Dr. Steven Sandage

Dr. Steven Sandage worked as a Dr. chaplain in prisons, geriatric facilities, group homes for boys and mental health facilities. During that time, he was drawn to the work of helping people who were struggling to find hope. Now a professor of psychology of religion and theology with Boston University, Dr. Sandage studies the intersection of spirituality and mental health. His books and research explore how we can use both psycholo-gy and theology to cultivate hope through prayer, connection and healing. We spoke with him about what science can tell us about hope and prayer, and what we still have to learn about the role God can play.

What made you want to study the connections between spiritual-ity and mental health, specifically the concept of hope?

I had a powerful experience during my doctoral studies in psychology my that made me really interested in the connection between faith, psychology and hope.

I was in my mid-twenties, and I’d always thought