Dr. Mark Christians serves as professor and department chair of psychology at Dordt University, teaching courses such as Lifespan Development, Helping Skills, Personality Theories, and History of Psychology and Worldview.
Before coming to Dordt, Christians served as the K-12 guidance counselor at Des Moines Christian School.
Christians’ research interests span human development, mental health of adolescents and young adults, and stress response and coping. His ongoing engagement with these topics is reflected in a variety of publications and presentations, such as the following:
- Christians, M. E. (2023). “The joy of knowing and being known.” Commencement address, Dordt University. Published in Pro Rege.
- Christians, M. E. (2017). “A psychologically healthy leader.” Invited speaker at the Northwestern University Leadership Series, Orange City, IA.
- Christians, M. E., Clevering, J. B., & Sandbulte, N. J. (2011, April). Mission-driven learning in psychology. Presented at the Christian Association for Psychological Studies International Conference, Indianapolis, IN.
“My inspiration comes from a basic curiosity with the human mind and behavior. God created us to be whole beings—spiritually, physically, cognitively, socially, and psychologically,” says Christians. “I am inspired by our gifted faculty, staff, and students who share this curiosity and mission to explore all aspects of God's creation - including psychology.”
In additional to his teaching responsibilities, Christians has served Dordt’s community in other ways. He serves as the faculty advisor to the pre-occupational therapy program, is a member of the Assessment and Program Review Committee and enjoys being the public address announcer for home Dordt football and basketball games. Additionally, he served as the Chair of the faculty at Dordt from 2016-2022. Prior to being a faculty member, he served as the director of personal counseling at Dordt from 1989-2000.
In his free time, Christians enjoys gravel and mountain biking, hiking, and spending time with his wife, children, and five grandchildren.
Education:
- B.A., Psychology & Education, Dordt College, 1985
- Master of Arts in Education, School Counseling, Northern Arizona University, 1986
- Doctor of Educational Psychology and Counseling, University of South Dakota, 1996