Graduate Center for Pastoral Logotherapy

Programs in Pastoral Logotherapy

Graduate Certificate

The Certificate in Pastoral Logotherapy is a graduate-level, non-degree program designed for ministry/social service professionals seeking to increase their knowledge and competency in the area of Pastoral Logotherapy. This certificate program is open to non-degree students, current GTF students and GTF alumni. The certificate requires completion of Units 2 through 5 of the core curriculum and an online course elective in Pastoral Logotherapy. Whether for personal enrichment or professional enhancement, this certificate program provides a flexible and affordable opportunity for in-depth, specialized graduate study.

Spiritual Care and Counseling – ecumenically applicable

 
Description 
 
Though there are numerous training centers around the world for those interested in Viktor Frankl’s logotherapy, there is no graduate-level institution focused specifically upon the pastoral character of the theory and practice of logotherapy.  The Graduate Theological Foundation has established the Graduate Center for Pastoral Logotherapy to address this need. The Center offers a Graduate Certificate and three degrees in Pastoral Logotherapy with specific training in the theory and practice of logotherapy for ministry professionals working as practitioners in pastoral care and counseling.
 
Director of the Graduate Center
 
Rev. Jeremiah N. Murasso, Ph.D., Psy.D., Ed.D.
Diplomate of the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy and
Robert C. Leslie Professor of Pastoral Logotherapy (Profile)
 
Accreditation 
 
The Graduate Center for Pastoral Logotherapy has been an accredited Member of the International Association of Logotherapy and Existential Analysis at the Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna, Austria, since January, 2014.  
 
 
 

As an accredited member institute, students who complete their graduate work through the Graduate Center for Pastoral Logotherapy at the GTF are qualified to become accredited individual members of the International Association.  Students completing work through the Center should be aware that they may enjoy the opportunity to be listed in an international directory of logotherapists active in the various branches of helping and counseling professions that is currently being built by the Viktor Frankl Institute.  Other professionals applying logotherapy in their respective fields may also enjoy this opportunity, including ministers, pastoral psychologists, Registered Nurses, coaches, etc.

As a member institute, the Graduate Center for Pastoral Logotherapy at the GTF enjoys various benefits, including entry in the institute international directory, help with local initiatives, and more.  

Programs in Pastoral Logotherapy

Graduate Certificate

The Certificate in Pastoral Logotherapy is a graduate-level, non-degree program designed for ministry/social service professionals seeking to increase their knowledge and competency in the area of Pastoral Logotherapy. This certificate program is open to non-degree students, current GTF students and GTF alumni. The certificate requires completion of Units 2 through 5 of the core curriculum and an online course elective in Pastoral Logotherapy. Whether for personal enrichment or professional enhancement, this certificate program provides a flexible and affordable opportunity for in-depth, specialized graduate study.

Degree Programs

Three doctoral degree programs are offered by the GTF in Pastoral Logotherapy.  The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) and the Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) are both professional doctorates concentrating upon the praxis nature of logotherapy as relates to pastoral care and ministry.  The D.Min. and Psy.D. degree requirements include a specified number of Units of Study, and attendance at the Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy. The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), an academic doctorate, combines the praxis elements of both the D.Min. and the Psy.D. with the requirement for a research-based thesis, which is written under faculty supervision and defended orally by the student before a panel of faculty.  The Ph.D. degree requirements include a specified number of Units of Study, including the Research Methods course, attendance at the Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy and the writing and defense of a doctoral thesis.
 
Through our institutional PRIME relationship with the Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy, students may use work completed at that institution as transfer credit to fulfill partial academic requirements of a degree in Pastoral Logotherapy. Students must submit an official transcript or certificates of completion in order to have coursework assessed for credit.
 
Doctor of Ministry
 
The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) degree requires a total of eight Units of Study. Five Units of Study are specified in the Pastoral Logotherapy core curriculum, while the three additional Units of Study are chosen from the online course offerings by the GTF faculty in Pastoral Care and Counseling Psychology. This degree program culminates in attendance at the Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy.
 
Doctor of Psychology
 
The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) degree requires a total of ten Units of Study. Five Units of Study are specified in the Pastoral Logotherapy core curriculum, while the five additional Units of Study are chosen from the online course offerings by the GTF faculty in Pastoral Care and Counseling Psychology. This degree program culminates in attendance at the Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy.
 
