Dr. Louis Hoffman, '95 Uses Concordia experience as springboard to study of Psychology
Dr. Louis Hoffman, ‘95 was recently appointed as a Fellow of the Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality (Division 36 of the American Psychological Association). He was previously appointed as a fellow of the American Psychological Association as well as Division 10 (Society for the Study of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts), Division 32 (Society for Humanistic Psychology), and Division 10 (International Psychology).
According to the American Psychological Association, “Fellow status is an honor bestowed upon APA members who have shown evidence of unusual and outstanding contributions or performance in the field of psychology.”
Dr. Hoffman has engaged in research and scholarship relevant to the psychology of religion and spirituality throughout his career, including four books relevant the psychology of religion and spirituality. He also was one of the first United States scholars to participate in a project to help develop the psychology of religion in China, which was supported by a grant through the Templeton Foundation.
A faculty member at Saybrook University, Dr. Hoffman is a widely recognized luminary in the field of existential psychology and the author/editor of thirteen books. These include: "Existential Psychology East-West," "Brilliant Sanity: Buddhist Approaches to Psychotherapy," "Spirituality and Psychological Health," and "Journey of the Wounded Soul: Poetic Companions for Spiritual Struggles." In addition, he contributed chapters to many volumes, including "Existential-Integrative Psychotherapy: Guideposts to the Core of Practice," "Whole Person Healthcare, and Explaining Evil." Hoffman is also the recent past-president of the Society of Humanistic Psychology (Division 32) of the American Psychological Association and current president of the Rocky Mountain Humanstic Counseling and Psychologial Association.
Originally from Charter Oak, Iowa, Dr. Hoffman came to Concordia on a football scholarship to study business; however, by the end of the first year of his program he shifted his focus to dual major in psychology and theology. He was also attracted to Concordia because his mother, Lynn Hoffman, previously attended Concordia, and his brother, John Hoffman, began Concordia shortly before he did.
Dr. Hoffman remains particularly grateful to Dr. Russ Moulds and Dr. Paul Vasconcellos, who influenced his recognition of a love for psychology and helping people. His memories of Concordia are primarily of friendships that helped him develop to the person he wanted to become. The support and encouragement of friends and professors allowed him to discover the passions that he has continued to pursue throughout his career and life. One transformational event from his undergraduate days was participating in a servent event over spring break. Along with several friends and other students, Dr. Hoffman travelled to St. Louis to help build homes for people experiencing homelessness. This inspired a life-long commitment to service and working with people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Dr. Hoffman is married with three children. He resides in beautiful Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he enjoys the inspiration of the mountains and nature. As a dog lover, Dr. Hoffman has recently begun working to combine this with his interests in psychology through training his Siberian Husky as a therapy dog. Hiking the trails of Colorado with his dogs has been a continual source of spiritual and writing inspiration. Writing, too, has remained a strong interest for Dr. Hoffman, including scholarly writing, poetry, and dabbling in fiction. He is currently finishing a 2-volume series on existential psychology, as book on multiculturalism and humanistic psychology, and a book of social justice poetry.