MICHAEL A. CAPARRELLI, PhD
Over three decades ago, Dr. Michael Caparrelli first heard the gospel at the age of 17 while incarcerated at a juvenile detention center in Providence, RI for a string of robberies. Upon his release, his life was transformed by the power of Jesus Christ at North Providence Assembly of God where he was then mentored by Pastor Pasco Manzo, now CEO of Adult & Teen Challenge New England and New Jersey.
In 2004, he graduated from Zion Bible College with a Bachelor’s degree in Bible and for several years served as an associate pastor at North Providence Assembly of God and in 2008, he graduated with a Master’s degree in Education from Liberty University.
From 2009-2019, he founded and pastored Sacred Exchange Fellowship, a church plant near Providence, RI. The church, birthed from the promise of God in Isaiah 61:3 (Beauty for Ashes), served as a spiritual hospital and flourished, growing from 15 people in a storefront to 300 people on 4.5 acres of land with a large building, secured through a zero-interest mortgage from a local businessman.
Dr. Caparrelli’s pastoral experiences extended to include counseling recovering addicts, the mentally ill, and prison inmates throughout Rhode Island, Connecticut, and New York; during which time he received much joy seeing God transform some of the worst offenders into devoted followers of Christ.
In 2021, he completed his 128 credit PhD in Advanced Studies in Human Behavior from The School of Behavioral Science at Capella University. His doctoral dissertation was entitled, “The Impact of Involvement with the Evangelical Church upon the Recovery Journey of People with Chemical Addictions - A Qualitative Study." Dr. Caparrelli traveled throughout the northeast for 16 months interviewing people in recovery from substance abuse by asking the question, "How has the evangelical church helped or hurt your recovery journey?"
Also in 2021, Dr. Caparrelli resigned his pastoral position after surviving two heart attacks to travel with UnMuted - his ministry that gives the oppressed their voices back. It was inspired by Mark Chapter 7 where Jesus healed a mute man whose tongue was instantly loosed. He believes in the healing power of narrative therapy - people's tragedies transform into testimonies as they tell their story of what God has done.
June 2021 brought the opportunity to open for John Maxwell at the National Adult & Teen Challenge USA Convention in Orlando, FL and since then, he has lectured in 26 states and 4 nations in churches, substance abuse centers, prisons, and universities.
Dr. Caparrelli has authored five books which help the broken overcome - Surviving Feelings, Dr. Jesus, The Ox and the Ass, Pen Your Pain into Parables, and Monster Mirror. His books have been adapted into the curriculum of several Adult & Teen Challenge centers and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections.
He is a professor of six psychology courses at Northpoint Christian College and Manchester Community College: General Psychology, Criminal Psychology, Social Psychology, Introduction to Counseling, Theories of Addiction Counseling, Abnormal Psychology, and Human Growth and Development.
In 2023, Dr. Caparrelli completed a 100-hour, 34 session, analysis of David Berkowitz, formerly known as the Son of Sam. The study sheds light on the mental health factors and demonic activity behind violence as well as Berkowitz's miraculous spiritual conversion since 1988. The book, Monster Mirror, ranked #1 on Amazon in True Crime New Releases throughout October 2023. He has appeared on the 700 Club, Dr. Carolyn Leaf’s Podcast, and Dr. Daniel Amen's show. In 2025, the book is featured on a 5-part documentary series on Netflix.
Most notably, Dr. Caparrelli is married to Alicia Ann and has 4 children, 3 stepchildren, and 3 grandchildren.