The TheoBioPsychoSocial Relational Model of Flourishing in Christ: Integrating Biblical Christian Theology with Positive Psychology into a Practical Resource for Mental-Spiritual Health, Growth, and Care

Summary

As the field of mental health increasingly acknowledges the importance of spirituality and religion, a persistent challenge remains—integrative approaches have often treated spirituality and religion as an adjunct rather than a foundational dimension of mental health care. This poster addresses this limitation by presenting the TheoBioPsychoSocial Relational Model of Flourishing in Christ, as a theologically grounded and psychologically informed construct designed to translate theory into clinical, pastoral, and educational practice. This model takes a clear stance on wholism verses reductionism.

Drawing from the Biblical meta-narratives of the creation and fall in Genesis 1-3, the Great Love Commandments in Matthew 22:34-39 and Mark 12:28-31, and the concept of shalom as well-being in Psalm 72:7 this model conceptualizes flourishing as being built on and through personal love relationships with God, self, others, and creation. It integrates the traditional Christian theology and practice of pastoral care and counseling (Clinebell’s Six Dimensions of Wholeness) with contemporary human flourishing science (VanderWeele’s Four Pathways and Six Domains of Flourishing). 

Theologically, the model emphasizes Christian faith, hope and love, shalom, and relational unity as key themes that converge where divine activity, human growth, and relational life intersect. Psychologically, the model focuses on strengthening mental-spiritual health, growth, and care through the sciences of positive psychology and human flourishing. 

Designed for translational application, the model offers clinicians, chaplains, clergy, and educators shared conceptual language for integrating spiritual and religious formation, character and virtue development, and a pathway to flourishing in Christ into their practice. Future directions involve piloting a flourishing self-assessment instrument in a religious setting and producing evidence-informed resources to promote and develop flourishing across individual, couple, and family contexts.