When theology and psychology meet, something new begins to take shape. For many Filipino Americans, faith has always been central. It is a way of finding strength, meaning, and belonging. Yet the emotional and psychological parts of that story have not always had a place at the table.
Dr. Eleanor Baylon and Rev. Dr. Gabriel J. Catanus, directors of the Filipino American Ministry Initiative (FAMI) at Fuller Seminary, wanted to change that. In their article, “For Us, By Us,” they describe how FAMI became a space where theology and psychology come together to serve the Filipino American community.
FAMI is the first seminary-based initiative led by Filipino Americans to integrate faith, culture, and mental health. It began with a simple question: what would it look like for Filipino Americans to develop their own frameworks for care, reflection, and healing - not borrowed from other contexts, but grounded in their lived experience?
FAMI’s Beginnings
FAMI grew from what its directors observed in both theology and psychology. Catanus, a theologian and pastor, noted that most theological training relied on Western frameworks that did not reflect how Filipino Americans understand God or community. Baylon, a clinical psychologist, recognized that mainstream psychology rarely captured the communal, faith-shaped dimensions of Filipino life.
“Where are the stories, voices, and practices of our own communities in the study of God and the human soul?”
— Rev. Dr. Gabriel J. Catanus
FAMI was created to address those gaps to form pastors, students, and community leaders who could think about theology and mental health together, within the contexts of their histories and culture.
Integration, Not Assimilation
FAMI describes integration as an act of agency. The goal is not to merge theology and psychology into a single discipline but to allow them to inform and deepen one another.
“Our healing work must begin from the realities of our people — their stories, struggles, and sacred imagination.”
— Dr. Eleanor Baylon
By bringing theology and psychology into dialogue, FAMI helps people see how spiritual formation and psychological health are connected. Integration becomes a way of claiming voice and agency. It is a chance for Filipino Americans to interpret their own faith and experience rather than be interpreted by others.
“Integration becomes a form of cultural agency: Filipino Americans no longer receive outside interpretations of their faith or identity; they become interpreters themselves.”
Through research, teaching, and community gatherings, FAMI models a practical form of integration - one shaped by story, reflection, and shared learning.
A Continuing Story
FAMI understands its work as an ongoing process that grows and evolves with the community it serves.
“The work of integration is still being written — a theology and psychology in motion, grounded in Filipino American stories.”
The initiative continues to ask important questions, including:
How can seminaries and churches address mental health in ways that are meaningful for Filipino Americans?
What happens when care and reflection begin within the community itself?
How can theology and psychology be taught and practiced in partnership rather than apart?
FAMI’s story shows that integration is not a destination but a way of living and learning together.
Why It Matters
By centering the Filipino American experience, FAMI is learning how both theology and psychology understand formation and care. Baylon and Catanus demonstrate that faith and mental health are not separate concerns but deeply connected aspects of human flourishing.
The work of FAMI reminds us that true integration begins from within: when a community defines its own frameworks, tells its own stories, and finds healing in both mind and spirit.
About the Directors
Dr. Eleanor Baylon is a clinical psychologist and Director of Formation for the Filipino American Ministry Initiative, and Assistant Professor of clinical psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary. Her work focuses on cultural identity, spirituality, and mental health for emerging adults and those in ministry.
Rev. Dr. Gabriel J. Catanus is a theologian, pastor, and affiliate assistant professor of theology and ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is the Director of the Filipino American Ministry Initiative (FAMI) and writes about theology, ethics, and Filipino American spirituality.
Further Reading
For readers who want to explore the sources FAMI engages in their study:
David, E. J. R. (2013). Brown Skin, White Minds: Filipino-/American Postcolonial Psychology. Information Age Publishing.
Gonzalez, J. J. (2009). Filipino American Faith in Action: Immigration, Religion, and Civic Engagement. NYU Press.
Ocampo, A. C. (2016). The Latinos of Asia: How Filipino Americans Break the Rules of Race. Stanford University Press.
Strobel, L. M. (1997). Coming Full Circle: The Process of Decolonization among Post-1965 Filipino Americans. In M. P. Root (Ed.), Sage Publications.
Tuazon, V. E., Gonzalez, E., Gutierrez, D., & Nelson, L. (2019). Colonial mentality and mental health help-seeking of Filipino Americans. Journal of Counseling & Development, 97(4).
Catanus, G. J. (2022). Colonial spirituality: The pain and politics of doing Filipino American theology. ChristianityNext, 7.
Baylon, E., & Catanus, G. J. (2025). For Us, By Us: Integrating Psychology and Theology Through the Filipino American Ministry Initiative. Journal of Psychology and Theology.