Emmanuel College’s Psychospiritual Studies Program Triples in a Decade
Blair Niblett and Hannah Athanasiadis, students in Emmanuel’s Master of Psychospiritual Studies program, bring distinct paths and shared purpose when they provide supervised counselling to Victoria College students through the Vic Well program. (Photo by Neil Gaikwad)
By Sally Szuster
When Canadians seek mental health support, they often face long waits, financial barriers or perceptions of cultural stigma. As hospitals and communities search for new approaches, Emmanuel College’s Master in Psychospiritual Studies program has become a success story in filling gaps in care.
“Psychospiritual care is about tending to the whole person,” said Dr. Pamela McCarroll, Acting Principal of Emmanuel College. “It is not only about addressing clinical needs or spiritual needs in isolation. It is about integrating the two so people can find healing and resilience in all dimensions of life.”
Prof. Nazila Isgandarova, director of the Supervised Psychospiritual Education Program, said Emmanuel’s approach is distinctive.
“We train students to see psychotherapy as a ‘care of the soul’ (from the Greek psyche and therapeia) to tackle a bias against spirituality,” she said. “So far, more than 200 graduates from the program now offer spiritual care and spiritually integrated psychotherapy in various settings, including hospitals, prison facilities, the military, long-term care homes, religious communities, counselling centres and private practice, and their clients benefit from the integration of spiritual wisdom into psychotherapeutic and care practices.”
She notes the breadth of the program’s multifaith streams.
“To our knowledge, we are the only program in the world offering streams in Christian, Muslim and Buddhist traditions at the same time.”
Across Canada, demand for mental health services has risen. Self-rated mental health has been declining since 2015, particularly among young adults and women, according to Statistics Canada. A 2024 Fraser Institute report found that Canadians wait nearly six months on average between a referral from a family doctor and an appointment with a psychiatrist.
“For someone struggling with depression or anxiety, half a year without professional support can mean worsening symptoms, lost opportunities or even life-threatening crises,” said McCarroll. “That is why it is so urgent that we train more professionals who can respond now.”
Emmanuel’s Master of Psychospiritual Studies, previously the Master of Pastoral Studies, with the option of a Certificate in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy, is one answer to that need. The certificate, recognized by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario, prepares graduates for roles in counselling, psychotherapy, chaplaincy and spiritual care.
Enrolment has tripled in the past decade, according to Andrew Aitchison, admissions advisor and strategic recruiter, and an Emmanuel alumnus.
“This is by far our largest program, and the pace of growth has been remarkable,” he said. “It shows us that students see this training as not only valuable but necessary. The wider community recognizes the importance of psychospiritual care.”
The Master of Divinity program is also thriving, with enrolment having increased by almost 50 per cent since 2020, thanks to steady new cohorts and Emmanuel’s growing reputation for excellence in multifaith theological education. Students preparing for United Church ordination have access to full tuition support, and the new hybrid MDiv makes theological education more accessible than ever before.
The growth in the MPS program has created opportunities for service at Victoria College. Since September 2023, Emmanuel MPS students completing their practica for the psychotherapy certificate have provided supervised counselling support to Victoria College undergraduates through a wellness program called Vic Well. Both Emmanuel and Victoria Colleges are part of the federated Victoria University in the University of Toronto.
The need on campus is clear. According to the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario, student mental health is one of the most urgent issues facing postsecondary education. Over the past two decades, campuses have seen double or even triple the number of students experiencing depressive symptoms, anxiety, eating disorders and psychotic symptoms. A 2023 CAMH survey found that 38 per cent of Ontario students rated their mental health as fair or poor.
Michael Burtt, an Emmanuel College graduate, continues to support students he met through the Vic Well practicum. (Photo by Shawn Kazubowski Houston)
“It has added a whole new level of support to our undergraduate students to have Emmanuel counselling interns here on campus,” said Dean of Students Kelley Castle. “They help students with a variety of needs, including academic anxiety, grief, isolation, personal identity, depression and general concerns about the transition into and out of university. Their ability to weave spiritual care into it is an added layer that many students really seek out. We have expanded the service because it was such a success, and this allows for access to counselling with little to no wait time—a terrific, timely, local addition to the services they already get from U of T.”
For Blair Niblett, a part-time MPS student who also works full time as a professor at Trent University, participating in the Vic Well practicum last year was both formative and meaningful.
“I was looking to develop some skills around mindfulness in the education sector,” he said. “I wanted to study contemplative practice with people who have done that in ways that had ancient roots, and the Buddhist stream in the MPS program seemed like a good place to do that. At the same time, I was looking to develop skills with spiritual care and helping skills.
As a counsellor in the Vic Well program, Niblett valued the relationships he built.
“It felt meaningful to meet student needs when they were adjusting to the university environment,” he said. “There were a handful of students who I saw on a regular basis over the months that I was there, and I was able to build supportive relationships with several of them. I could tell that there was value in what we were doing.”
The impact has extended into his life as a professor in Trent’s Faculty of Education.
“It has helped with relationships that I have with students and perhaps even more so with the relationships that I have with my colleagues at work,” he reflected. “For example, how I approach conflict negotiation is really different now, and I do it with more openness.”
Michael Burtt, who graduated last year and now works in private practice, also continues to see some of the students he counselled during his Vic Well practicum. For him, the program’s interfaith emphasis has been transformative.
“I can only understand my faith in the context of engaging with people from other faith traditions,” he said. “My faith is continually in process and changing because it is dependent on my relationship to those of other traditions.”
He said that Toronto itself shapes the experience. “I think that deep interfaith work could not happen in the same way anywhere else. Emmanuel is situated to create a very special alchemy to incorporate interfaith learning into practice.”
His practicum also underscored the importance of being approachable in a secular setting.
“Within the Vic Well program, which is entirely secular, I would work with undergraduate students who immediately recognized that I was religious friendly,” he said. “One student in particular really felt he could discuss things with me that he was not entirely comfortable discussing with his religious leader, but he was still seeking someone who understood his inner spiritual life.”
Hannah Athanasiadis, who is pursuing both a Master of Divinity and the Master of Psychospiritual Studies, brings another perspective. On the pathway to becoming a United Church minister, she also hopes to open a private practice. For her, this represents a new career direction after earlier work in marketing and as a personal and professional coach.
“I really enjoyed coaching, but my passion is spirituality and supporting people with their healing and transformation,” she said. “I wanted the formal training to support people more deeply. The interfaith aspect and spiritual integration have been very mind-opening and expansive for me because I will be helping people from all faith backgrounds.”
Vic Well interns typically support seven to 10 clients a week, committing 15 to 20 hours of practicum work, including supervision hours.
They offer personal counselling, group coaching and support sessions under the supervision of a registered psychotherapist and social worker, with guidance from the Office of the Dean of Students. While these sessions do not fall under the regulated practice of psychotherapy, they provide supportive care, mindfulness practices and solution-focused techniques.
“Having Emmanuel College students serve Victoria College undergraduates is a powerful example of learning in action,” McCarroll said. “It not only prepares them for their professional vocations, but it also expands access to care for young people who might otherwise wait too long or go without support. We are delighted to report that the Vic Well practicum program has been so successful that we have expanded it this year.”
The MPS, which began as a small program, now enrolls more students than any other at Emmanuel College. Across Canada, spiritual care and psychotherapy are increasingly seen as essential parts of the health-care system. Emmanuel is not just filling gaps in health care. It is shaping the conversation about what holistic health can and should look like.
“Psychospiritual care used to be a hidden gem in theological education,” McCarroll said. “Now it is clear that this is the future of integrated care, and Emmanuel is proud to be leading the way.”
If you are interested in supporting the important work of the Master of Psychospiritual Studies program, please contact Aimee Esparaz, Associate Director of Philanthropy, at aimee.esparaz@utoronto.ca.
For more information about the MPS program, contact emmanuel.admissions@utoronto.ca.