Rev Yanchy Lacska, PhD
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I am a husband, father, grandfather, and seeker, walking the Way of Jesus and the Way of the Tao. I grew up in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, where I completed my bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of South Florida. My sophomore year was spent studying at the Vita International Study Center in Luxembourg. I moved to Minnesota, where I earned a specialist degree in psychology and completed post-graduate clinical hypnosis training at the University of Minnesota. I later earned a PhD in Transpersonal Counseling from the University of Sedona.
 

Inasmuch as the spiritual search is at the center of my life and a vital factor in the lives of the people I work with, I answered a calling to ministry, completed seminary, and was ordained as an Orthodox-Catholic priest. Because I also desired to serve people of all faith traditions as a hospital chaplain, I completed the New Seminary's Interfaith Program, clinical pastoral education, and was ordained as an interfaith minister. Continuing my passion for learning, I have earned a post-graduate certificate in natural wellness for healthcare professionals and certification in Jungian Psychotherapy.
 

I serve people as a transpersonal counselor, spiritual director/companion. I am not a licensed mental health counselor. I am a member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (now part of the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education), the Minnesota Jung Association, and Spiritual Directors International.

For over 30 years, I have been a student of qigong, tai chi, and the Taoist philosophy on which they are based. I trained with Master Gin Foon Mark for ten years, then with Master Hong Liu for nine years, and daily with Dr. Ma Xuzhou during her five-month stay in the USA. I was among the first USA students certified as a master trainer in Tai Chi for Health by Dr. Paul Lam. Since 1999, I have taught qigong and tai chi in several locations, including at the University of Minnesota Center for Spirituality and Healing and Health East (now Fairview) hospitals and clinics. I always include qigong or tai chi in my retreats and workshops. I am a member of the National Qigong Association.


I have taught part-time in the graduate school at Hamline University and the College of Oriental Medicine at Northwestern Health Sciences University. My wellness, tai chi, and crisis counseling articles have been published internationally, and I write a blog for the St. Scholastica Center for Spirituality and Enrichment. My book, Finding the Way - The Life of a Seeker, was published in 2023. My wife, Wendy, and I were twice guest lecturers at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. In addition, I have presented at the Haden Institute Summer Dream and Spirituality Conference and regularly lead retreats at the St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, Minnesota. Besides working as an educator and retreat leader, I have worked as a psychotherapist, emergency management coordinator, and chaplain at Woodwinds Health Campus, an integrative medicine hospital in Woodbury, Minnesota.

I live with my wife, Wendy, an oil painter, in a wooded setting in Western Wisconsin. When we are not traveling or spending time with family and friends, we love to walk along the riverfront of our little town on the St. Croix River and in nearby state parks.
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