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Matthew Clemente, Ph.D. and David Goodman, Ph.D.

About

Matthew Clemente, Ph.D., is a husband and father. He is a Research Fellow in the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics at Boston College, where he teaches philosophy and theology. He also runs philosophically-oriented continuing education courses for clinicians.

David Goodman, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist on the faculty at Boston College's Lynch School of Education and Human Development, where he also serves as the Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives and External Relations and the Director of the Center for Psychological Humanities and Ethics. David remains active in clinical practice as well, with a practice in Boston.

Books by Matthew Clemente, Ph.D. and David Goodman, Ph.D.
Recent Posts
Despair and the Crisis of Meaning
Despair is a common experience. For some thinkers, despair arises from the desire not to be yourself. Nevertheless, it is possible to find joy in the face of profound suffering.
It’s Good to Fail
Our fixation with success convinces us that we are independent and self-sufficient. An honest acknowledgment of failure, however, allows us to humbly accept our need for others.
We Overthink Things
We all experience anxiety but struggle to understand it. For existential philosophers, anxiety is rooted in self-awareness. Yet, self-awareness may provide a path beyond it.
Failed Resolutions and Broken Promises
Humans often find themselves making the same mistakes. Such self-defeating behavior can only be reckoned with if one is willing to remember and work through past traumas.
Life Doesn’t Make Sense

We are meaning-seeking creatures. Yet our desire for understanding is often stifled. This awakens us to the painful absurdity of existence. Candor and humor can help.

We are meaning-seeking creatures. Yet our desire for understanding is often stifled. This awakens us to the painful absurdity of existence. Candor and humor can help.

The Fear of God in Therapy

Though rarely discussed, religious experiences are far from rare. Theology provides a language for the feelings of awe and dread that result from a run-in with the wholly other.

Though rarely discussed, religious experiences are far from rare. Theology provides a language for the feelings of awe and dread that result from a run-in with the wholly other.

How Literature Teaches Compassion Over Condescension

Today, fuller notions of compassion seem to be on the wane. Reading great literature, however, can reverse the trend by inviting us to imagine our way into the minds of others.

Today, fuller notions of compassion seem to be on the wane. Reading great literature, however, can reverse the trend by inviting us to imagine our way into the minds of others.

Remember, Thou Art Dust

Every therapist will see a client wrestling with questions of death. Philosophy can help us to be more present to the suffering of others by reminding us of our own mortality.

Every therapist will see a client wrestling with questions of death. Philosophy can help us to be more present to the suffering of others by reminding us of our own mortality.

Inviting Psychology to the Cocktail Party

In recent decades, psychology has become the dominant means of making sense of experience and forming identity. This comes with responsibility and opportunity.

In recent decades, psychology has become the dominant means of making sense of experience and forming identity. This comes with responsibility and opportunity.