Abstract
This paper will elucidate on the development of a set of ethical and identity procedures for ministerial boundaries preserved through a network with other individuals seeking soul care. The core objective of the essay is to establish a biblical responsible vocational model. In pastoral counseling, observing and maintaining the ethical boundary is of crucial importance. Ethical boundaries ought to be preserved in any profession so as to maintain a healthy professional relationship. Centuries ago, ethical codes were a symbol of numerous secular professions in the community. The paper’s objective aimed at establishing a biblical and ministerial professional connections for people seeking soul care.
Key words: Identity, Ethics, Counselling and Counselor
Introduction
A pastoral counselor needs to adhere to ethics and biblical codes in line with the Christian values and the message (Trull & Carter, 2004). Trust is an important aspect in counseling, showing respect of the ethical codes builds counselee trust in their search for soul care. There are multiple identities and ethical boundaries that pastoral counselors are expected to adhere. For instance, autonomy, services, education, competency, dedication, and ethics are some of the guidelines to be followed by pastoral counselors. Pastoral counselor plays an imperative role in guiding and providing spiritual care to counselee.
Ethics and professionalism in handling spiritual care matters are highly encouraged to affirm dignity and value of individuals. Integrity and safeguarding the confidentiality of counselee helps gain trust among the people. A good and healthy relationship must be maintained between the two parties for a productive counseling session. It is paramount to provide a safe and comfortable atmosphere during the counseling session so as to engage the counselors in various topics. Respect for gender, cultural background, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and diversity in religious beliefs should be upheld in a counseling session. Therefore, pastoral counselors ought to maintain ethical and professional values to ensure counselees feel safe in their hands.
Professional Partnerships in Professional Growth and Development
Pastoral counseling and care require students to learn and equip themselves with relevant information and knowledge regarding counseling. Some of the beneficial partnerships that one could utilize include support groups, a local association of peers, credible certification, referral networks among others.
Credible certification/organizations
Pastoral care and counseling aids in equipping students to provide adequate pastoral care, counsel, and leadership in the ministry. Students benefit from pastoral care, tuition programs by building and preparing them to become spiritually mature. Apart from pastoral counseling, these programs offer guidance and leadership courses to students in molding a better counselor.
Referral network
Referral networks are vital in the ministry as they provide future pastoral counselor referrals. A student may wish to join one of the pastoral counselors’ organizations for the purpose of maintaining a broad range of beneficial contact persons in the future. The establishment of a contact referral within the locality has a significant role in pastoral counseling. A pastoral counselor may be of vital help to a suffering soul by providing a pastoral referral. As a result, pastoral counselors are required to revise frequently and evaluate their referral lists for appropriateness.
Support groups
Support groups play a significant role in ensuring students get the necessary guidance and advice in their pastoral counseling endeavors. It is important to establish membership with one of the pastoral counselor's support group to gain knowledge and experience in counseling.
Local association of peers
Issues to be addressed by an Ethical Organizational Guideline
Ethical guidelines and standards are important for a pastoral counselor as they establish a line between professionalism and friendship. One of the issues addressed in the ethical guidelines is confidentiality in counseling. As a professional, pastoral counseling requires confidentiality and privacy of a counselee’s wide range of views and beliefs. Protection of counselee’s information provides the required trust for both parties. Therapeutic interactions between the counselor and client are improved when there is a suitable level of privacy, and safety. The dynamics of confidentiality helps in building a trustworthy relationship and is a vital factor in enabling self-disclosure. When a counselor is making a disclosure, there should be candid reasons for such actions and the counselor should approach the issues at hand appropriately.
On the other hand, compassion in pastoral counseling is highly encouraged so as to avoid any acts of harm or exploitation. Pastoral counselors are expected to carry out counseling practices in a manner that does not discriminate, exploit, and harm the client relationship. The psychological and spiritual impact on the counselor relationship is of high significance and may have adverse effects on the counseling session. In the management of client conflict, the pastoral counselor must acknowledge and understand that conflicts are inevitable (Kollar, 2011). As a result, best counseling practices must be followed in settling conflicts. At times conflict arise from various aspects of the counselling process because of various issues and interests. For instance, the issue of confidentiality can cause conflicts and differences when the counselee might not prefer disclosure of information but a counselor deems it important to disclose some of the information for safety purposes.
