Vyacheslav Khalanskiy
Ukraine’s Association of Christian Psychologists and Psychotherapists (ACPP), established in Dnepropetrovsk in 2011, aims to render practical help to people in church and society through the integration of Christian faith and psychology. ACPP’s founding conference, 28-29 May 2011, organized under the direction of ACPP coordinator Anna Lianna on behalf of the Alliance of Christian Professionals, was attended by psychologists and psychotherapists who profess faith in God and base their practice on Christian principles and values. This landmark event, the first of its kind in Ukraine, assembled practicing psychologists from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States. The conference resulted in efforts to establish and register the Association of Christian Psychologists and Psychotherapists. Finalization of the registration of the Association, delayed by frequent changes in the law and other juridical complications, should be completed by the end of 2013.
In addition to its founding conference, the Association has organized an academic conference in Kyiv, 24-25 November 2013 (http://slavahalanskiy. blogspot.com/2013/01/report-christian-psychologyconference.html); two practical forums for Christian psychologists, counselors, church leaders, and parishioners on the themes: “Healing as a Way to Mature Personhood in Christ” (Donetsk, 2-3 March 2012) and “Family: Life or Survival?” (Odessa, 1-2 May 2013); http://slavahalanskiy.blogspot.com/ search?q=christian); and a roundtable addressing “Psychology as the Science of the Soul in the Christian Paradigm: the Way to Integrate Theory into Practice” (Kyiv, 10 September 2011). At the roundtable meeting Eastern Rite Catholic Ph.D. Lyudmila Grydkovets introduced “The Concept of the Association of Christian Psychologists and Psychotherapists,” which was slated for further discussion at future meetings.
Association members have been active in publishing academic articles devoted to Christian psychology and have participated in the European Symposium of the World Movement for Christian Anthropology, Psychology, and Psychotherapy (Warsaw, 3-6 September 2012). The Association has also organized an educational program, “Fundamentals of Pastoral Care and Psychological Counseling,” at Donetsk Christian University and the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary in Kyiv. This specialized course provides the basics of pastoral care and psychological counseling grounded in a biblical worldview. The Association of Christian Psychologists and Psychotherapists in Ukraine Vyacheslav Khalanskiy A statement of the Association’s objectives, approved 21 November 2012, summarizes its goals as follows: The Association unites psychologists, psychotherapists, and Christian counselors who work in accordance with the Christian approach in which the objectives, methods, and expected results of counseling and therapy correlate with the Christian faith…with due account taken of Christian anthropology (understanding that a human being is created in the image and likeness of God. [With]…respect for the freedom and value of every person…, Christian psychotherapy [works]…within the framework …of various psychotherapeutic schools that do not contradict the Christian understanding of a human.
Until a permanent headquarters is secured, the Association maintains an office at the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary in Kyiv (http:www. uets.net). The Association’s fulltime coordinator, Anna Lianna (
Farther afield, ACPP has established ties with Dr. Werner May, president of the European Movement for Christian Anthropology, Psychology, and Psychotherapy (http://www.emcapp.eu) and Dr. Michael Gillern at New York-based Nyack College and Alliance Theological Seminary (www.nyack.edu). ACPP also is seeking to collaborate with the Academy for Christian Psychology (IGNIS; www.ignis.de) in Western Europe, the U.S.-based Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS; www.caps.net), and the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF; www.ccef.org). ACPP members participate as experts on Ukrainian television programs including “Diary for Parents,” “Morning Espresso,” “Rules of Life,” and “Breakfast with 1+ 1” and radio programs including “Promin,” Navigator,” and “Family Hours.” ACPP members also speak at conferences held at churches in Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. Perhaps the Association’s most ambitious undertaking to date has been courses of study in counseling and pastoral care. These include two hosted by Kyiv’s Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary: Natalya Prostun, “Psychological Counseling and Psychotherapy of Children and Adolescents” (18 months) and Julia Patyuk, “Introduction to Pastoral Care and Psychological Counseling” (12 months), and, in cooperation with Donetsk Christian University, Vyacheslav Khalanskiy, “Pastoral Care and Psychological Counseling” (three years). ACPP member Yana Vasilenko also directs a church-based program, “Emotional World.” Participants in these programs have come from Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Belarus.
Association plans for the future include a variety of initiatives:
- a theoretical and practical conference in March 2014 and a practical forum in Odessa in May 2014;
- an interdenominational, academic conference in Moscow in the summer of 2014 devoted to the development of methodology in Christian psychology, to be organized in conjunction with the Catholic Institute in Moscow;
- monthly meetings open to the public with presentations by ACPP members and the opportunity to dialogue with psychologists, receive consultations, and ask questions;
- practical forums for psychologists, counselors, priests, and church leaders, the goal of which will be to provide participants with a wide spectrum of tools for working with the dying, helping people cope with divorce, assisting abused children and their families, working with homosexuals, resolving family conflicts, and dealing with clergy burnout;
- efforts to secure financial resources to enable five members of the Association to pursue degrees and specialized education in the field of psychotherapy; and
- plans to translate the book Psychology and Christianity: Four Views by Eric L. Johnson and Stanton L. Jones. This book is important because 1) it gives an overview and examination of four approaches to counseling in the American evangelical community represented by Gary R. Collins, David G. Myers, David Powlison, and Robert C. Roberts; and 2) it facilitates a broadening understanding of the integration of psychology and theology for the evangelical community.
The Association of Christian Psychologists and Psychotherapists in Ukraine provides important and relevant help to local churches, social organizations, and society as a whole. Despite the fact that church leaders are wary of Christian psychology, ACPP hopes to overcome misunderstandings through dialogue. We know that our brothers and sisters in Western Europe and America had to overcome the same mistrust of psychology. At the same time, the demand for qualified psychological assistance and spiritual direction is increasing among Christians. We are grateful to God for the assistance of our partners and for the opportunity to develop the Association of Christian Psychologists and Psychotherapists.
Vyacheslav Khalanskiy is Dean of the Faculty of Psychology at the Ukrainian Christian Evangelical Theological Seminary in Kyiv and a Ph.D. student at the Institute of Social and Political Psychology of the National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine.