This book, A Catholic Christian Meta-Model of the Person, integrates the insights of three wisdom traditions—the psychological sciences, philosophy, and theology—to provide a framework for understanding the person. The Meta-Model develops a more systematic, integrative, and non-reductionist vision of the person, marriage, family, and society than is found in any of these three disciplines alone. The Meta-Model is a unifying framework for the integration of already-existing personality theories and therapeutic models. In addition, it enhances assessment, diagnosis, case conceptualization, and treatment planning by addressing eleven essential dimensions of the person needed in mental health practice aimed at healing and flourishing. The book also explores how the Meta-Model framework can improve client care. Finally, it demonstrates how the Meta-Model assists mental health professionals to better understand how they can be faithful to their Christian identity as they serve all clients—Christians, persons from other faiths, and non-believers.
Paul C. Vitz (born August 27, 1935) is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at New York University, whose work focuses on the relationship between psychology and Christianity. He currently teaches at the Institute of the Psychological Sciences in Arlington, VA. (WIKI)
Someday, the publication of this book will be marked as a major turning point in the mental health professions and the end of the unnecessary divorces between psychology, philosophy, and theology. This isn't a program for counseling, it's a meta-model, it's a conception of the entire human person in three dimensions and presents a comprehensive overview of human flourishing, suffering, and healing. Highest possible recommendation.