Thomas Aquinas said, "Grace does not destroy nature, but perfects it." Our human fallen nature is something we all struggle with every day. We have the responsibility to work on those things in our control, allowing God and grace to build on our best efforts.
Souls and Hearts was developed to meet the needs of practicing Catholics who struggle with the everyday challenges of life. Grounded in a Catholic anthropology, Souls and Hearts' contributors draw from the psychological sciences to offer Catholics mental health education and information in an online format. Our courses are designed as a resource for Catholics, perhaps as an adjunct to therapy, or for those who may not require therapy but could use practical psycho-education on a mental-health-related topic.
Souls and Hearts offers practical and cost-effective web-based resources to help individuals, spouses, and families overcome psychological impediments to receiving God’s love, allowing them to heal and flourish through loving God, self, and others more authentically and fully.
Souls and Hearts aspires to be the most comprehensive Catholic online resource for individuals, couples and families to find the psychological information and support that they need, sourced directly from solidly Catholic mental health professionals. Based on a Catholic worldview, we directly address the pressing issues and challenges faced by so many in their life journey. Using our web-based media, our participants find trustworthy answers to their difficult questions and practical solutions to their painful problems. Our major focal points include family life issues, relationship struggles, marital conflicts, sexual difficulties, damaging habits and behaviors, personal traumas, problems with shame, a lack of peace or joy, failures to thrive, and general mental health concerns. Participants can choose from a wealth of programming in a variety of formats (blogs, podcasts, webinars, etc.), with options ranging from free material to subscription programs and a curriculum of in-depth courses.
By continuously investing in Catholic content contributed by leading-edge mental health clinicians, Souls and Hearts brings together a wealth of much needed resources that not only increase personal wellness but facilitate spiritual growth and a deeper relationship with God.
Our services are educational and provide information, and they may be used as an adjunct to therapy, but Souls and Hearts does not provide therapy or any clinical services. We deeply desire that Souls and Hearts participants and contributors be energized, encouraged, supported, enlightened, and connected by engaging in this community that promotes discussion, intellectual activity, learning, and personal growth. It is our prayer that our services provide practical means for individuals and families to thrive, and that our participants and contributors grow in compassion for self and others, and deeper union with our loving God.
I am Peter Malinoski, Ph.D., president and co-founder of Souls and Hearts, and a clinical psychologist for the past 20 years in private practice in Indianapolis. I specialize in resolving problems and healing wounds that bridge the psychological and spiritual realms. A particular emphasis on unconscious psychological factors that thwart one’s capacity to receive love from God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and other people underlies my work. I also focus on the unconscious dynamics that get in the way of us loving God and each other. I’ve been particularly influenced by Carmelite spirituality, especially St. Teresa of Avila and St. Therese of Lisieux and also by St. Maximilian Kolbe. With Souls and Hearts, I manage the business operations and contribute to content creation. I have been married for 25 years to my beloved wife Pam. We have seven children aged 8 to 23. I enjoy raising chickens, ducks, sheep, pigs, and a dairy cow as well as vegetables and fruits on our five-acre, integrated farm. I also like to run, and I delight in Ultimate Frisbee. I lead the Interior Therapist Community (ITC) and the Resilient Catholics Community (RCC) within Souls and Hearts, and I create the weekly Interior Integration for Catholics Podcast.
I am Gerry Crete, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of Souls and Hearts. I am a licensed marriage and family therapist and professional counselor in private practice. My practice, Transfiguration Counseling, is based in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to marriage counseling, I specialize in the treatment of trauma and anxiety disorders. As an EMDR certified therapist I help my clients process past wounds and adapt to stress in new ways. My spiritual approach has been influenced especially by the writings and practices of St. Francis de Sales, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and St. Teresa of Avila. As a Byzantine Catholic, I have also been influenced by the Eastern Christian emphasis on the person as created in the image of God as well as the concepts of theosis (inner transformation into the likeness of God) and hesychasm (stillness before God). On a lighter note, I’m a lifetime science fiction/fantasy geek who enjoys old comic books and movies. I also love biking and hiking. I’ve been married 27 years and have three grown children.
I am blessed to be involved with Dr. Peter in developing the Catholic therapist community who are growing as people and therapists with Internal Family Systems. I was curious about IFS and wanted to find out how to integrate it while being a Catholic therapist. I am a single mother of four girls who are now grown and flown out of the nest. During their school years, I homeschooled them from K-12 and juggled many jobs including home education consultant, online teacher, and adult faith formation and RCIA coordinator. When my youngest was in grade 10, I realized I needed to find my next career. Having already earned my BA from Thomas Aquinas College (before there was the internet!), I decided to pursue a masters in clinical counseling from Divine Mercy University in their online program. My own life experiences and challenges provide a wealth of earned wisdom and practical insight to enhance my professional development. I am now a Registered Clinical Counsellor near Vancouver, Canada. My spiritual influences are from the intellectual tradition of the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas and the spiritual giant, St. Ignatius of Loyola. I have found great inspiration in the Spiritual Exercises and the devotion to Divine Mercy.
