St. Vladimir’s Seminary Launches Four-Week Online Course on Orthodox Christian Counseling
Bp. John Abdalah to lead clergy, mental health professionals, and laity in exploring prayerful and transformative pastoral care
YONKERS, N.Y. — St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary is offering a new four-week online course titled "Orthodox Counsel: Prayerful, Wonderful, Transformative," aimed at clergy, mental health professionals, and laypeople engaged in pastoral care.
The course, scheduled from May 12 through June 2, 2026, will be taught by the Right Rev. Dr. John (Abdalah), Assistant Professor of Pastoral Theology at St. Vladimir’s Seminary and auxiliary bishop for Worcester and New England of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
The program focuses on the Orthodox Christian approach to offering counsel, emphasizing the balance between human free will and the call to holiness. Participants will examine how to faithfully offer guidance while remaining attentive to both their own spiritual responsibilities and the personal complexities of those they serve.
According to the course description, the training is designed to help participants refine their understanding of Christian counsel, recognize the role of personal and relational complexity in ministry, and integrate a more prayerful and transformative approach into pastoral interactions.
The four-week curriculum includes weekly live Zoom sessions held on Tuesdays from 8:00 to 8:45 p.m. Eastern Time, along with pre-recorded lectures, slide presentations, assigned readings, and access to session recordings. Topics include the foundations of Orthodox counsel, as well as focused discussions on prayerful, compassionate, and transformative ministry.
Bp. John brings decades of pastoral and academic experience to the course. In addition to his work at St. Vladimir’s Seminary, he has taught priestly formation at the Antiochian House of Studies and the St. John of Damascus Institute of Theology at the University of Balamand in Lebanon. He also serves on several ecclesiastical and theological committees, including mental health initiatives within the Assembly of Bishops.
Tuition for the course is $200, with registration materials and recordings available from May 5 through July 2, 2026. Organizers note that the course is specifically intended for those involved in pastoral care and that no refunds will be issued after May 5.
To register for the course, visit here.
Previously, the UOJ reported that St. Vladimir's Seminary honored Fr. Thomas Hopko on the anniversary of his repose.