Doctor of Philosophy
 
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree requires a total of ten Units of Study. Five Units of Study are specified in the Pastoral Logotherapy core curriculum, while five additional Units of Study are chosen from the online course offerings by the GTF faculty in Pastoral Care and Counseling Psychology. Attendance at the Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy is required. Research Methods is a non-credit required course that must be completed prior to writing the thesis.  The research-based doctoral thesis of 45,000 to 60,000 words is written under faculty supervision and defended by disputation.  
 
 

Admission Requirements

Graduate Certificate 

  1. Hold a bachelor’s degree (or higher)
  2. Have a minimum of five years involvement in paid or volunteer ministry or social service work
Doctor of Ministry
  1. Hold a bachelors and a master’s degree in a relevant field of study
  2. Have five years of professional experience in some form of ministry
  3. Have one Clinical Pastoral Education Unit of training (or the equivalent of 400 hours of ministry supervision)*
Doctor of Psychology
  1. Hold a bachelors and a master’s degree in a relevant field of study
  2. Have five years of professional experience in some form of ministry
  3. Have one Clinical Pastoral Education Unit of training (or the equivalent of 400 hours of ministry supervision)*
Doctor of Philosophy
  1. Hold a bachelors and a master’s degree in a relevant field of study
  2. Have five years of professional experience in some form of ministry
  3. Have one Clinical Pastoral Education Unit of training (or the equivalent of 400 hours of ministry supervision)*
*Students who do not meet this admission requirement but would like to be considered for acceptance based on past educational and professional experiences, may contact the Office of Academic Affairs to petition for a waiver of this requirement. 
 
 

Program Requirements

Graduate Certificate (15 credit hours)

  1. Complete Units 2 through 5 of the core curriculum and an online course elective in Pastoral Logotherapy:  Five Units of Study (15 credit hours)
Doctor of Ministry (30 credit hours)
  1. Complete the Pastoral Logotherapy Core Curriculum: Five Units of Study (15 credit hours)
  2. Complete three electives from the Pastoral Care and Counseling Psychology online course curriculum of the GTF. (9 credit hours)
  3. Attend the Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy (6 credits) 
Doctor of Psychology (36 credit hours)
  1. Complete the Pastoral Logotherapy Core Curriculum: Five Units of Study (15 credit hours)
  2. Complete Five Units of Study (15 credit hours) as electives from the Pastoral Care and Counseling Psychology online course curriculum of the GTF
  3. Attend the Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy (6 credit hours) 
Doctor of Philosophy (42 credit hours)
  1. Complete the Pastoral Logotherapy Core Curriculum: Five Units of Study (15 credit hours)
  2. Complete five Units of Study (15 credit hours) as electives from the Pastoral Care and Counseling Psychology online course curriculum of the GTF.
  3. Attend the Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy (6 credit hours)
  4. Completion of the Research Methodology course
  5. Write a 45,000 to 60,000 research-based thesis under faculty supervision defended through video conferencing or on-site defenses. (6 credit hours) 
Tuition
Graduate Certificate
Total Program Cost:  $6,000
       
Doctor of Ministry               
Total Program Cost:  $21,700
 
Doctor of Psychology
Total Program Cost:  $23,460
 
Doctor of Philosophy
Total Program Cost:  $25,790
 
Degree candidates are bound by the regulations of the Student Handbook of the year in which they are accepted into their program of study. Tuition fees will not change during a student’s course of study, providing the student submits payments and papers on schedule and completes the degree program within the prescribed time. If the student does not conform to scheduled payment and/or paper submission deadlines, the student’s file will be deactivated. Upon reactivation, the student will be responsible for the tuition and degree requirements which are current at the time of reactivation.
  
Tuition payment schedule
  • Activation fee due within 30 days of acceptance
  • $1,200 due at time of registration for each  course
  • Completion fee due prior to scheduling of the doctoral defense (Ph.D.) OR Completion fee due upon submission of final Practicum paper (D.Min., Psy.D.) 
Payment Plan Option
 
Students who are unable to make the initial activation fee may split that fee into 3 equal installments.  If a student requests a mailed invoice as a reminder to make payment, there is a ten dollar fee per invoice.
To make tuition and fee payments online click here. 
If you have a question for the Bursar please contact our office.
 
