Prof. Dr. Samuel Pfeifer, M.D.
Born in 1952, Dr. Pfeifer has been serving as medical director of “Clinic Sonnenhalde” (Sunny Hill) in Riehen near Basel / Switzerland, a Christian Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, for 25 years. He has published several books and numerous articles on the integration of Soul Care and Clinical Psychiatry and Psychotherapy.
He is now serving as a senior consultant at the clinic, heading a new center of competence “Psychiatry, Spirituality and Ethics”. Further interests are in the field of “Global Mental Health in a Christian Context”, combining educating professionals and lay persons around the world in a professional psychiatry inspired by Christian values. He is married to Annemarie and has three grown sons.

1972 - 78 Medical Studies at the University of Zurich (Switzerland),
Intercultural exchange at hospitals in India (1977) and Israel (1980/81),
1981/82 Integrative studies at Rosemead School of Psychology La Mirada, USA;
1982–88 Clinical Psychiatry at various psychiatric clinics in Switzerland,

1988 - 2012 Medical Director of the Christian Psychiatric Clinic "Sonnenhalde" (= "Sunny Hill") in Basel, Switzerland

2015 Professor at the Evangelische Hochschule Tabor in Marburg (Germany) - www.studium-religion-psychotherapie.de

Other activities, professional memberships
Initiator of the International Congress on Psychotherapy and Christian Counseling in Gwatt, Switzerland (1990, 1995, 1999) and later in Marburg (2003, 2006, and 2013), frequent international speaking engagements.

Among other professional memberships:
- Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association (APA)
- Swiss Medical Society
- Swiss Society of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (SGPP)
- German Society of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Neurology (DGPPN)
- Member Care Network Europe.

4. Teaching: at various theological seminaries in Switzerland and Germany
Courses in Psychology and Christian Counseling, with a special emphasis on the interface of Psychiatry and Christian Counseling.

5. Publications:
Author or editor of seven books, some of which have been translated into 10 foreign languages (English, French, Dutch, Greek, Romanian, Polish, Russian, Czech, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Bulgarian); more than 20 professional publications in medical and theological journals. Invited lectures at Psychiatry departments of Switzerland’s leading university clinics and at various international conferences, Christian and secular.

English language publications:

1. Pfeifer S (1988) Healing at Any Price? The Hidden Dangers of Alternative Medicine. Nelson-Word (UK).

2. Pfeifer S (1994) Supporting the Weak: Contemporary Psychiatry and Christian Counseling. Nelson-Word, U.K. (PDF)

3. Pfeifer S. (1994): Faith-induced neurosis – myth or reality? Journal of Psychology and Theology 22:87-96.

4. Pfeifer S. (1994): Belief in demons and exorcism. An empirical study of 343 psychiatric patients in Switzerland. British Journal of Medical Psychology 67:247–258.

5. Pfeifer S. & Waelty U. (1995): Psychopathology and religious commitment. A controlled study. Psychopathology 28:70–77.

6. Pfeifer, S. (1996): Clinical Psychiatry and Christian Counseling: Beyond Professionalism. In: Verhagen, P.J. & Glas, G. (Eds.): Psyche and Faith: Beyond Professionalism. Boekencentrum, Zoetermeer (NL), pp. 39 – 51.

7. Pfeifer S. (1999): Demonic attributions in non-delusional disorders. Psychopathology 32:252–259.

8. Pfeifer S. & Waelty U. (1999): Anxiety, depression and religiosity – a controlled study. Mental Health, Religion & Culture 2:35-45. (PDF)

9. Pfeifer S. (2000). Religious interpretations of mental distress – empirical findings and clinical implications. Psyche & Geloof (Amsterdam) 11(2):86–97.

9. Pfeifer S. (2006). „The Sick Soul“ and beyond – Religious interpretations of mental distress in the writings of William James and today. Archives de Psychologie (Genève) 72:67–80.

10. Pfeifer S. (2007). Biblical themes in psychiatric practice: Implications for psychopathology and psychotherapy. In: Glas G. (ed.): Hearing visions and seeing voices. Springer, Dordrecht (NL), pp.267 – 277.

11. Mohr S. & Pfeifer S. (2009). Delusions and hallucinations with religious content. In: Huguelet P. & Koenig H.G. Religion and Spirituality in Psychiatry. Cambridge University Press, New York.