As a graduate student in psychology, I spent a lot of time thinking about a Catholic perspective on resilience.  I was doing a lot of research on the effects of trauma, and as I read articles, it was very depressing to see list after list of the adverse impact of trauma. Sometimes, it felt like there was no hope if someone faced a traumatic event.  Then, I discovered the concept of resilience, and I found that there is hope. I began thinking about how it might line up with my Catholic faith, and through lots of reading and thinking, I realized that it aligns pretty well with Jesus’ mission and…

Last year, I learned a lot about setting goals with God. A little over a year ago, I sat down to write down some goals for 2023. I had just finished applying for clinical psychology Ph.D. programs, so many of my goals centered around getting accepted, moving, and starting on the road to success in that career. As the new year began, I started to doubt that this was what God wanted me to do. I spent a lot of time in prayer, journaling, and having an inner freakout. Finally, I just told God that if that wasn’t what I was supposed to do, not to let me get in. …