Projects and Initiatives

Cura Psychologia: Cultivating a More Virtuous Psychological Science

The Cura Psychologia Project fosters a collaborative network of 18 faculty ambassadors from six Jesuit Catholic Universities—Boston College, the College of the Holy Cross, Fordham University, Georgetown University, Loyola Marymount University, and Seattle University—to inspire transformative change within their psychology departments. This initiative aims to broaden psychology's scope at Jesuit institutions, focusing on character virtue formation, ethical reasoning, and moral discernment.

Psychology & the Other Conference

The Psychology & the Other Conference is an annual event that revitalizes psychology through interdisciplinary dialogue with philosophy, theology, and the humanities. Established in 2011, it unites diverse perspectives from clinicians, academics, philosophers, theologians, and more, focusing on human identity, suffering, and potential. The conference uniquely pairs speakers from various disciplines to encourage innovative discussions.

Date:

September 19 -
September 21, 2025

Location:

Boston College and Online

Tower Bridge in London from Northeastern's campus
David Goodman speaking at Psychology and the Other
Northeastern's campus in London

Psychological Humanities & Ethics Research Group

Made up of academics, clinicians, researchers, and students, the Center for Psychological & Humanities Ethics Research Group is a multidisciplinary community of learners thatĚýmeets weekly during the academicĚýyear toĚýproduce scholarship, conferenceĚýpresentations, and sharedĚýresearch opportunities for persons invested in the fundamental questions of human life. Projects range from theoretical analyses in moral philosophy to clinical research in psychology, aimed at addressing contemporary ethical challenges in healthcare, education, and society at large.

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Core Team

David Goodman
David Goodman
Co-Leader
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David Goodman

David Goodman

Co-Leader

DavidĚýGoodman is the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and External Relations, Director of the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics, and an Associate Professor of the Practice in Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. Dr. Goodman has written over a dozen articles on continental philosophy, Jewish thought, social justice, and psychotherapy. Dr. Goodman currently serves as the Series Editor for theĚýPsychology and the OtherĚýBook Series with Routledge. He has authored and edited over a dozen books includingĚýThe Demanded Self: Levinasian Ethics and Identity in PsychologyĚý(with Duquesne University Press, 2012) andĚýPsychology and the OtherĚý(with Mark Freeman and Oxford University Press, 2015).ĚýDr. Goodman is also a licensed clinical psychologist and has a private practice in Boston, MA.

M. Mookie C. Manalili
M. Mookie C. Manalili
Co-Leader
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M. Mookie C. Manalili

M. Mookie C. Manalili

Co-Leader

Mookie is a psychotherapist, professor, and researcher – interested in suffering, embodiment, meaning-making, narratives, trauma, memory, and ethics. He is a Licensed Independent Certified Social Worker (LICSW) psychotherapist in private practice, which blends narrative therapy, psychoanalysis, logotherapy, mindfulness traditions, and body-based techniques. Mookie is a Part-Time Faculty for the School of Social Work (i.e. Narrative Therapy, Adult Psychological Trauma) and Department of Psychology & Neuroscience (i.e. Introduction to Psychopathology) at Boston College. Additionally, he is a Research Consultant, for social psychology research at the Morality Lab and philosophical psychology initiatives through the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics. Finally, Mookie is pursuing a PhD in Pastoral Theology & Psychology at Boston University.ĚýIn all his various roles, Mookie hopes to participate in our duty to better our society: particularly for folks who suffer injustices; for the widow, orphan, and stranger; for a future and world beyond one's self.Ěý

Zenobia Morrill
Zenobia Morrill
Co-Leader
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Zenobia Morrill

Zenobia Morrill

Co-Leader

Zenobia Morrill, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Clinical Psychology Department at William James College. She also serves as the Senior Research Associate of theĚýCenter for Psychological Humanities & EthicsĚýat Boston College. She completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship at Yale University, School of Medicine, during which she was selected as a fellow of the American Psychoanalytic Association, and she received her doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Zenobia serves as a Science News Writer forĚýMad in America, Member-at-Large for theĚýSociety for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, Secretary of theĚýSociety for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology, and is on the Editorial Board for theĚýPsychology and the Other Book SeriesĚýas well as for several humanistic, critical, and theoretical psychology journals through the APA.

