Dr. Janet B. Dean
Professor of Pastoral Counseling Education
Dr. Janet Dean is Professor of Pastoral Counseling here at Asbury Theological Seminary. Prior to coming to the seminary, she served at Asbury University – 14 years as Professor of Psychology and 4 years as a Community Counselor in Student Development. During that same time, she was an affiliate faculty member at ATS for 20 years. She is an ordained elder in the Church of the Nazarene and currently serves as Associate Pastor of Pastoral Counseling at Lafayette Church of the Nazarene in Lexington.
Dr. Dean’s recent publications include multiple articles and chapters on sexual and gender identity and faith settings, as well as the book, Listening to Sexual Minorities: A Study of Faith and Sexual Identity on Christian College Campuses that she co-authored with Dr. Mark Yarhouse, Dr. Steve Stratton, and Dr. Michael Lastoria. As a Fellow with the Sexual & Gender Identity Institute through Wheaton College, her primary research explores sexuality and gender identity development on faith-based campuses and in church communities. Other research interests include sexuality and religiosity, thoughts of God and psychological well-being, mental health, and counselor self-care.
With more than 20 years of experience in psychological assessment and treatment, Dr. Dean has worked across a variety of settings, including university counseling, community mental health, correctional and forensic psychology, and her ongoing private practice. Dr. Dean is actively involved with numerous professional organizations, including the Kentucky Counseling Association, the Kentucky Psychological Association, the American Psychological Association and its Division 36 Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. In addition to serving her denomination, she is on the board of two ministries, EQUIP (Nashville, TN) and The Schooler Institute (Dayton, OH).
Due to both her research and clinical work, Dr. Dean is a nationally recognized speaker on topics related to sexual/gender identity, mental health, discipleship, and faith, speaking in local churches, professional conferences, retreats, universities, and other venues. Her more recent work includes webinars, small groups, and a video series to equip church leaders to better care for their people.
Dr. Dean (ATS, 1994, 1997) is married to Rev. Kevin Dean (ATS, 1996), a retired US Navy Chaplain. Their oldest son Jonathan is an ATS graduate (2023), and their younger son Rowan is currently an ATS student.