About Us

Why CTP?

Challenging Times call for New Approaches

Different societal factors such as

  • A faster pace of life and growing pressure at work
  • Increasing materialism and consumerism
  • Rampant individualism and disintegration of traditional family structures have ultimately led to frustration, burn-out and identity crisis and we are at risk of losing sight of what really matters. CTP’s mission is to support Christian leaders as they seek to master these challenges

Our Mission

  • We build resilience and well-being among Christian leaders through the integration of theology and psychology. 
  • We equip Christian leaders who participate in Christ’s action in this world with transformative skills and tools to grow and nurture healthy communities.  
  • We offer and pursue integrative training, research, and teaching in Melbourne, Australia and internationally.
  • We recalibrate Christian leadership education as we effectively and creatively integrate theology and psychology.

Our Vision​ – Facilitate positive Transformation in Christian Leaders and Society at large through the Integration of Theology & Psychology

Our Values

CTP is essentially Christian in its outlook. We subscribe to the Statement of Faith as affirmed by Melbourne School of Theology & Eastern College Australia.

  • Faith – Christ-centred, biblically-based, character-forming and gift-affirming faith expressed in vocational living, supportive community, service to others and connection to the church.
  • Reason – The pursuit of knowledge and truth that integrates theory and practice and values academic excellence, the importance of the mind and life-long learning.
  • Justice – To act justly in all human relationships, to exercise responsible care and stewardship of God’s creation, and to seek the just transformation of our world.

How do we understand integration?

  • Our approach is to bring together the two disciplines of theology and psychology in creative new ways so that we will be able to equip Christians leaders in their various fields of ministry most effectively.

  • We acknowledge and investigate the useful methods and insights developed in psychology and apply them carefully to theology and spirituality. Psychological research has brought to light significant insights about the human nature, communication, sensation and perception, motivation and emotion. Engaging in an informed conversation with psychology is very promising for theologians, since they are touching on similar topics.

  • We affirm that theology is the driving force in this inter-disciplinary relationship, especially in terms of worldview. Theology is crucial as it reminds the different disciplines in the academy of the bigger picture. From a theologian’s perspective, all fields of research in the academy are united as they attempt to understand God’s revelation in his creation, in time, and history.

Our Partners and Friends

Collaboration lies at the heart of CTP. We believe that only with a spirit of co-operation and mutual curiosity in terms of learning and growing we will be able to offer the most effective services. At this stage, we are very grateful for the excellent partnerships with the following institutions and experts:

The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology: We are thrilled to collaborate with The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. The Seattle School remains at the forefront of innovative ways of integration and we are grateful to be able to learn from their experience and expertise. Dr J. Derek McNeil, President, and Kate Rae Davis, Director of the Resilient Leaders Project, collaborate with us in particular regarding our own Melbourne training project, The Thriving Christian Leader Program.

Christian Counsellors Association of Australia (CCAA): Dr John Andersen, Honorary Associate Fellow at CTP is also serving as president of the Christian Counsellors Association of Australia (CCAA). Several of our experts and key team members are also registered with the CCAA.

In its functions as a centre for academic excellence, CTP focusses on the delivery of workshops, webinars, other courses of study, and research opportunities. At present – and for the foreseeable future – CTP does not, and will not, offer counselling to individuals.

If you wish to connect with a counsellor who engages in practice from a Christian worldview, you might consult the following referral services:

The Christian Counsellors Association of Australia: ccaa.net.au
Careline Connections: carelineconnections.org.au