Sofia Rietti
Sofia Rietti
Project Administrator
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Sofia Rietti

Sofia Rietti

Project Administrator

Sofia is the Project Administrator at Boston College'sĚýCenter for Psychological Humanities & EthicsĚýand a Master's candidate in Mental Health Counseling. She has contributed to pastĚýPsychology and the OtherĚýconferences, including the inaugural international event in London. Sofia co-edited a special issue forĚýStudies in Gender & SexualityĚýand co-authoredĚýMaking Sense of Being and Transforming: Introduction to the Psychology and the Other Special Issue. Currently gaining clinical experience at Bournewood Health Systems, she supports LGBTQ+ communities facing co-occurring mental health challenges. Her research interests are reproductive and maternal mental health and the mind-body connection. Looking ahead, Sofia is considering future plans in private practice or further academic pursuits.

Ally Lynch
Ally Lynch
Lab Coordinator
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Ally Lynch

Ally Lynch

Lab Coordinator

Ally Lynch is the Graduate Assistant and Lab Coordinator for the Center for Psychological Humanities at Boston College. She is a recent graduate from Providence College with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a first year student in the Master’s Program for Mental Health Counseling at Boston College. Ally is excited to be a part of the Research Group this year, as it emphasizes the significance of interdisciplinary engagement in understanding the human experience.

Members

Matthew Clemente
Matthew Clemente
Boston College
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Matthew Clemente

Matthew Clemente

Boston College

Matthew Clemente is a philosopher and author. HisĚýrecent books includeĚýTechnology and Its Discontents: The Perils of Ethical DistancingĚý(forthcoming with David M. Goodman, Oxford University Press, 2025) andĚýKierkegaard: Psychological Insights and Practical ApplicationsĚý(forthcoming, Routledge, 2024). He is a Fellow in theĚýCenter for Psychological Humanities and Ethics, Coeditor in Chief of theĚýJournal for Continental Philosophy of Religion, and Codirector of the Guestbook Project, a 501c3 non-profit. HeĚýteaches philosophy, theology, and literature at Boston College and offers classes through the Boston College Prison Education Program at a local medium security prison.

Justin M. Karter
Justin M. Karter
Private Practice & Boston College Counseling Services
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Justin M. Karter

Justin M. Karter

Private Practice & Boston College Counseling Services

Justin M. Karter, Ph.D., is an instructor and advisor for the Center for Psychological Humanities & Ethics, Boston College. Holding a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Massachusetts Boston, Justin's multidisciplinary expertise bridges psychology, philosophy, and mad studies. Since 2015, he's served as the research news editor at Mad in America, offering critical insights into global mental health discourse. His research champions a rights-based perspective in mental health. Beyond academia, Justin is committed to the practice of depth psychotherapy, providing therapy in private practice as well as at Boston College University Counseling Services.

William J. Hendel
William J. Hendel
Boston College
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William J. Hendel

William J. Hendel

Boston College

William J. Hendel, JD is a teaching fellow and PhD candidate in the Department of Philosophy at Boston College, who specializes in ethics, political philosophy, and aesthetics. He is the co-editor of misReading Plato (with Matthew Clemente and Bryan Cocchiara, Routledge, 2022).

A. Taiga Guterres
A. Taiga Guterres
Boston College
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A. Taiga Guterres

A. Taiga Guterres

Boston College

A. Taiga Guterres, LCSW, currently serves as the managing editor for the Jesuit Educational Quarterly at the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, promoting educational research of the Jesuits and their educational and spiritual mission. He is a PhD student in Formative Education at Boston College and a research member of the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics. Much of his research interest is in a Jesuit philosophy and psychology of education that might help us to better prepare students and professionals to engage with and serve the suffering other, the role of the humanities in psychology, and engaging the historical tradition and formative educational heritage of the Jesuits.

