Mark R. McMinn, Ph.D., ABPP, is a licensed psychologist and Professor Emeritus at George Fox University. With over four decades of clinical experience, Mark currently maintains an active telehealth practice two days a week, working with a wide range of clients. His approach is grounded in integrative care, weaving together psychological insight, spiritual sensitivity, and a commitment to grace-filled therapeutic presence.

Mark is the author of numerous books on the integration of psychology, theology, and Christian spirituality. He is perhaps best known for Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling, now in its second edition and widely used in graduate training programs. His more recent books reflect his deepening interest in clinical practice, relational presence, and offering a voice of calm in a reactive world.

Mark lives on a small fruit farm in Oregon’s Willamette Valley with his wife, Dr. Lisa Graham McMinn, a sociologist and spiritual director. Mark and Lisa are currently writing a book on how Christians experience grace in everyday life, based on interviews with over 150 people across denominational lines.

Keynote #1 Integration Revisited:  A Clinician Reflects on Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality

More than three decades have passed since Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling was first published. In this opening keynote, Dr. McMinn revisits the themes of that work—not as a professor any longer, but as a practicing clinician. Through personal reflection, he explores what has endured, what has changed, and how clinical work has reshaped his understanding of Christian integration.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify core themes of Christian integration as described in Psychology, Theology, and Spirituality in Christian Counseling.

2. Reflect on how clinical experience may deepen or challenge theoretical models of integration.

3. Explore ways to cultivate integration not just in conceptual frameworks, but in everyday therapeutic relationships.

Keynote #2 Sacred Sorrow and Courageous Presence: Lament, Grief, and Fear in Clinical Work

In today’s turbulent times, fear can set our sympathetic nervous systems into overdrive, making it difficult to find stillness in the midst of crisis. Yet, within the sacred space of the counseling office, both grief and fear—expressed through lament—can be transformed into opportunities for healing. This presentation explores how practices of lament and a relational view of courage offer a relational, love-based response to our most pressing anxieties. Dr. McMinn invites participants to see lament not as a detour from growth, but as a vital, sacred pathway that, when joined with courageous presence, opens the door to deep healing and transformative grace.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the theological and psychological significance of lament in Christian traditions and its relevance to clinical work.

2. Recognize how grief, sorrow, and pervasive fear may emerge in diverse client presentations and the impact of a racing sympathetic nervous system on well-being.

3. Integrate the practices of lament and a relational, love-based courage as frameworks for sitting with suffering and fostering healing in therapeutic relationships.

Keynote #3 Pathways to Grace:  Attunement, Kindness, Suffering, and Brokenness Open Us to the Sacred

In addition to its enduring theological significance, grace often shows up in unexpected and deeply personal ways in the counseling office. Drawing from his forthcoming book, Dr. McMinn explores four distinct pathways through which people experience grace in everyday life. This keynote invites clinicians to recognize these pathways in their own work and to consider how grace can quietly and powerfully shape the healing process—for both client and therapist.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify four common pathways through which individuals report experiencing grace: attunement, kindness, suffering, and brokenness.

2. Reflect on the therapeutic relevance of these pathways and how they may emerge in clinical conversations.

3. Explore how clinicians can remain attuned to moments of grace in their own lives and in the lives of those they serve.