than one book-each
offering a different perspective on how psychology and faith are
related. At this point the professor faces a challenge of
self-disclosure. Should the professor simply present the various
perspectives for how psychology and Christianity can be related, or
should the professor advocate for a particular perspective? We (McMinn
and Moon) have tended to advocate for an integrative view while still
pointing out the virtues of competing perspectives, such as biblical
counseling, Christian psychology, and levels of explanation. Others may
find it more useful to take a neutral position and let students discern
the view that best fits with their understanding of faith and
psychology.
Beyond assigning the books, consider a conversation with the
authors of the chapters or books that are assigned. Authors are often
willing to schedule a brief telephone or Skype appointment with the
class. This provides students an opportunity to ask questions that arise
during their reading, and also to put a voice (and perhaps a face) to
the words they have read. Even if the books assigned to do not directly
address the most practical integration questions (e.g., "When
should I pray with a client?"), conversations with authors often
veer toward practical considerations because these are the questions
students are inclined to ask.
Teaching Strategy 2: Systematic Evaluation of an Integration Model
(Moon)
As part of appreciating the variety of perspectives it can be
helpful for students to read broadly across the landscape of relating
psychology and faith before doing a more in depth evaluation of a
particular model. To accomplish the first goal, as part of our
foundational integration course, students read one book for historical
perspective: The Integration of Psychology and Theology (Carter &
Narramore, 1970); and one book for a more contemporary overview:
Psychology & Christianity: Four Views (Johnson & Jones, 2000).
Then to provide the context for how relating faith and practice for
mental health professionals differs from what occurs in the traditions
of pastoral counseling and spiritual direction the text Spiritual
Direction and the Care of Souls: A Guide to Christian Approaches and
Practices (Moon & Benner, 2004) is assigned. With that foundation,
the students move on to the examination of practical considerations
presented in Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian
Counseling (McMinn, 1996). And I'm now delighted to learn that the
author may be available for a brief telephone or Skype appointment with
the class.
For the culminating exercise--and to further lower the microscope
on making integration practical--students choose an integration model
for a more in-depth analysis. After reading one or more texts by the
selected theorist/practitioner, the students will do a comprehensive
assessment of theoretical and practical features using the
"Evaluation of Integration Model" (see Table 1) as both an
evaluation grid and organizational structure for a paper-the same
template is also employed to guide class discussions. The intent of this
exercise is to enhance the ability to do a critical evaluation of a
model of integration with particular attention given to a variety of
practical considerations.
TABLE 1 (1)
Evaluation of Integration Model
Please describe the model you are examining using each of the
following categories. For each subcategory, rate on a scale of 1 to 5
(with 5 representing an "ideal" approach).
Identification of Model: --
Epistemology
-- There is a comprehensive view of Scripture and the avoidance of
either a tendency to ignore Scripture or to proof text.
-- Psychological theory and research are reviewed and integrated
into this model.
Appreciation for Science of Psychology
-- A specific theory is easily identified (e.g., Freudian,
Adlerian, Behavioral, Cognitive, Neuroscience, etc.) or model is clearly
identified as eclectic.
-- The author is conversant with research and does not use
psychological "proof-texting."
Relationship of Psychology and Theology
-- A specific family of theology is easily identified (e.g.,
Reformed, Wesleyan, Evangelical, Charismatic, etc.) or the model is
clearly identified as eclectic.
-- The author's use of the term "integration" is
clearly explained.
View of Humanity
-- The model tasks into account a Biblical view of humanity.
-- The view is informed from both theology and psychology.
Role of Christ and Holy Spirit
-- The role of the cross of Christ is clearly delineated.
-- The role of the Holy Spirit is addressed.
Nature of Health and Disorder
-- The goal of growth includes both psychological health and
spiritual maturity and these goals are clearly defined.
-- A distinction between spiritual and psychological suffering is
made.
-- Disorder is clearly explained (e.g., A view of sin versus
psychological is clearly articulated)
-- A place is given for physical symptoms (and appropriate medical
referrals are suggested).
Nature of change
-- The model makes use of psychological techniques, biblical truth
and spiritual disciplines.
-- The role of the counselor is clearly delineated.
-- The contrast between symptom reduction, positive mental health
and spiritual maturity is addressed in a cohesive fashion.
Use of Religious Techniques and Practices
-- If the use of religious or spiritual techniques with clients is
recommended, this is done within a framework of professional ethics.