Karley Peterson Guterres
Karley Peterson Guterres
Boston College
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Karley Peterson Guterres

Karley Peterson Guterres

Boston College

Coming soon!

Sophia Shieh
Sophia Shieh
Northwestern University
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Sophia Shieh

Sophia Shieh

Northwestern University

Sophia holds an MSc in Educational and Developmental Psychology from the University of Oxford, where she was an undergraduate visiting student in Human Sciences and History (history of medicine and crime/punishment). She also earned a B.A. in Applied Psychology and Human Development from Boston College, with minors in Philosophy, Medical Humanities, and Leadership in Higher Education and Community Settings. Currently, Sophia is a research assistant at the Center for Child Trauma Assessment, Services, and System Integrations (CCTASSI), part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She has experience as a research intern at the National Science Foundation and has also worked as both a mental health specialist within the Division of Psychotic Disorders inpatient unit and a research assistant for community peer services at McLean Hospital. These experiences inform her interests in trauma and resilience discourses, access to services, psychological humanities, and lived-experience research. Sophia is passionate about fostering interdisciplinary dialogues and utilizing diverse methodologies to address human suffering, which she finds at home at the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics.

Noah William McManus
Noah William McManus
Boston College
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Noah William McManus

Noah William McManus

Boston College

Noah McManus is a Researcher for Boston College's Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics. He is a graduate of the University of Vermont with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Biology. He also graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Master of Arts in Theology. Noah is interested in the intersection of Catholic theology and psychology. In particular, he is exploring a trauma-focused model of mental health recovery that relies on relational anthropology as well as spiritual meaning-making to recover from traumatic ruptures. Noah intends to pursue an additional Masters degree in Mental Health Counseling through Boston College's Lynch School of Human Development and Education. He then intends to pursue a Doctorate after that. In combining both interdisciplinary academic research and practical clinical treatment, Noah hopes to provide a deeply relational treatment model that attends to the whole of the person in trauma recovery.

Ross Gormley
Ross Gormley
Boston College
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Ross Gormley

Ross Gormley

Boston College

AĚýfinal-year student at Boston College's School of Social Work, and a graduate of Wesleyan University, Ross currently works on an inpatient unit at McLean Hospital, delivering group therapy, case management services, and psychotherapy. A former English teacher who holds an MFA in creative nonfiction writing from UNC Wilmington, he's interested in the intersections between psychotherapy and creative writing and how the two can inform and strengthen one another. He holds a particular interest in narrative therapy, illness narratives, and the practical applications of narrative theory for variousĚýpsychotherapeuticĚýmodalities.

Lydia Li
Lydia Li
Boston University
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Lydia Li

Lydia Li

Boston University

Lydia is a second-year master’s student in the Mental Health Counseling and Behavioral Medicine program at Boston University School of Medicine. She received her bachelor’sĚýdegree in Philosophy and History of Mathematics and Science from St. John’s College. SheĚýcurrently serves as an intern college counselor at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). HerĚýacademic interests lie in psychoanalysis, psychodynamic theories, and family systems theory.Ěý

Johnny Koczela
Johnny Koczela
Boston College
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Johnny Koczela

Johnny Koczela

Boston College

While pursuing a Master of Arts in Theology and Ministry at Boston College, Johnny Koczela serves as the Graduate Assistant for the Christian Life Communities program in the Campus Ministry department of Boston College. His research interests are Pastoral Theology, Ignatian Spirituality, Christian Mysticism, Comparative Religion, Philosophical Anthropology, and a philosophy of skiing.

Andrew Stojkovich
Andrew Stojkovich
Boston University
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Andrew Stojkovich

Andrew Stojkovich

Boston University

Andrew Stojkovich, originally from the mountains of Colorado, is a senior pursuing a degree in Philosophy at Boston University. He is the Marketing Manager of Arche, BU's Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy, where he also serves as an editor. Andrew is also working as the editor for a forthcoming book on a seminar about Kierkegaard that was previously offered by Boston College through the Lynch School of Human Development & Education. Andrew is currently working on his own writing related to the meta-philosophy of the philosophical essay.

Ella Caruso
Ella Caruso
Boston College
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Ella Caruso

Ella Caruso

Boston College

Ella Caruso is an undergraduate senior at Boston College working toward a Psychology B.S. major and African & African Diaspora Studies minor. She has served as the Program Coordinator for the Psychology & the Other Conference and as an Undergraduate Research Assistant with the Center for Psychological Humanities & Ethics. She has previous experience working as a researcher for the Infant and Child Cognition Lab at Boston College and the Mindbridge Center located in Portland, Maine. In collaboration with the Psychological Humanities & Ethic Research Group and the Mindbridge Center, Ella is currently researching a senior thesis intended to further the field's understanding of neurobiological implications of childhood trauma in addition to trauma-informed models of care designed to honor both individual and collective experiences of trauma within BIPOC communities. Additional research interests include developmental psychology, psychopathology, and interdisciplinary dialogue surrounding the concept of human identity.

Wenqing (Shelly) Xue
Wenqing (Shelly) Xue
Boston College
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Wenqing (Shelly) Xue

Wenqing (Shelly) Xue

Boston College

Wenqing Xue is currently enrolled as an undergraduate student at Boston College, studying Applied Psychology & Human Development with a double major in Philosophy. Before coming to the U.S., she was born and raised in Qingdao, China. She worked as an undergraduate research assistant in the Affirm Lab and as a content creator in the Boston College Arts Council. With an interest in the intersection of humanities and science in the area of mental health, Wenqing joined the Center for Psychological Humanities & Ethics Research Group, and plans on pursuing a degree in Counseling Psychology after graduation to become a practicing therapist.

Psychological Humanities Minor

Interested in deepening your insights into the human condition by exploring themes of suffering, identity, potential, and the pursuit of the good life? Join the Psychological Humanities Minor program today.

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Overview

Explore the intersection of psychology and humanities by delving into thought-provoking questions about suffering, identity, potential, healing, meaning-making, character formation, and the pursuit of the good life, gaining a unique perspective that goes beyond traditional psychological science.

Ěý

The minor is designed to broaden students’ understanding of psychology and the closely related ethical, spiritual, and existential dimensions of human life.

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Requirements

Additional Resources

Students sitting outside discussing
Students by window talking
Students talking on lawn outside

Philip Cushman Research and Educational Fund

Philip Cushman, a moral and political luminary in the field of psychology, died on August 22, 2022, the victim of a hit-and-run accident.

A beloved teacher, scholar, and clinician, Phil is remembered for hisĚýrich analysis of how the self has been conceptualized in the field of psychology, along with his historical and critical exploration of the moral and political horizons of psychotherapy.

With the establishment of this endowed Fund, created to honor Phil and foster his moral imagination for the field of psychology, we will continue this critically important work for generations to come.

About the Fund

Through Philip Cushman’s teaching, research, mentorship, and practice, he called for a rigorous interrogation of the relationship between our configurations of self and the socioeconomic and political realities which they frequently reflect and reinforce. He called for psychology to develop the capacity to more closely consider fundamental human questions of justice and morality in its descriptions of human identity and its treatments for psychological suffering. Phil’s passion for teaching had everything to do with his belief that future generations must receive the type of investment, care, and challenge which would enable them to rise above being “maintainers of the status quo.” For good to be done in this world, particularly through the field of psychology, we must be engaged in a multigenerational project that upsets the complacency of and complicity of this helping profession and calls it to a deeper and greater standard.Ěý

Toward this end, and in honor of Phil’s memory, the members of the Cushman family established the Philip Cushman Research and Educational Fund. Housed in the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics at Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development, the Fund fosters the work to which Phil dedicated his life. Aiming at significant impact upon clinical training programs, academic departments, and the formation of a next generation of clinicians, the Fund supports academic scholarship and develops offerings which examine the moral, socioeconomic, and political questions at play within the field of psychology.

The goal of the Fund is to carry forward Phil’s commitment to theoretical, interdisciplinary, and moral inquiry through public facing offerings and student-oriented training programs. Several examples include the Center hosting an annual Philip Cushman Lecture, offering public lectures and workshops engaging areas of inquiry aligned with Phil’s aims, supporting students on an interdisciplinary research team dedicated to scholarship kindred to Phil’s work, and funding the dissemination of students’ research at conferences which are impactful upon the field of psychology. We anticipate these activities and offerings will reach a minimum of 8,000 students per year, carrying forward the concerns that Phil explored in his scholarship, teaching, and practice.

Division 24 Spring Meeting 2024

The Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology (STPP-APA Division 24) will hold its annual Spring Meeting inĚýPittsburgh, PA from April 26–28, 2024. The purpose of the conference is to build community and share ideas related to the theory, practice, and reimagining of psychology as a discipline and agent for social change. The presidential theme for this year isĚý"Fostering Progress Toward a Flourishing Theoretical Psychology".Ěý

Theoretical & Philosophical Psychology

Event Gallery

Statue in chapel
Theology and Ministry Library
Theology and Ministry Library
Statue in chapel
Theology and Ministry Library
Theology and Ministry Library

2024 Annual Meeting for the Society for Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology

The Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology (SQIP) is thrilled to announce the upcoming annual meeting, which will take place June 14-16, 2024, at Boston College.Ěý

We invite scholars, practitioners, and students to contribute to a vibrant discussion that challenges the status quo and reimagines psychological knowledge. The field of psychology stands at a critical juncture, where the imperative to reflect on and address its historical underpinnings in racism and colonialism is undeniable. We specifically encourage submissions that engage critically with psychology's racist and colonial past, offer reflexive qualitative research, and propose paradigms or methods that foreground knowledge from historically underrepresented or marginalized communities.

Society for Qualitative Inquiry in Psychology Eagle

Conference At a Glance


Date

Friday, June 14 -
Sunday, June 16, 2024


Location

Boston College Campus


Registration

Event Gallery

SQIP 2023 Conference
SQIP 2023 Conference
SQIP 2023 Conference

Hosting Art: A Guestbook Project Collaboration

is an original online video series created and hosted by Diana Boros, which is supported by a joint venture of theĚýĚýand the Center for Psychological Humanities & Ethics at Boston College. Hosting Art employs the medium of dialogue to bring together the greatest minds making, promoting, theorizing about, and educating about, public and social practice art today.

Specifically, the series focuses on discussions about the transformative capacities of art-the ability of art to encourage critique and introspection-and accordingly, the value of art in society and democracy. It explores how artistic communication and collaboration can create and deepen ties between people and within communities, and how socially engaged, or social practice, projects can serve as vehicles for “hosting” interactions, dialogues, and relationships. This project aims to become a resource for all those interested in these ideas by creating a collection of conversations that each tackle different dimensions of the complex relationship between art and political life.

Headshot of Diana Boros

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Diana Boros is Department Chair and Associate Professor of Political Theory at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a public liberal arts institution and the national public honors college. Previously, she worked for the United States Senate, as well as for several senatorial and gubernatorial campaigns, and was also teaching professor of political science at Rutgers University, New Brunswick.

Video Library

Hosting Earth: A Guestbook Project Collaboration

The initiative bringsĚýtogether a group of psychologically sophisticated thinkers to speak on the topic of the psyche’s relation to the earth and how we both consciously and unconsciously play guest and host to the world in which we live. From Marjolein Oele’s reflections on the dirt at our feet to Sean McGrath’s speculations on the future of our species, from James Morely’s humanistic ecology to Donna Orange’s unearthing of our most inhuman practices, from Ed Casey’s artistic hospitality to Matthew Clemente's aesthetical musings, these dialogues are rife with insight, openness, imagination, and hope.

2022-2023 Conference Highlights

Ecological Hospitality

Poetics of the Earth

Ecologies of Wisdom

Psychologies of Earth

Video Library