 
Pastoral Logotherapy Core Curriculum
 
 (the following five courses or Units of Study are relevant to all degree programs)
 
Unit 1 is offered as an online course.
 
Units 2-5
are offered in one of three ways, or as a combination of the three. 
  • Online Courses
  • Telephone Tutorials
  • On-Site Tutorials  
All of the courses in Pastoral Logotherapy require six written response papers (approximately 500-1,000 words), one for each of the assigned weekly readings.  The final paper for each course (3,000 words in length) can be a compilation of the amended and edited essays previously written for weeks one through six.  
 
 
Unit 1: Classical Schools of Psychotherapy
 

This course is designed to introduce the student or, in the case of the student already familiar with some or all of the theorists discussed here, to refresh the student’s memory of the major systems of classical thought in psychotherapy. The course will consist of three components in the treatment of each system of thought; namely, the biography of the theorist, the key aspects of his theoretical constructs, and a major text in each particular school of thought. Because there are eight schools of thought considered in the text and only six papers required for this course, the student may select the six theorists of most interest and write a 500-word paper on each of those six. 

Required reading:

  • Clinical Psychotherapy: A History of Theory and Practice by John H. Morgan (GTF Books, 2015).
  • PRIMARY SOURCE RECOMMENDED READINGS: The required text listed above gives a comprehensive bibliography for each of the eight schools of psychotherapy considered in this course. The student should select two texts from one or more of the schools of thought discussed in the required text. The theorists discussed are Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Carl Jung, Viktor Frankl, Erik Erikson, Abraham Maslow, Carl Rogers, and Harry Stack Sullivan. 
Unit 2: Pastoral Logotherapy I: Introduction: Meaning-Oriented Pastoral Counseling
 
Beginning with an historical introduction, the course presents the underlying philosophy, personality theory, and psychotherapy formulated by Viktor E. Frankl, MD, PhD. Dr. Frankl’s logotherapy emphasizes the significance of the human spirit, the uniqueness and dignity of the human being, and meaning in life as the primary motivation for living. Logotherapy’s relevance to pastoral counseling will be highlighted in this course.
 
Required reading:
  • Handbook: Introduction to Pastoral Logotherapy * (based on An Introduction to Logotherapy by Robert C. Barnes, revised for Pastoral Logotherapy by Ann V. Graber)
  • Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl.
  • Recollections – an Autobiography by Viktor E. Frankl
  • Any additional pertinent texts assigned by the Instructor 

* Texts indicated by an asterisk will be sent to students free of charge as pdf files following registration.

Unit 3: Pastoral Logotherapy II: General Applications of Principles and Techniques
 
This course will cover general applications of the principles and techniques of Logotherapy: self-distancing, de-reflection, Socratic dialogue, paradoxical intention, and phenomenological existential methods used to facilitate change in attitude, personal growth, and gaining greater self-knowledge through life-review and life pre-view.
 
Required reading:
  • Instructional Manual: General Applications of Pastoral Logotherapy * by Dr. Randy L. Scraper
  • The Will to Meaning by Viktor Frankl
  • The Unheard Cry for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
  • Any additional pertinent texts assigned by the Instructor 

* Texts indicated by an asterisk will be sent to students free of charge as pdf files following registration.

Unit 4: Pastoral Logotherapy III: Reflection on Fundamental Areas of Life in View of Meaning
 
This course will focus on vital areas of interest to pastoral care givers and invite reflection on these fundamentals of human existence: The meaning of Life, Death, Suffering, Work, and Love. Further exploration of the medicine chest of logotherapy with wholeness and self-transcending growth as therapeutic goals, as well as application of logotherapy in crisis intervention will be covered.
 
Required reading:
  • Instructional Manual: Pastoral Logotherapy — Reflection on Fundamental Areas of Life *
  • The Doctor and the Soul by Viktor Frankl
  • Synchronization in Birkenwald * by Viktor Frankl
  • Any additional pertinent texts assigned by the Instructor 

* Texts indicated by an asterisk will be sent to students free of charge as pdf files following registration.