-- The model clearly describes whether these techniques are used
for psychological or spiritual goals.
Overall Assessment
-- This model can be easily incorporated into clinical practice?
(Which, if any, settings would be more difficult?)
-- I would refer my mother to a therapist using this model.
(1) Adapted from original items which are attributed to Tim
Sisemore
PERSONAL INTEGRATION
Moon (1997) also articulates the importance of the personal
character of the integrator. Training students in integration is not
merely a matter of addressing practical "how-to" questions,
but also helping form the character of those preparing for professional
work. The greatest resources for the psychotherapist is not a toolkit of
various therapeutic techniques, but the person of the therapist.
Personal formation does not lend itself to PowerPoint and 3-point
lectures, and so requires innovative teaching methods.
Teaching Strategy 3: Practice of Spiritual Discipline--the 2 hour a
day Challenge (Moon)
According to a task force sponsored by Division 12 of the American
Psychological Association there is a clear consensus: psychotherapy
works (Nathan&Gorman, 2007). However, the debate continues
concerning how it works and why. Some champion the importance of using
particular techniques while others point to the primacy of relational
dynamics (Castonguay and Beutler, 2006; Norcross, 2002).
As McMinn (1996) pointed out, while counseling is effective,
"it is also clear that the effects of counseling cannot be solely
attributed to the techniques used by the counselor. A number of other
ingredients, called 'non-specific factors,' affect the outcome
of counseling" (p. 12). If the most important of these factors is
the relationship itself, it makes sense that the process of teaching
integration should take into account the character formation of the
psychotherapist and consider training in the spiritual disciplines as a
methodology for taking on more of the character of Christ thus perhaps
indirectly enhancing the relational dynamics of the counseling process.
As Delaney et al. (2005) observed, there are two methods for
fostering spiritual growth that have been used across the centuries:
spiritual direction and the spiritual disciplines. Spiritual
disciplines, according to Willard (1991, p. 68), are "activities of
mind and body purposefully undertaken to bring our personality and total
being into effective cooperation with the divine order." Against
this backdrop, our first semester students enroll in a course called
"Personal and Spiritual Life." While broadly intended as a
catalyst for self-understanding and community development, the course
also offers systematic exposure to the classic spiritual disciplines and
a "Two-hour-a-day challenge."
Purposefully, this challenge occurs as the student is entering a
season of intense time demands. It is designed to encourage the
placement of at least two hours of "margin" into each day for
the two-commandments of Christ--being in loving relationship with God
and others--and to inoculate against getting one's priorities
crooked. To state this in slightly less vague terms, each student is
given a time log and the expectation of finding two hours a day to show
up for spiritual formation activities. What counts? Practice with
spiritual disciplines, journaling about the experience, time spent in
spiritual direction, course readings and exercises, and any time that is
spent with and totally for another. To state the obvious, the most
important aspect of this assignment is not the successful establishment
of margins, but the grappling that ensues.
To help with this experiential challenge there are readings and
course lectures based on: 1) the twelve disciplines found in
Foster's (1998) Celebration of Discipline, 2) an overview of
spiritual classics provided by Foster and Griffin (2000), 3) the use of
a relational rubric found in Falling for God (Moon, 2004) which places
the classic disciplines in the context of a developing relationship with
God that includes time for conversation (practicing the presence,
listening prayer, meditation), communion (centering prayer, confession,
examination of con-science), and consummation (forgiveness,
reconciliation, contemplative prayer).
Additional experiential activities that have been offered or
suggested include: 1) encouragement for entering into spiritual
direction; 2) participation in formation groups using Renovare resources
(Smith & Graybeal, 1999; Moon, 2005); 3) incorporation of a variety
of spiritual formation assessment resources for personal evaluation
(Hall & Edwards, 2002; Frazee, 2005).
Teaching Strategy 4: Personal Application of God's Grace and
Truth (McCormick)
Some of the most useful personal formation strategies that I was
required to participate in through a biblical counseling program and a
Christian clinical counseling program involved experiential teaching
methods that allowed me to get to know myself through the lens of both
Scripture and psychology. Often when we discussed the various approaches
to the relationship of Christianity and psychology, my preconceived
views caused me to be more closed to particular views. So, instead of
learning what was helpful from those views, I often rejected them.
