Dr. Suzanne Baars, Ph.D., LPC-S, LMFT, LCDC, joins WCAT Radio Show Host Dr. Mary Anne Urlakis in Episode 28 of “Vows, Vocations, and Promises: Discerning the Call of Love,” to discuss her contribution in the recently published comprehensive new book: Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century, edited by Bishop Felipe Estevez and Bishop Andrew Cozzens. In this episode, Dr. Baars discusses her fascinating vocation as a marriage and family therapist and her recently published chapter, “The Importance of Human Formation and Affective Maturity in the Man of Communion.”

Dr. Suzanne Baars, Ph.D. is a licensed family therapist living in Irving, Texas. She is the Clinical Director of the In His Image Counseling Center, where she teams with other Catholic therapists and a psychiatric nurse practitioner. Dr. Baars has worked extensively in the field of counseling since 1986, serving a range of patients and clients in both hospital-based and clinical outpatient settings. Dr. Baars’ expertise is based upon methodology which incorporates the Christian Anthropology of St. Thomas Aquinas in the treatment of a variety of emotional and spiritual disorders, including emotional deprivation disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and scrupulosity. Dr. Baars is a frequent presenter at Catholic conferences and has been interviewed on EWTN’s “Women of Grace” and “Coffin Nation.” Dr. Baars often presents the contributions of her late father, the renowned psychiatrist and author, Dr. Conrad Baars, M.D.- who pioneered the field of Catholic Psychology.



Dr. Baars served on the faculty of the Institute for Priestly Formation from 2008-2015, actively engaging in a variety of roles in formation including the teaching of seminarians. Dr. Baars has been a contributor to two IPF publications focusing on the development of affective maturity in priestly formation. Dr. Baars has a deep love and commitment to the role of human formation in seminary education and believes the health of the Church is largely dependent upon mature and affirmed clergy. Dr. Baars is the past President of the Catholic Psychotherapy Association. She also operates the Baars Institute, which is dedicated to offering hope to those affected by emotional deprivation, as well as educating the public regarding the concept of affirmation and the healing of emotional disorders. More information can be found at the link www.Baarsinstitute.com.



In this episode, Dr. Suzanne Baars details the requisite nature of affective maturity for effective seminary and priestly formation. Noting that Bishop Cozzens has previously articulated that “the benchmark for human formation which summarizes all the others is the ability to live a sacrificial life, a life of self-gift,” Dr. Baars demonstrates that restraining one’s own desires when necessary and appropriate as well as possessing the capacity to offer compassionate pastoral care can only truly flow from a character that is appropriately formed. Dr. Baars discusses the role of affirmation in overcoming challenges to affective maturity and offers hope for those who struggle with the impediments found in prior emotional deprivation.

Dr. Suzanne Baar’s chapter, entitled “The Importance of Human Formation and Affective Maturity in the Man of Communion” is published in Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century, edited by Bishop Felipe Estevez and Bishop Andrew Cozzens, published by Holy Apostles College and Seminary’s Enroute Books and Media, which is available at: https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/spiritualhusbands/. (December 8, 2020)