I am Peter Martin, PsyD, a clinical psychologist and training director at a Catholic faith-integrated doctoral internship program based in Lincoln, Nebraska. I head the psychological and faith-integrated formation of our interns, mental health professionals and other clinical staff. I am indebted to the writings and exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and I have become increasingly influenced by Carmelite spirituality. I am also a consultant for the human formation program of a religious order. I have developed a task for assessing psychospiritual experiences called the Holy Trinity & Mary Drawings (HTMD) and am co-leading a multi-site psychospiritual vocational assessment project to evaluate the functioning of diocesan and men's and women's religious life candidates. I have a deep interest in understanding and healing psychological obstacles to authentic spiritual encounters and relationships, understanding the psychology of belief and unbelief, and authentic religious conversion. I have been married for over a decade and the Lord has blessed my wife, Larissa, and me with 3 rambunctious children who love to explore our acreage that is garnished with 50+ chickens, cattle, cats and a dog. On a personal level, I probably could have been diagnosed as a basketball junkie in my younger days, I love all things G.K. Chesterton and am a Thomist at heart. I am honored to be with the Interior Therapist Community as a Trainer and Consultant within Souls & Hearts.
Hello! I am currently helping Dr. Peter with the Resilient Catholics Community as well as various other tasks around the Souls and Hearts website. I also co-facilitate an Interpersonal Process Group with Dr. Peter at his private practice. I recently finished a Master's in Sacred Theology at the International Theological Institute in Austria and am currently in a Master's in Counseling program at Marian University. I am originally from Indiana but have lived in Austria for the past six years. I really like the Internal Family Systems Model of therapy and have had some unofficial training in this model. My way of seeing myself and others is heavily influenced by IFS as well as by my background in Philosophy and Catholic Theology. I love to travel and explore new places, in my free time I enjoy long walks in nature, spending time with family and friends, reading, or just taking time to think about interesting topics.
I am Lizzy Engelkamp, a clinical psychology Ph.D. student at Clark University. I help manage the Resilient Catholics Community and write IFS-informed individual reports for our members. I’m so grateful for the Internal Family Systems model of therapy and the way it’s supported my human formation as well as how it can serve our RCC members and my future clients. I enjoy exploring New England, playing tennis, and trying new recipes with my husband, TJ.
I am Patty Ellenberger, Office Manager for Souls and Hearts. I have a degree in accounting and worked as a public and cost accountant before opting to stay at home to raise our five children. I have been home schooling for the past 24 years, during which I have been active volunteering for my kids’ school co-ops and activities, as well as parish ministries. With our youngest graduating, I am excited that the next chapter of my life includes working with the Souls and Hearts team. I enjoy trying new recipes, reading, biking with my husband, Jeff, and spending time with our family.
I’m Pam Malinoski, and I support Souls and Hearts as a content writer and editor. I have a degree in journalism and have worked in public relations and corporate communications as well as a freelance writer. After about a dozen years as solely a homemaker, homeschooler, and homesteader, I jumped back into the freelance writing world in 2016. My favorite thing to say about being a mom of a large family is that “I’m never bored!” Children grow and change every day, and through the grace of God, I get to be part of their amazing lives. My favorite homesteading project is maple syruping in the late winter. It’s six weeks of hard work and then you’ve got a year’s supply of syrup. Since cold weather and snow mean more syrup, it’s a happy reason for February weather.
I’m Ben Crete, and I do video editing for Souls and Hearts. I am a producer and talent manager working mainly in music management. I earned my degree from Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia where I grew up. I majored in film and minored in entertainment media management and got my start working in film and television. For fun, I enjoy watching movies, finding new music, and going to the beach. I live in Los Angeles where I co-own my management company.
I am Danny Ryan, marketing and business advisor for Souls and Hearts. I am also the co-founder of ThreeWill, a consulting company in Atlanta, Georgia, which helps companies craft modern digital workplaces on the Microsoft Cloud. I help run our sales and marketing efforts as well as lead our “Work Together Better” podcast. As an industrial engineer from Georgia Tech, I'm always looking for a better way to do things. I'm also an aspiring improv student and have taken three years of classes at Red Door Playhouse in Roswell, Georgia. I also enjoy running and spending time with my wife, Amy, and our three children. We are a foster family and attend Our Lady of the Mountains parish in Jasper, Georgia.
My name is Severin Kempf, and I serve Souls and Hearts with backend IT support through my business, Indy Engineering Solutions. A mechanical engineer by training, I have spent the last 16 years in a mix of systems administration and custom programming services. My primary interest is programming methods development, especially in LISP.
My beautiful wife, Amy, and I have an admittedly large and still growing family. We work together on a one-acre homestead where we make syrup in the spring, raise poultry and sheep in the summer, and harvest a lot of fruits and vegetables in the fall. I greatly enjoy understanding how things work and frequently fix things as a hobby.
Hello! My name is Neil McDonough, and I just graduated this past September from John Paul Catholic University in San Diego with a major in humanities. Since then, I have been putting my schooling to good use doing media freelance work in the Greater Atlanta area. I am blessed to be a part of the Souls and Hearts team, shooting and editing both videos and courses. For fun, I spend time with friends, shoot 35mm film, read Plato, create and consume music, and instigate painful and meticulous arguments about art and phenomenology. I have been making videos of all kinds since I was young and hope to continue creating them for as long as I can get away with it. If you would like to contact me, my portfolio website is NeilMcDonough.com
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