Often, biblical counselors reject how Scripture interacts with
psychological knowledge and Christian integration students may reject
biblical counseling theories. Having extensively studied under both
approaches, I found by personally applying both the biblical and the
psychological concepts into my own life and relationships, I was greatly
blessed and challenged.
The experiential teaching methods I recall most clearly involved
journaling, personal interaction papers, assessments, genograms, and
engaging in personal biblical counseling, spiritual direction, and
psychological therapy. Through these, I grew to appreciate the biblical
notion of putting off the old self and putting on the new. I also came
to understand how idols of the heart affect human motivation, and how to
apply the gospel to my life, which helped me experience grace toward
myself and others. Further, these methods helped me see the biological
impact on our emotions and thinking; the impact of early attachments and
significant family relationships; neurological findings and their impact
on behavior, thinking, and emotions; and the value of empirically-based
interventions. Experiential learning methods helped develop a healthy
respect for the complexities of our bodies (made in the image of God),
and for the work of both biblical counselors and Christian
psychologists. I have also developed a respect and empathy for my future
clients as I have come to see myself as a person in no way better than
them in God's eyes. This attitude would not have developed within
me through just mere intellectualizing of the material. I had to
personally struggle with how all the views of integration could or could
not help me in my relationship with God and with others.
Teaching Strategy 5: Queries (McMinn)
Quakers have a tradition of using queries to call to mind the
important questions that are often lost in the scurry of life. Queries
cause a person to stop and ponder, to reflect on the weighty questions
of life. They do not presume a single answer, but draw a person into
contemplation and personal evaluation. For example, "How am I
experiencing and expressing gratitude for God's gracious presence
in my life, in our community of worship, and in creation?"
I ask students to write a few queries early in their training, and
if they are willing I have them turn them into me on an index card.
After class, I enter the students' names and their queries into a
Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. I then put a reminder in my electronic
calendar to send each student his or her queries on a yearly basis
throughout their training years--and sometimes beyond. Once a year,
then, students and recent graduates receive an email from me with the
queries that they wrote early in training. This allows them to reflect
on the values that were important to them early in their graduate school
years and to assess the direction their lives are taking.
This sounds more labor intensive than it is. By using the mail
merge feature in Microsoft Office, it is a relatively easy process to
merge the students' names, email addresses and queries and send out
all the emails with just a few minutes of work. It is remarkable how
often I receive replies from students expressing thanks for the reminder
that arrives in their email box once a year.
The three strategies we have just described for personal
integration are primarily focused on students' individual spiritual
growth. Small-group and community-based strategies for enhancing
personal integration are also important to consider. Individual
spiritual formation can produce great virtue, but it can also produce
pride. Spiritual formation in a group context can help promote
self-understanding while also tempering the problem of spiritual pride.
CLASSIC INTEGRATION
It is tempting to view the integration of psychology and
Christianity as a relatively recent phenomenon-something that began in
the 1950s, 60s, and 70s with the establishing of Fuller's doctoral
program in clinical psychology, the Journal of Psychology and
Christianity and the Journal of Psychology and Theology, and the
Christian Association of Psychological Studies (CAPS). But, of course,
the roots of this contemporary movement are much older than 50 years
(Vande Kemp, 1996). Classic integration involves helping students mine
the riches of the soul care tradition that predates the contemporary
integration movement (Johnson, 2007; Moon & Benner, 2004).
Teaching Strategy 6: Experiential Exercises across the Traditions
(Moon)
As Oden (1984) has reminded (see pp. 29-33), there is nothing new
under the sun. Through that volume as well as his Classical Pastoral
Care Series (Vols. 1-4) and the massive Ancient Christian Commentary on
Scripture, Oden and others further illuminate a path through more than
twenty centuries of "soul-o-logy" that proves that psychology
predates the laboratory of Wilhelm Wundt and that the integration
movement did not begin in Michigan at about the same time as the Ford
Fairlane.
In an attempt to introduce students to some of the classics of
historic soul-o-logy, we offer a course called Spiritual Classics of the
Christian Tradition. It provides an overview to classical resources to
spiritual life with an emphasis given to the life-journey and devotional
writings of many of the saints of the church. Particular attention is
given to Franciscan, Thomistic, Ignatian, and Augustinian spiritualities
(This class was originally designed and taught by Marty Goehring).
