I was honored to be asked for input on a terrific article by Marisa Sandora at For Her on this painful topic. Here’s a sample. So how can those of us in this situation try to convince our non-practicing spouse to attend church services? “The same way we get our spouse to do anything,” says author and therapist Dr. Gregory Popcak. “We explain how important it is, we insist that we be taken seriously, and we refuse to let it... Read more
From PsychCentral. A new study finds that attendance of religious services by young people is associated with a reduction in viewing pornography over time. The study findings appear in the Journal of Adolescence. “We were able to determine that there is a barrier effect at play wherein religious social control encourages adolescents to view less pornography over time,” said Kyler Rasmussen, lead author of the study and a Ph.D. student in the University of Calgary’s Department of Psychology. “This increase in pornography consumption... Read more
Holy Apostles College and Seminary announced today that their hiring committee has unanimously approved Dr. Greg Popcak to serve as the Chair of the Marriage and Family Concentration in their Master of Pastoral Studies (MAPS) program. The MAPS program is a fully accredited, online masters degree program intended to prepare individuals who wish to serve the faithful as pastoral counselors, marriage and family life ministers, spiritual directors, and other ministry professionals. In addition to teaching courses in the program, Dr.... Read more
This is not a political blog, nor is it about to become one, but I have seen so many comments lately about what Catholics “must” do in this next election and it seems to me that every single one of these posts is missing an obvious point. Once Upon A Time… I once had a conversation with a prominent bishop in which I expressed my frustration that he and his brother bishops were not more strenuously and publicly opposing Catholic... Read more
Beginning Monday, July, 11, 2016, Dr. John and Mrs. Claire Grabowski, members of the Pontifical Council for the Family, will join More2Life Radio with Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak as regular guest contributors. More2Life Radio More2Life, a call-in program that applies St. John Paul the Great’s dynamic Theology of the Body to challenges of everyday life, is hosted by Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak, authors of over 20 popular books and the directors of The Pastoral Solutions Institute, an internationally-recognized Catholic counseling practice. More2Life airs M-F at Noon (Eastern)... Read more
Beginning Wednesday, August 3rd, 2016, Theology of the Body expert and host of the popular program Christ is the Answer, Fr. John Riccardo, will join More2Life Radio with Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak as a regular guest contributor. More2Life Radio More2Life, a call-in program that applies St. John Paul the Great’s dynamic Theology of the Body to challenges of everyday life, is hosted by Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak, authors of over 20 popular books and the directors of The Pastoral Solutions Institute, an... Read more
Getting teens to listen can be a challenge, and when they don’t, parents often tend to rely on criticism and negative consequences to “teach” their teens to make better choices in the future. A new study suggests this might be counterproductive. The study, conducted by University College–London, looked at the differences between the motivational styles of adults versus adolescents. Researchers report, “Unlike adults, adolescents are not so good at learning to modify their choices to avoid punishment. This suggests that... Read more
I am honored to be able to announce that I have been welcomed as a Fellow of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. The AAPC fellowship process involves a lengthy review, by an interfaith committee of established AAPC Fellows, of the applicant’s curriculum vitae, spiritual autobiography, clinical/theological integration paper, and a recommendation by an AAPC supervising Fellow. Once this process is completed, applicants must defend their application to a committee of fellows charged with evaluating their ability to articulate their... Read more
A guest post by Pastoral Solutions Institute Associate Pastoral Counselor, Dave McClow, M.Div., LMFT. June is the month of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Father’s day also falls within the month, and spiritual fatherhood ties these two together. The human heart always operates in two directions—the muscle contracts and then relaxes. If this rhythm is disrupted, you have earned a trip to either the ER or the undertaker. There is also a rhythm of Catholic fatherhood—the rhythm of loving, then... Read more
Parenting can be tough work, and there are lots of different ideas about what it means to be a good parent, but with good information, every parent can be equipped to raise healthy, happy, godly kids. A recent study in Japan surveyed 5,000 adults to investigate the impact on parenting styles and adult levels of job success, happiness, and moral reasoning. Based on their findings, the researchers then divided parenting methods into six categories: Supportive: High or average levels of... Read more
Faith on the Couch
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