A new Catholic counseling formation center, the Photina Center for Catholic Counseling, is set to open in Arizona this fall. The initiative is a collaboration between the University of Mary and the Diocese of Phoenix. The center will provide in-person courses for the University of Mary’s Catholic Anthropology Certificate and select classes in its master of science in counseling program, along with professional development opportunities.
Monsignor James Shea, president of the University of Mary, highlighted the importance of integrating spiritual perspectives into mental health training. “The difficulty with modern, secular mental health training is that it often considers the human person in a very limited way, largely through an un-Christian lens, and increasingly through a lens that is openly hostile to the Christian understanding of the human person,” Shea told EWTN News.
“To have Catholic anthropology woven throughout our counseling formation is important for resetting that un-Christian lens,” he continued. “It allows therapists to see, truly, what the actual good is for our fellow human beings and thus truly to serve their well-being completely, protecting and affirming their essential dignity as one created in the image and likeness of God.”
This project builds on existing partnerships between the Diocese of Phoenix and the University of Mary. The university has started offering courses at Nazareth Seminary and runs a satellite campus called Mary College at Arizona State University.
Shea noted Bishop John Dolan’s commitment to improving access to Catholic mental health counseling services both locally and nationally. Dolan has advocated for mental health awareness following personal family losses due to suicide.
“Catholic universities exist to serve the Church,” Shea said regarding this ongoing partnership.
Addressing why there is a need for therapy rooted in Catholic teaching, Shea explained: “Therapy, at its best, aims at providing for the well-being of the person. If your vision of the human person does not factor in the truth that every person is a created being in the image and likeness of God, with inestimable dignity, then it will fail to provide for the ultimate well-being of the one receiving therapy.”
The Photina Center takes its name from St. Photina—identified by Eastern Christian tradition as the Samaritan woman who encountered Jesus at Jacob’s Well (John 4:4-42). According to a press release from University of Mary shared with EWTN News: “The center draws inspiration from her encounter with Christ, which is the longest conversation Jesus has with anyone in the New Testament.” The release added: “In Jesus, she finds truth, healing, and courage for joyful witness…Photina means ‘light,’ embodying the center’s goal to illuminate paths of hope and healing for individuals, families, and communities.”
Shea further stated: “If there’s no recognition that the spiritual element of our being flows in and out of the physical and mental elements of the human person, then it’s impossible to fully account for therapeutic needs or even how best to administer care.”