While the course is meant to provide a broad and historical
overview to classic devotional literature in the Christian tradition,
its primary purpose is to provide an experience of these traditions. For
this reason, the material is presented in a retreat format with much
attention given to the practice of spiritual exercises associated with
each of the four major traditions that are covered (e.g. The experience
of the Ignatian prayer form "The Application of the Senses" to
selected passages of Scripture as a way to "experience" part
of the Ignatian tradition).
Other--and less experiential--activities, designed to enhance
appreciation for classic integration can involve the assignment of
constructing treatment plans for clinical cases with an important
caveat--no references allowed with publication dates after the year
1750. Students will likely develop a deep appreciation for both classic
"soul-o-logy" and the life-work of Thomas Oden.
Teaching Strategy 7: Puritan Writings (McCormick)
One of the best resources in my training has been reading Puritan
literature. Jonathan Edwards, Jeremiah Burroughs, and Richard Baxter are
three Puritan writers who especially spoke to my conscience. Each of
these were required reading at different points within my training.
Though the language is a little archaic, I know without a doubt that my
heart and conscience were greatly affected on psychological and
emotional matters by their insights and wisdom. The Puritans had
developed an art of thinking deeply about Scriptural truths and the
complexities of the human heart. They were wise thinkers and with pithy
writings, meant to be slowly digested and journaled in a personal way in
the reader's life.
This was a cross-cultural experience for me. Integration is always
done within a cultural context; reading the Puritan writers helped move
me from the lens of this particular time and ethos and see myself
through the eyes of spiritual leaders in another time and place. As a
result, my conscience was given the opportunity to be formed by
Scripture in new ways. This also gave me a framework to view humanity
and psychology from new perspective that seems attractively
Christ-centered.
Teaching Strategy 8: A Case Study Approach to Christology (McMinn)
At the beginning of a class on early church councils, I present
students with the following case study, which has been altered to
protect the identity of my former client:
I once met with a woman (Brenda is a pseudonym) who had gone to
work at a local convenience store in order to help make ends meet.
Brenda worked night shifts so that she and her husband could co-parent
their young son. One night, when she was alone in the store, a man came
into the store while she was in the back room, threatened her life with
a large knife, and then raped her. Brenda was terribly traumatized, of
course, and sought therapy to help deal with the fear, nightmares, and
depression that came in the aftermath of her trauma. As the treatment
progressed, she also became frustrated with how badly she was treating
her husband and their son in the midst of her trauma and distress.
Brenda was a devout Christian, committed to her faith, but raising
difficult questions about God's benevolence and power. Our
treatment lasted about a year and focused on recovering from trauma,
re-establishing healthy relationships with others in her family, and
helping her confront difficult questions about her faith. Why does
Christology matter when working with a client like Brenda?
After presenting the case study and the final question (why does
Christology matter?), I am generally met with blank stares. The case
seems unrelated to Christology for most of the students. I then
encourage students to keep thinking about this case as we discuss the
early church councils. Then after exploring the Christological
controversies facing the early church and the councils of Nicaea,
Constantinople, Ephesus, and Chalcedon (with the help of a theologian;
see teaching strategy # 10, below), I return to the case example and ask
the question again. Why does Christology matter when working with
Brenda? It is fascinating to see the clinical wisdom that emerges as a
result of a lecture on Christology in the Christian Empire (313-476 AD).
Students will come up with answers such as the following:
1. Christianity is not like classic Greek dualism, where a
transcendent being stays away from the evil world. Christians believe
that God--both transcendent and immanent--reaches down to humanity,
enters our world as human. This gives great value to creation, humanity,
and to Brenda.
2. God understands suffering. Christ, fully human, represents us to
God with a full under-standing of what it means to be human. Brenda is
not suffering alone. God understands, and even suffers alongside her.
3. Christ also represents God to humanity. In Christ we see the
complete image of God, fully revealed. This allows us to see what health
looks like. When Brenda feels outraged about the injustice done to her,
we see some reflection of how much God hates injustice. When she learns
to be more merciful and kind to her family members, reflecting the grace
of Christ, we see God's image in her.
4. That which is assumed by Christ (body, soul, mind) is that which
is being redeemed. In contrast to the Apollinarian and Docetist
heresies, Christ assumed all of humanity. This means that all of
humanity, all of Brenda, is being redeemed.
5. Christ honored and validated women. He valued all women,
including those who others marginalized. So Brenda, in the aftermath of
a tragedy that is sometimes blamed on the victim, is worthy of being
validated and honored.
