Doctor of Ministry in Trauma-Informed Leadership for Ministry
Join the First Trauma-Informed Leadership for Ministry Cohort
The Trauma-Informed Leadership for Ministry Doctor of Ministry focus prepares pastors, chaplains, nonprofit leaders, community leaders, and lay leaders to respond faithfully and thoughtfully to trauma, grief, suffering, and mental health challenges within their ministries and communities.
Drawing on the interdisciplinary integration of theology, spirituality, Scripture, and the psychological sciences, this focus equips leaders to cultivate practices of resilience, healing, and recovery in non-clinical settings. Students will explore how trauma affects individuals, families, congregations, and communities—and how ministry leaders can foster spaces of hope, care, justice, and wholeness.
This focus is designed for leaders who recognize that trauma and emotional suffering increasingly shape congregational life, neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, and public life. Students will engage practical theological reflection alongside cultural and contextual analysis, developing ministry practices that are spiritually grounded, ethically informed, and responsive to real-world challenges.
The program is not a clinical counseling degree and does not lead to mental health licensure. Rather, it prepares leaders to serve as informed, compassionate, and collaborative practitioners who can support communities while working alongside mental health professionals and other care providers.
Hear from Our Faculty
Why Trauma-Informed Leadership?
Communities today are navigating unprecedented levels of grief, anxiety, violence, displacement, burnout, isolation, racial trauma, and collective suffering. Congregations and community organizations are often among the first places people turn in moments of crisis, yet many leaders feel underprepared to respond effectively and faithfully.
The Trauma-Informed Leadership for Ministry focus helps students:
- Understand the impact of trauma on individuals and communities
- Integrate theology, spirituality, and psychology in ministry practice
- Develop culturally responsive and contextually grounded leadership
- Foster resilience, healing, and recovery in congregational and community settings
- Think critically about race, justice, suffering, and collective trauma
- Build collaborative relationships with mental health professionals and community partners
- Explore non-clinical approaches to care, accompaniment, and spiritual leadership
Students are encouraged to imagine innovative and contextually appropriate forms of ministry that support emotional, relational, and spiritual well-being in their communities.
Faculty Mentor
Danjuma Gibson, Ph.D.
This focus is mentored by Dr. Danjuma Gibson, Professor of Practical Theology and Psychology at PTS, whose scholarship explores the intersection of psychology, theology, spirituality, race, and human flourishing. His work equips ministry leaders to engage emotional and psychological suffering through culturally informed and spiritually grounded approaches to care and leadership.
Program Details
Review the application steps, tuition information, and curriculum for the Trauma-Informed Leadership for Ministry D.Min. program.
How to Apply
Space in the Trauma-Informed Leadership in Ministry is limited, so apply early. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary accepts D.Min. degree applications on a rolling basis, and a waitlist is available if the cohort reaches capacity. Explore the D.Min. degree admission requirements to start your application.
Have questions about applying to the Doctor of Ministry program? E-mail the admissions team at or call 412-924-1365.
Cost and Financial Aid
We’ve structured tuition for the Trauma-Informed Leadership in Ministry program to reflect our commitment to church leaders by keeping the cost of attendance lower than most doctoral programs. Pittsburgh Theological Seminary also offers financial aid and scholarship opportunities for eligible students earning their D.Min. degree.
Note: Federal loans are not available for this program.
Schedule
| Date | Course |
| June 2027 | Theories of Trauma, Intervention, and Praxis Danjuma Gibson, Ph.D. (faculty mentor) Professor of Practical Theology and Psychology Pittsburgh Theological Seminary |
| June 2027 | Research Methods The Rev. Donna Giver-Johnston, Ph.D. Director of Doctor of Ministry Program, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary |
| January 2028 | Intergenerational and Cultural Trauma Professor TBD |
| January 2028 | Trauma, Grief, and Loss in the Family System The Rev. Leanna Fuller, Ph.D. Joan Marshall Professor of Pastoral Care Pittsburgh Theological Seminary |
| June 2028 | Trauma and the Old Testament The Rev. Kimberly Russaw, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Old Testament Pittsburgh Theological Seminary |
| June 2028 | Theological Ethics and Trauma: Fostering Resilience and Healing The Rev. AnneMarie Mingo, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Ethics, Culture, and Moral Leadership and Director of the Metro-Urban Institute Pittsburgh Theological Seminary |
| January 2029 | Trauma, Crisis, and The Mission of God in the Neighborhood Scott Hagley, Ph.D. W. Don McClure Professor of World Mission and Evangelism, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary |
| January 2029 | Understanding Psychopathology and Mental Disorders for Ministry Danjuma Gibson, Ph.D. (faculty mentor) Professor of Practical Theology and Psychology Pittsburgh Theological Seminary |
| June 2029 | Integrating Religion, Psychology, and Spirituality: Trauma Recovery and Healing Danjuma Gibson, Ph.D. (faculty mentor) Professor of Practical Theology and Psychology Pittsburgh Theological Seminary |
| June 2029 | Practical Theology and Mental Health: Professional Ethics, Legality, and Praxis Professor TBD |
Student Learning Outcomes
Students in this focus will:
- Integrate theological and scriptural knowledge with their cultural contexts.
- Richly describe and analyze cultural contexts to recognize, frame, and respond to crucial issues arising in their ministry.
- Develop enhanced leadership capacities oriented toward effective ministry.
- Draw upon theological resources and practices to reinvigorate and deepen their vocational callings.
- Demonstrate the ability to reflect on their own social location (e.g. gender, religion, nationality, race, etc.).
- Analyze and describe the effects of trauma on individuals and communities and how it undermines human flourishing
- Ethically integrate the psychological sciences with theology, scripture, and other components of religious life to promote psycho-spiritual health and wholeness
Program Distinctives
Interdisciplinary Formation
Students engage theology, Scripture, pastoral care, trauma theory, ethics, spirituality, and psychology in integrated and practical ways.
Contextual and Community-Based Learning
The program emphasizes cultural analysis, contextual leadership, and qualitative research methods that help students engage the realities of their own ministry settings.
Practical Ministry Focus
Coursework is designed to strengthen leadership for real ministry contexts, including churches, chaplaincy settings, nonprofit organizations, schools, and community-based initiatives.
Intensive Cohort Model
Students learn in a close-knit cohort of peers committed to thoughtful leadership, spiritual formation, and mutual support.
Justice-Oriented Leadership
The focus explores how trauma intersects with racism, violence, poverty, displacement, grief, and other forms of suffering and adversity affecting individuals and communities.
Learn more about the Doctor of Ministry Trauma-Informed Leadership for Ministry Cohort
The Doctor of Ministry Program at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary is a professional doctoral degree designed for experienced ministry leaders seeking renewal, growth, and deeper integration of theology and practice. Students learn in focused cohorts, engage faculty mentors, and complete a doctoral project rooted in their ministry context. Join this cohort to learn how to respond to suffering with wisdom, compassion, theological depth, and practical skill.
The application will be open by June 2026. Complete the form below to express your interest and be notified when the application period opens.
