Dr. Eileen Raffaniello Barbella is Dr. Mary Anne Urlakis’ guest on Episode 18 of “Vows, Vocations, & Promises: Discerning the Call of Call of Love,” in the on-going series of interviews of the authors of the new book: Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century, edited by Bishop Felipe Estevez and Bishop Andrew Cozzens, published by Holy Apostles College and Seminary’s Enroute Books and Media. In this interview, Dr. Raffaniello Barbella presents her work on Bowen Theory and the development of the human person. Bowen Theory is a natural systems theory of psychology which moves beyond polarization and blame, and rather focuses on what it takes to be a mature, fully differentiated human person- in spite of how our emotions tend to interfere with our efforts.

Dr. Eileen Raffaniello Barbello is a licensed psychologist with formation as a spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas in Austin and subsequently developed a graduate course in family interventions for the University of Cincinnati while on the faculty as Assistant Professor. She has also held faculty positions at St. Edward University and the University of St. Thomas School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. As a pastoral associate, campus minister, and co-director of a diocesan training program for spiritual directors in Austin, Dr. Raffaniello Barbello integrated her study of Ignatian Spirituality with her expertise in psychology. She has been a retreat leader and presented workshops at Assumption Seminary in San Antonio and St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Florida. Dr. Raffaniello Barbello currently resides in West Texas and has served as the Clinical Director for the Shalom Center and the first full-time psychologist at the Shannon Clinic.

In Episode 18 of “Vows, Vocations, and Promises: Discerning the Call of Love,” Dr. Raffaniello Barbello discusses her work with Bowen Theory, and explains that Bowen Theory offers a new way of thinking about anxiety and its ways of sabotaging our ability to be ourselves. In this interview, Dr. Eileen presents highlights of her work recently published as Chapter 13 “Integrity, Identity, and Fidelity” in Spiritual Husbands- Spiritual Fathers: Priestly Formation for the 21st Century, [available via Enroute Publishing at: at https://enroutebooksandmedia.com/spiritualhusbands/].