Of course many more observations could be offered. The point of the
exercise is to see how the ancient questions facing the church are
relevant to those who do clinically focused integration today.
CONTEMPORARY INTEGRATION
Today's integration of psychology and Christianity is
predominantly accomplished within the profession of psychology. This has
provided various benefits--such as a steady stream of motivated students
and institutional settings where faculty members get paid to think and
write about integrative issues--but it also comes with certain
obligations. Contemporary psychology is--more or less--grounded in a
scientific worldview, meaning that integrationists need to think about
empirical support for their ideas and interventions. The professions of
psychology also has an ethical code and so psychologists involved in
integration need to consider how to operate within the; ethical
boundaries of the American Psychological Association's (2002)
Ethical Principles of Psychologists and code of conduct. How do we
prepare students to function effectively and responsibly in today's
mental health professions while still thinking deeply about the
theological and spiritual issues they in their daily work?
Integration can be viewed as the life-long process of becoming
tri-lingual and tri-cultural--taking on the language and culture of
psychology, theology and spiritual formation. This is a daunting task
that can cause the curriculum offerings of integration programs to
stretch at the seams. Typical programs will require all of the
coursework and practicum experiences of secular counterparts and add
significant coursework in theology and integration.
Teaching Strategy 9: Making Theology clinical (Moon)
At Psychological Studies Institute we teach an Integrative Theology
course that provides both an integration of different tributaries of
theology--biblical, historical, systematic, and practical--and an
opportunity to demonstrate the ability to integrate themes from theology
into the counseling/psychotherapeutic process. That is, we ask students
to make theology clinical in a way that is ethically responsible.
We present 12 themes from theology, each grouped under a major
theological heading: Doctrine of Humanity, Doctrine of Christ, or
Transformation. For each of the themes, four different objectives are
employed for classroom instruction: 1) Introduction of the theme via a
Disney Classic; 2) A broad theological overview dominated by the
evangelical perspective, 3) Additional input from ancients and amateurs,
4) Discussion concerning clinical theology--how the particular
theological theme may have relevance in a counseling setting.
Why use Disney classics in a theology class? According to James
ware (2003), "Fairy tales whisper to our deep need. The best fairy;
tale is a story you wish would come true. And this wish, in turn, is
merely the obverse side of a confession. It's an admission that, in
and of ourselves, we are incomplete" (p.5). G. K. Chesterton (1995)
said it; differently:
In short, I had always believed that the world involved a magician.
And this pointed to a profound emotion always present and sub-conscious;
that the world of ours has some purpose; and if there is a purpose,
there is a person. I had always felt life first as story: and if there
is a story there is a story-teller. (p.43)
The question posed for each film clip is: What if a story,
especially a fairytale, becomes classic because it in some way resonates
with a part of a much bigger story--God's story, theology.
But just before things get too weird, order is restored with a
presentation of how the theme is understood by evangelical theologians,
ancient theologians (from the first seven centuries of the church), and
amateur theologians--my favorite kind--such as C. S. Lewis, Georgia
McDonald and Dallas Willard. Against this backdrop, and as a culminating
course requirement, students are randomly assigned four of the
theological themes into a clinical intervention in a manner that is
ethically and professional responsible. For example, if our under
standing of the community; life of the Trinity; is best captured by a
word like perichoresis, implying a divine dance of self-forgetful love
that is also to be played out in us--and if C. S. Lewis (2001) is
correct in his assumption that there is no other way to happiness other
than enter that dance--then what are the implications of this for
working with a christian couple that are out of step. with each other
and with God? And how might a theological truth about the Trinity be
imported into marital counseling?
Areas to be addressed in the case study should include: 1) How the
use of a particular insight or intervention from theology is related to
the client's presenting problem and the therapist's level of
training; 2) How informed consent will be used to provide protection to
the client and inform the client about an intervention that may be
outside the generally recognized techniques and procedures so
psychotherapy (Section 10. 10b of APA code); 3) what type of religious
spiritual assessment was conducted with the client prior to the
intervention; 4) How risk assessment was handled prior to using an
intervention outside the normal boundaries of the field; 5) The
rationale for attending to spiritual issues with this particular client;
6) Why it was felt that there was permission to go beyond spiritual
understanding to spiritual intervention; 7) A description of available
consultative or supervisory resources; 8) Explanation as to why
client--if this is the case; and 9) Why this particular spiritual
intervention was utilized.