Unit 5: Pastoral Logotherapy IV: Assist in Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning
 
Further logotherapeutic approaches to facilitate growth and transformation through activation of creative, experiential and attitudinal values will be presented. Overcoming meaninglessness, despondency and despair in the unavoidable vicissitudes of life will be addressed. The focus will be on activating client’s inner strengths, choosing life with meaning that leads to psycho-spiritual well-being and reaches toward ultimate meaning – God.     
 
Required reading:
  • Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning by Viktor Frankl
  • The Feeling of Meaninglessness by Viktor Frankl
  • Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy: Method of Choice inEcumenical Pastoral Psychology * by Ann V. Graber
  • Any pertinent supplemental materials suggested by the instructor or selected by the student

* Texts indicated by an asterisk will be sent to students free of charge as pdf files following registration.

NOTE: Further courses for degree requirements may be taken from the Pastoral Care and Counseling Psychology section of the Online Course Roster.
 
 
Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy
 
Pastoral Logotherapy/Spiritual Care & Counseling is ecumenically applicable.  The psycho-spiritual approach of Logotherapy, with an expanded focus to include Curative and Palliative Care, is offered to assist individual clients, parishioners and patients in finding personal meaning and purpose in their lives in spite of, or in the midst of short-term crises, long-term difficulties, and end of life issues.
 
The 5-day Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy is moderated by a faculty person who holds both, the Diplomate in Logotherapy and a doctorate in a cognate field of counseling psychology. The Practicum consists of a small group of students in a seminar environment where students can share their personal ministerial/counseling experiences and also benefit from the experiences and expertise of the other participants.
 
The 5-day (approximately 24 to 26 hour) Practicum is praxis-oriented, focusing on the application of Viktor Frankl’s principles of Logotherapy in a variety of therapeutic environments, including, but not limited to, counseling in the pastoral and ministerial milieu. In addition, the Practicum will re-visit several of the Classical Schools of Psychotherapy studied in Unit One, for the purpose of providing the student with a comparative, hands-on, roll-playing praxis with regard to the various psychotherapeutic schools.
 
Prior to attendance, each student will have read any pre-assigned text(s) required by the faculty moderator.  In addition, the student will prepare and bring a verbatim narrative of five (5) specific examples in counseling/pastoral/ ministerial settings in which the student has been involved.  Each student will have the opportunity to present his/her five (5) verbatim narratives during the 5-day Practicum, with collaborative input made by the other participants and the faculty moderator on the practical applications of Logotherapy as it applies to the student’s particular narrative.  For each of the presented examples, opportunities will be given for comparing and contrasting the principles and application of Logotherapy with several of the Classical Schools of Psychotherapy already studied, as well as some of the more recent schools of psychotherapy.
 
A final paper (approximately 12,000 words) is due within sixty (60) days following the 5-day Practicum.  The final paper provides the student the opportunity for exploring and applying the newly acquired skills learned during the Practicum.  The student will incorporate the input provided from the other participants, as well as the student’s additional reflections for expanding, elaborating on, or changing the logotherapeutic application initially utilized in the student’s five (5) verbatim narratives.  The final paper will also incorporate at least three (3) of the Classical Schools of Psychotherapy discussed during the week-long practicum, making pertinent application to the student’s narrative examples for comparison and contrasting purposes.
 
The intense 5-day Practicum in Pastoral Logotherapy/Spiritual Care & Counseling provides the student with a well-rounded and expanded appreciation for the contributions that the Classical Schools of Psychotherapy continue to make in the various counseling, pastoral, and ministerial settings.  In addition, the Practicum experience enables the student to better understand how the principles of Logotherapy utilize, and expand upon the various psychotherapeutic models.
 
APA style is highly recommended for this final paper, especially if publication is intended.
 
 
Course Registration
 
To register for the following courses click here.
  • Unit 1: Classical Schools of Psychotherapy
  • Electives online courses in Pastoral Care and Counseling Psychology           
To register for the following courses click here.
  • Unit 2: Pastoral Logotherapy I: Introduction to meaning-oriented counseling
  • Unit 3: Pastoral Logotherapy II: General Applications of principles and techniques
  • Unit 4: Pastoral Logotherapy III: Reflection on Fundamental Areas of Life in view of meaning
  • Unit 5: Pastoral Logotherapy IV: Assist in Man’s Search for Ultimate Meaning
To register for the Research Methodology course click here.
 
 
Tuition and Fees
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