Christopher Braley

Assistant Professor of Psychology, Chair of General Ed. Dept.

B.A. (University of Southern Maine, 1993), M.A. (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 1996), M.A. (Biola University/Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology, 1998), PsyD (Biola University/Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology, 2001)

CBraley@kuyper.edu • 616.988.3646

Professor Braley has taught at Kuyper College since the fall of 2004.  Prior to Kuyper College, he served as a clinical psychologist for Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for three years, where he provided psychotherapy services and conducted psychological testing.  He completed his doctoral internship at the counseling center at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Michigan. Professor Braley teaches several courses in psychology and the social sciences, including General Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Educational Psychology, Intro. to Sociology,The Psychology of Religious Experience, and Social Science Statistics.  Professor Braley brings with him nearly 10 years of clinical experience in a wide range of settings, including college counseling centers, high school guidance offices, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, AIDS service organizations and outpatient counseling centers.  In class, students enjoy hearing his humorous recollections of unusual experiences he’s had in his role as a psychologist.  Ask him about the patient whose hair he set on fire!

"I absolutely love teaching at Kuyper College.  It is a joy and a privilege to work with students who see their whole lives as ministries and who are all willing to accept the costs of discipleship.  In my role as a professor of psychology, I hope to help my students learn to make the best possible use of the insights and tools provided by the field of psychology.  John Calvin declared that true and solid wisdom consists largely in the knowledge of God and in the knowledge of self.  In this famous claim, Calvin has framed my task as a Christian psychologist and as a professor at Kuyper College.  The various branches of psychology help us to grasp the vulnerabilities of the human person, the dynamics of human relationships, the power of emotion and the complexities of cognition; these insights speak directly to that knowledge of self that Calvin identified as so integral to the knowledge of God.  As an instructor, I hope to help students take full advantage of the psychological resources that are available to them—not only for developing self-awareness, but also for developing knowledge and useful skills for ministering to others.  Properly integrated with solid scriptural principles and sound doctrine, psychology is a fantastic tool for developing self-knowledge and for ministry in God’s kingdom."

Professor Braley was born and raised in Maine, which he affectionately refers to as the Promised Land.  He enjoys a good game of Scrabble, a Starbucks chai, and a trek through the woods on a mountain bike.  He’s also a rank-amateur pianist and organist.  His heroes (living and dead) are John Piper, Charles Spurgeon, and Doug Felch.  He attends Harvest Orthodox Presbyterian Church.