Weimar Institute Announces Biblical-Based Psychology Program
According to Dr. Nedley, Weimar’s mission is to model and produce medical missionaries. In addition to other medical missionary degree programs, Weimar Institute will be offering a biblical-based psychology program this fall utilizing Christ’s method.
The new psychology program at Weimar will offer Biblical tools to provide balance for those who desire to work with a hurting world.
Under the direction of Flavia Jorge, Ph.D. in clinical psychology, the new bachelor of arts degree in psychology will incorporate Weimar’s unique mission and vision of using the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy for core textbooks.
When Flavia Jorge, PhD, was baptized at age of 14, her pastor led the hymn, “I Will Follow Thee My Savior.” This has indeed been the theme song to Dr. Jorge’s life as God has led her from Mozambique, to France, then Michigan, and finally California. Dr. Jorge holds both a master’s and PhD in educational psychology from Andrews University.
After graduating from her alma mater in 1988, she joined her husband in Loma Linda, where he was preparing his doctorate in educational administration. It was at this time that she started working for the San Bernardino County as a full-time clinical therapist. Upon receiving her psychology license, she continued her work at the San Bernardino County outpatient clinic, where her work involved seeing clients from all age groups that displayed the full spectrum of psychopathology. Most clients were admitted on an acute-crisis basis and this early stage of her career, Dr. Jorge reminisces, provided her with a rich and indelible clinical experience.
A few years later she was invited to pioneer the forensic jail services for the San Bernardino County, where she became the first psychologist to provide mental health services in the three major county jails. Four years later, she was elected as part of a team of professionals, who developed and administered a perinatal substance abuse treatment program, for dual- diagnosed women that were giving birth to drug-exposed infants. Dr. Jorge served on this team for the next 10 years and it was here that she received the Leadership Award from the Children’s Network of San Bernardino County, for her outstanding work on improving the treatment outcome for families. During her years of service in the San Bernardino County, she pursued her passion for both clinical and forensic psychology through her private practice, and she was often sought after by the Superior Courts for evaluations and expert witness.
After 14 years of civil service at the county level, Dr. Jorge felt it was time to change the direction of her career to focus more on her other passion for forensic psychology. She applied and was accepted at the Patton State Hospital, where she worked for the next 13 years. During this time, she also worked as an adjunct professor of psychology at Loma Linda University. Throughout her years of work in the public sector, Dr. Jorge used her professional career as an entering wedge to present her patients to Christ. Although at times this was very challenging, she sought creative ways to lead patients into wanting to know how they could develop a relationship with the God that she loves so much. As patients experienced a saving relationship with God, they saw significant and often miraculous healing in their own lives.
Flavia Jorge, PhD, will be leading the Psychology Program at Weimar Institute starting this Fall.
About two years ago, the Lord started impressing Dr. Jorge that she needed to retire, so as His faithful servant, she started making early preparations for retirement and prayerfully asked the Lord to reveal His will for her future. After a series of providential circumstances, she found herself at a camp meeting in Prescott Arizona in 2016, where she met a fellow believer that put her in touch with Don Mackintosh, the chairman of the religion department and director of the health program at Weimar Institute. Pastor Mackintosh quickly referred her to Neil Nedley MD for the Depression and Anxiety Recovery program (DR) and she was invited to join the DR team for the August session. At the end of the DR program, Dr. Nedley, Weimar’s president, approached her to develop a psychology program for Weimar Institute. His vision was to develop a science-based and Christ-centered psychology program that would prepare therapists to join the comprehensive evangelistic team.
Dr. Jorge rose to the challenge and started gestating the psychology program from her room at the Weimar Inn. Over the course of her nine months at Weimar, she has not only covered the teaching for two of the psychology classes, but also finalized the WSCUC accreditation process. Her desire is that as many students as possible would join the psychology program because the ‘harvest is ripe but the Christian psychology laborers are very few.’ Dr. Jorge is looking for students who, moved to compassion by the great love that was first shown towards them by Christ’s self-sacrificing atonement, would go out into the field and live a life of active service. In the same way that she has responded to the call ‘who will go for us?’ (Isaiah 53), it is her earnest hope that many more, like her, will answer ‘here am I Lord, send me.’
- For more information about the psychology program, visit www.weimar.edu
- Or email [email protected]
- Or call 530-422-7923.