Originally from India, he has been working in the academic and youth ministry contexts as a Catholic priest in East Africa since 1992. He has separate undergraduate degrees in Philosophy, Sociology, and Religious Studies, and master’s degrees in Philosophy (India) and in Psychology (London), specialising in the Psychology of Religion and Positive Psychology. He completed his PhD in Psychology at the University of London in 2012. He has published over 30 peer-reviewed academic journal articles and book chapters, and written several books, including “Pastoral Psychology for Africa” (Nairobi: Paulines, 2019).
He is trained in Narrative Therapy, Ignatian Spiritual Accompaniment, and a licenced user of Griffiths Ill Early Childhood Assessment. Selvam is a registered member and senior supervisor at the Kenya Counsellors Psychologists Association. He is the founding chair of the Positive Psychology Association of Kenya. He runs Character Coaches Training programmes with his team, forming Character Clubs in schools and youth centres in Kenya. He is also an Associate Professor and Research Associate at Marist International University College, Nairobi.