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Human Relationships (PhD): Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy
The PhD in Human Relationships builds on your professional experience in the fields of pastoral leadership, and spiritual care and psychotherapy through advanced scholarship and a dissertation. You will be well prepared to make contributions in fields such as ministry, psychotherapy, spiritual care, and higher education.
What does one of our PhD candidates say? Check out this video.
For our PhD in Human Relationships program, you choose to focus in one of two fields: Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy, or Pastoral Leadership.
The Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy field is intended to build upon existing competencies in spiritual care and psychotherapy, and related disciplines. In this field, you will undertake advanced studies and training in the theoretical and theological foundations of spiritual care and psychotherapy. You will also have the opportunity to expand your experience with a post-practicum clinical education in the practice of individual, couple and family therapy or spiritual care.
The program elements and courses will support your progress toward the final completion of a PhD dissertation. The student’s dissertation makes a significant contribution to the existing knowledge in the field of spiritual care and psychotherapy.
If you are a graduate student taking a full-time course load, you are eligible to receive a bursary of about $600 per term (students receiving senior tuition exemption are not eligable for this bursary). The exact amount varies slightly from year to year. You will need to apply for this bursary on LORIS. You will receive an email notification that a new application is available, you will be able to access it through the Student Awards and Financial Aid tab on LORIS. We award it based on your registration after the last day to add courses for the term.
In addition to the full-time bursary, annual bursaries to a maximum of $1,500 are available based on financial need (typically applied to accounts in the fall term).
- Master of Divinity degree or equivalent with a minimum average of B+.
- Pastoral Leadership applicants will have three years of demonstrated experience in service or ministry.
- Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy applicants will have three years experience of clinical practice as a Registered Psychotherapist (or equivalent experience).
- Interviews may be requested.
NOTE: Casper tests are no longer required to apply to Luther programs.
Application Deadline
Feb. 15
Visit our Graduate Admissions Toolkit for more information about applying.
Application Checklist
After you have submitted your OUAC application, paid the non-refundable application fee, and Laurier has received your application, you'll receive an email from gradadmissions@wlu.ca advising you to upload the additional required documentation to Laurier’s Online Registration & Information System (LORIS).
An application for admission to our PhD in Human Relationships program must include:
- The Application Summary, which is generated after you complete your OUAC application (log back in to OUAC to retrieve it).
- Transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate work. Applicants must upload a digital unofficial copy of each transcript (including graduation certificates where applicable) for every postsecondary educational institution (college or university) they have attended, including those at which a degree or diploma was not completed.
- A completed statement of intent.
- A resume of your academic and work experience. Include a history of your publication and scholarly paper activity and any other information you feel will interest the admissions committee.
- A sample of your scholarly writing (10-20 pages in length). This may be a chapter of your master's thesis or a paper written for a graduate course.
- Completed two reference forms. Two academic reference letters are required. If you are no longer a student or have been out of school for a few years, one of the reference letters or both of them could be professional reference letters instead. Please note that the academic referee must be your instructor or supervisor at university and the professional referee must be someone who has supervised you at work or a volunteer position. It cannot be a friend or a relative. Note: Reference forms are electronically submitted to Laurier by the referee and do not need to be uploaded.
NOTE: Casper tests are no longer required to apply to Luther programs.
Proficiency in written and spoken English is essential to graduate studies at Laurier. Applicants whose language of instruction during their previous postsecondary education was not in English must submit evidence of proficiency in English. If applicable, results from accepted testing services must be uploaded to LORIS.
- registered psychotherapist
- university or college professor
- hospital or high school chaplain
- social service worker
- addictions counsellor
- certified play therapist
- mental health worker