Santa Clara University

Thomas G. Plante, Ph.D., ABPP

Thomas Plante is professor of psychology at Santa Clara University and adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine. He has served as psychology department chair, acting dean of the school of education, counseling psychology, and pastoral ministries, and director of the spirituality and health institute at Santa Clara University. He currently serves on the National Review Board for the Protection of Children for the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops. He was born and raised in Rhode Island and received his ScB degree in psychology from Brown University, his M.A. and PhD degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Kansas, and his clinical internship and postdoctoral fellowship in clinical and health psychology from Yale University. Prior to coming to Santa Clara in 1994, he was a staff psychologist and on the clinical faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine and director of mental health services at the Children’s Health Council in Palo Alto, California. He has authored, co-authored, edited, or co-edited twelve books including Sin against the Innocents: Sexual Abuse by Priests and the Role of the Catholic Church (2004, Greenwood), Bless Me Father For I Have Sinned: Perspectives on Sexual Abuse Committed by Roman Catholic Priests (1999, Greenwood), Faith and Health: Psychological Perspectives (2001, Guilford), Do the Right Thing: Living Ethically in an Unethical World (2004, New Harbinger), Contemporary Clinical Psychology (1999, 2005, Wiley), Mental Disorders of the New Millennium (Vols. I, II, and III, 2006, Greenwood), Spirit, Science and Health: How the Spiritual Mind Fuels Physical Wellness (2007, Greenwood), and Spiritual Practices in Psychotherapy: Thirteen Tools for Enhancing Psychological Health (2009, American Psychological Association) as well as published over 150 scholarly professional journal articles and book chapters. His area of clinical and research interest focuses on stress and coping, the influence of aerobic exercise and perceived fitness on psychological functioning, faith and health outcomes, psychological issues among Catholic clergy and laypersons, and ethical decision making. He has been featured in numerous media outlets including Time Magazine, CNN, NBC Nightly News, the PBS News Hour, New York Times, USA Today, British Broadcasting Company, National Public Radio, among many others. He has evaluated or treated more than 250 priests and applicants to the priesthood and deaconate and has served as a consultant for a number of Church dioceses and religious orders. Time Magazine referred to him (April 1, 2002) as one of “three leading (American) Catholics.” He maintains a private practice in Menlo Park, CA where he lives with his wife, Lori (also a psychologist) and son, Zachary. His hobbies include running and managing a small home vineyard where he and his family grow syrah grapes for wine making under the TLZ Plante Family Vineyard label.

Books Published

Plante, T. G. (2009). Spiritual Practices in Psychotherapy: Thirteen Tools for Enhancing Psychological Health. American Psychological Association (APA).

Plante, T. G. &Thoresen, C. E. (2007). Spirit, Science, and Health: How the Spiritual Mind Fuels Physical Wellness. Westport, CT: Praeger/Greenwood, in preparation.

Plante, T.G. (2004). Do the Right Thing: Living Ethically in an Unethical World. Oakland, CA: New Harbinger.

Plante, T. G., & Sherman, A. S. (Eds.)(2001). Faith and Health: Psychological Perspectives New York: Guilford.

PDFs Available

• Learning from Spiritual Models and Meditation: A Randomized Evaluation of a College Course

• Meditation Lowers Stress and Supports Forgiveness Among College Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• The Development of the Santa Clara Brief Compassion Scale: An Abbreviation of Sprecher and Fehr’s Compassionate Love Scale

• What Do the Spiritual and Religious Traditions Offer the Practicing Psychologist?

• The Development of a Brief Version of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire

• The Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Roman Catholic Church: What Psychologists and Counselors Should Know

• Reliability and Validity of the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire

• A Proposed Psychological Assessment Protocol for Applicants to Religious Life in the Roman Catholic Church

• Homosexual Applicants to the Priesthood: How Many and Are They Psychologically Healthy?

• The Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire

• Integrating Spirituality and Psychotherapy: Ethical Issues and Principles to Consider

For information about the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire, click here.