As Kollar (2011) posits christian counselors must be sufficiently acquanted with the required resources of christian counselling. Further, they should also cater for the various needs of the people such as the counselling for married couples, pregnancy, battered spouses, as well as skill building workshops. The pastors should also createb a platform where they are able to share with other pastors and counselors to ensure the maintenance of professional accountability. As such, they will be able to create a framework that allows for professional consultation, which is essential in the achievement of professional maturity. The concept of confidentiality is a major issue in pastoral counselor, especially when it concerns the concept of informed consent, the responsibilities and limitations of the counselor, and the rights of a minor when a minor is involved. The issues concerning confidentiality are rarely addressed and defined explictly and comprehensively, which requires a demonstration of discretion. For instance, when a counselor identifies that a counselee might or is planning actions that might him/her or any other person. Further, in a case involving a defiled minor through child abuse, criminal activity or incest, it is upon the counselor to involve third parties to ebsure the necessary actions are taken.
Pastoral counselors must uphold a robust clinical and professional competence in undertaking counseling. Competence in Counseling helps the counselor make realistic remarks and enhances the Caregiving process. Knowledge of the relevant standards and guidelines for pastoral counseling ensures compliance and adherence to the respective laws. Pastoral counselors are expected to provide their services within the confines of their scope of practice and competence (Johnson & Johnson, 2014). It is important for counselors maintain high integrity and ethical standards in their work. Consultation from other competent colleagues is advisable when the limits of competence are reached.
Pre-Counseling Package
A pre-counseling package has been prepared for use in the future to enable the student tackle the pastoral counseling process with the efficiency it deserves. The package encompasses features such as a client intake form, the number of sessions, acknowledgment and consent statement, ethical codes, and information about the referral process. The documents mentioned above are presented to the counselee prior counseling session. The student is expected to discuss the same with the counselee to avoid any misunderstandings and conflict of interests.
(See Appendix)
Conclusion
Pastoral counselor’s identity and ethics boundaries form a significant part of an effective biblical counseling platform. Ethical guidelines and codes ought to be followed and promoted to ensure the protection of both counselor and counselee. Confidentiality and privacy of counseling information must be maintained according to the consent and agreement documents (Trull & Carter, 2004). On the other hand, partnerships and networking with individuals, organizations, and other peers enhances pastoral counseling administration. Training organizations offer more than just counseling in ensuring students acquires the necessary support, leadership training, and a detailed referral structure.
Additionally, these training organizations provide comprehensive ethical codes and guidelines for their members, ensuring a network of high standard referrals. Students are encouraged to maintain a list of referrals within the network so as to provide assistance when the need arises. Preparation for a counseling session is essential; that’s why students must create a pre-counseling package to ensure efficiency in the session. A background check forms a crucial part of the PACO 699 internship. As a result, students must avoid any conflicts and hesitations concerning the background check.
References
Johnson, W. B., & Johnson, W. L. (2014). The Minister's Guide to Psychological Disorders and Treatments, 2nd Edition. New York: Routledge.
Kollar, C. A. (2011). Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling: An Effective Short-Term Approach forGetting People Back on Track. New York: Harper Collins.
Trull, J. E., & Carter, J. E. (2004). Ministerial Ethics: Moral Formation for Church Leaders (2 ed). Michigan: Baker Books.
Appendix
Pre-counseling package template
Kindly complete the following
Informed consent- this form provides information regarding confidentiality, and policies of the counselor.
Intake questionnaire- the questionnaire helps in the overall treatment plan by providing quick background information.
Birthdate:
Home phone:
Do you wish to receive monthly communication (using the email contact provided)?
Referral source:
Please indicate how you learned about us
Internet/ website
Seminar/workshop
Returning client
Other (specify)
Informed consent
Weekly sessions of fifty minutes; however, the frequency of the sessions will largely depend on the counselee needs.
Ethical code/guidelines
The counseling sessions are performed under strict ethical and professional grounds.
About confidentiality
The information shared with pastoral counselor remains private and confidential
Information from the counseling session will not be relayed to anyone without a written consent
Counselee will be granted rights to review counseling content upon request
Acknowledgement and consent statement
Please confirm the undertakings of pastoral counseling
Intake questionnaire
Birthdate:
Marital status:
If married, how many children?
Do you have any step children?
Occupation:
Position title:
Reasons for seeking pastoral counseling
Other relevant information:
