Kenneth Pargament, PhD

Kenneth Pargament stands as a leading authority in the psychology of religion and spirituality, serving as Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Bowling Green State University and Adjunct Professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. After earning his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Maryland, he has dedicated over four decades to understanding the intersection of religion, spirituality, and mental health. His scholarly contributions include more than 300 published articles and influential books such as "The Psychology of Religion and Coping" and "Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy." As Editor-in-Chief of the two-volume APA Handbook of Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality (2013), he has significantly shaped the field's theoretical foundations. His pioneering work has earned him numerous prestigious honors, including the Oskar Pfister Award from the American Psychiatric Association (2009), the Distinguished Service Award from the Association of Professional Chaplains (2015), and the inaugural Outstanding Applied Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Award from the American Psychological Association (2017). Recently recognized as one of the 50 Most Influential Living Psychologists in the World, Pargament continues to advance research in religious and spiritual struggles and the development of spiritually integrated psychotherapy approaches