OINTMENT Conference Aims to Bridge Orthodox Spirituality and Mental Health Care
New initiative brings clergy and clinicians together to explore integrated approaches to healing.
KANSAS CITY, MO — A new interdisciplinary conference aimed at integrating Orthodox Christian spirituality with modern mental health care is set to take place this June in Kansas City. The event, organized under the name OINTMENT (Orthodox Institute of Neptic Training for Mental, Emotional, and Neptic Training) will bring together clergy, therapists, and healthcare professionals to examine the Church’s healing tradition alongside contemporary clinical practice.
According to the conference website, the gathering will focus on the deep therapeutic resources within Orthodoxy, particularly through neptic theology — the practice of guarding the mind and heart. The goal is to foster collaboration between spiritual and clinical caregivers, addressing what organizers describe as a gap in current approaches when “caretakers of soul and body are operating independently of one another.”
The conference is built around the theme “Kintsugi — Finding Strength & Healing in Brokenness,” drawing on the Japanese art of repairing pottery with gold. The concept is used as a metaphor for the Orthodox understanding of healing, in which wounds are not hidden but transformed into vessels of grace.
Participants will attend six main sessions, panel discussions, and Q&A opportunities, along with open invitations to liturgical services including Vespers, Matins, and Divine Liturgy at St. Mary of Egypt Serbian Orthodox Church. Events will be held at The Loretto venue, with additional opportunities for fellowship, networking, and shared meals.
Featured speakers include Bp. Serafim of Kostajnica, who will deliver the keynote address, along with clergy and professionals from both pastoral and clinical backgrounds. Among them are Fr. Nectarios Trevino, Fr. Turbo Qualls, Fr. Nikolas Delaveris, Fr. Justin Mihoc, Andrew Funk, and Dr. Anastasia Stewart.
Open to clergy, counselors, students, and interested laypeople, the conference seeks to equip participants with practical tools for combining Orthodox contemplative practices with evidence-based mental health care.
To be notified when registration opens, visit here.