The goal of this exercise is to be able to demonstrate both the
theological understanding of the most prominent themes from christian;
theology and to think through how better understanding and experiencing
of this theme could have therapeutic utility.
Teaching strategy 10: Team Teaching (McMinn)
Over the past decade I have had the opportunity to team-teach with
two biblical scholars (Walter Elwell and Gary Burge at Wheaton College),
a missiologist (Ron stansell at George Fox university), and a theologian
(Jeannine Graham, also at George Fox). These courses are truly
team-taught--with both professors in the classrooms at all times--rather
than the tag-team approach where the two professors alternate in the
classroom. Each week the religious scholar provides a brief overview of
a relevant topic (e.g., doctrine of sin, theodicy, forgiveness, Islamic
beliefs, Council of Nicaea, and so on), and then we ask students to
grapple with the psychological implications of the topic being
considered. To the extent that we establish a meaningful dialog between
religion and psychology, we are helping students develop a similar
internal dialog that we hope they take into their work as professional
psychologists. The goal is to help tomorrow's psychologists develop
a reflex to think deeply about the theological and spiritual
implications of their work, and to draw on faith resources as they
practice psychology.
CONCLUSION
Although this may appear to be a disparate or even random
collection of teaching strategies for integration, several themes can be
noted First, teaching requires creativity. Helping students grapple
with; integration requires more than PowerPoint outlines and graphical
summaries of integration models published in the 1970s. In strategies
here, we see innovative reading assignments--ranging from Augustine to
Ignatius, from Jonathan Edwards to Dallas Willard. We also see teaching
methods that involve journaling, genograms, class interactions, and
conversations with leading integrators. And we see out-of-class
assignments that; challenge students to grow in character through
spiritual direction and disciplines.
Second, the emphasis on experiential learning that we emphasized in
this article is consistent with what Bain (2004) found in college
teaching in general. Engagement with the topic is more important than
covering everything ever written on integration. In the time it takes to
do the Tootsie Roll exercise described in Teaching Strategy 8, another
professor could lecture on two or three different approaches to
integration. Both are important, of course, but the experiential
engagement helps keep students invested in the process of learning. The
experiential methods are often the most powerful when students look back
on their education--as illustrated by the student perspectives offered
by one of us (McCormick) in this article.
Third, moon's (1997) typology can be helpful when considering
multiple perspectives on integration, and thus when planning a course.
By considering the multiple dimensions and directions of
integration--practical, personal, classic, and contemporary--professors
can introduce balance and intrigue into the classroom. students learn
that integration is both an ancient activity with deep spiritual and
intellectual history and a contemporary adventure that can engages them
in science, professional ethics, and spiritual practices.
Finally, it is worth noting that collaborating on this article
enlivened each of us to think about new ways of teaching and learning
integration This is the great value of special issues such as this one
regarding teaching integration--it causes people to dialog, and in
interacting with one another we are invigorated and encouraged in our
integrative journeys
REFERENCES
American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical Principles of
Psychologists and Code of Conduct. American Psychologist, 57, 1060-1073.
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MARK R. MICMINN
George Fox University
GARY W. MOON
Psychological Studies Institute
ANGELA G. MCCORMICK
George Fox University
AUTHORS
MCMINN, MARK R. Address: Graduate Department of Clinical
Psychology, George Fox University, 141N. Meridian St. #V104 Newberg, OR
97132. Title: Professor of Psychology. Degree: Ph.D., Vanderbilt
University (1993). Specializations: Integration of psychology and
Christianity, integrative approaches to psychotherapy.
MOON, GARY, W. Address: Richmont Graduate University, 2055 Mount
Paran Road, NW Atlanta, Georgia 30327. Title: Vice President and Chair
of Integration. Degree: M.Div., Ph.D. Specializations: Integration of
psychology and spirtuality.
MCCORMICK, ANGELA, G. Address: Graduate Department of Clinical
Psychology, George Fox University, 141 N. Meridian St. Newberg OR 97132.
Title: PsyD graduate student, George Fox University. Degree: M.A.
Clinical Psychology, George Fox University (2008); M.A. Clinical
Counseling Columbia International University (2005); M.A.R. Religion and
Counseling, Westminster Theological Seminary (1990). Specializations:
Integration of Psychology and Christianity, integrative models of
psychotherapy.