Abstract
Pastoral counseling is gradually becoming a radical provider of mental health services. Clergymen are increasingly pursuing training in both behavioral science and religion. In endeavors to manifest quality clinical practice, they merge theological and psychological disciplines. Pastoral counseling is thus a distinctive psychotherapy, given its ability to include divine and God`s power. The psychotherapy is based on the belief that people desire divine connection. Pastoral counselors mediate healing with God`s loving in order to achieve ideal wholeness. As such, this paper depicts a reflection on pastoral counseling in liaison with previous readings in class. It leverages various scholarly journals to tailor multiple aspects related to this form of psychotherapy. The paper acknowledges that the role pastoral counselling cannot be disputed owing to the fact that the majority of people currently seek counselling from churches. The integration of psychological disciplines into theological lessons equips pastors with the knowledge to deal with various issues concerning counselling in the church environment.
Introduction
Today, the need for spiritual and psychological healing is on the rise. With growing problems such as difficulties in parenting, marital scandals, addictions, depression and post-traumatic stress, pastoral counseling is in high demand. While referral to medical treatment is always an option, in the contemporary world pastors do not necessarily advise their followers to seek medical interventions, especially with spiritual and psychological challenges. Pastors can serve as counselors as well. The provision of care for mental health should also be available in churches despite the fact that a majority of people consider it as a facet of secular life (Pan, Deng, Tsai & Yuan, 2015). Focusing on pastoral counseling will foster the role of religious leaders in facilitating healing resources. Traditionally, people categorize religion as purely spiritual. Pastors were believed to only provide healing in forms of exorcism and rebuking the evil spirits. However, pastoral counseling brings in a new perception of the religious world. Healing is no longer solely dependent on the prayers and visitations. Currently, the congregation can access psychotherapy that is embedded in theology to execute psychological theories ideal for an excellent clinical experience.
Evolution of the Ministry
Over the years, religious arena has evolved to infuse significant scientific aspects endearing to complement the life of hope and faith. America is among the countries that have adopted pastoral counseling in full-swing. The American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC) involves well-trained chaplains who have specialized in offering pastoral care. It means that these pastors are not limited by the traditional values and beliefs. With their role being to promote societal sanity and general well-being, the pastors grace their theological knowledge with scientific skills to make life more compatible (Frick, 2012). While secular counseling emphasizes on personal fulfillment and self-actualization, pastoral counseling comes to exposit on the importance of relational dimensions such as community and family in an individual life.
Thus, the highest health goals do not only rely on self-actualization. They also rely on relational aspects. For example, pastoral counselors and the family or marriage therapists alike, they pay attention to the responsibilities that procreate human wholeness. The duties include love for self, love for neighbor among others. Unlike the therapists, the pastoral counselors supplement their interventions with Godly context in line with love, justice, and faith (Beaumont, 2011). Hence, pastoral counseling instills a conscious that symbolizes the relationship between an individual and God. That way, it primarily supports health and healing in the church. Both the congregation and religious leaders benefit from the promising collaboration of theology and medicine. More so, pastoral counseling goes beyond the provision of physical well-being. It helps in cultivating valuable attributes such as integrity, and the right relationship with not only others but also God. People are made to see that healing is a component of God`s redemption and love for humanity. As a result, people confound peace with themselves, others and God.
Pastors are experiencing numerous challenges when dealing with various psychological problems affecting a significant number of congregations. With little education and understanding of the psychological issues Johnson & Johnson (2014) presented a guide that can aide pastors in dealing with these challenges. For instance, when dealing with a suicidal case, a pastor needs to understand the suicide risk assessment because it has been termed as a complex psychological process. Through the guide, pastors are able to understand various predictors of suicide such as life stress, depression, hopelessness and alcoholism, among others. For this reason, the guide presents an essential resource that can help pastors in understanding various complex issues relating to counselling people facing various psychological challenges.
Preparing Religious Leaders
Given the pivotal role pastoral counseling plays in churches, religious leaders are extensively braced for the implementation of this practice. Congregational leadership is characterized by multi-talented ministers with the capacity of upholding high-end pastoral care. They skillfully guide the congregation through the joys and sorrows of life. Pastors host the qualities that form a fundamental foundation for the ministry. They are successful subjects of a course nurturing critical communicators and listeners, dynamic leaders and administrators, development officers, community organizers, and volunteer coordinators (Bingaman, 2015). To that end, the pastoral counselors are all rounded scholarly persons with relevant insights in scriptures, teaching, and psychological treatments. Moreover, the pastor becomes a good time manager who practices his pastoral functions effectively, ranging from studying, praying, renewal of psychology and spirit to basic care such as relaxation, good nutrition, sufficient sleep and exercise. Equipping pastors with such excellence and flexibility is paramount because they intersect in virtually all facets of life. For instance, religious leaders interconnect with three sets of families (Johnson & Johnson, 2014). Their first family is their actual families as they are normal humans like anyone else. The second family is their congregation, and the third is the entire society. While their followers heavily rely on them for spiritual and psychological nourishment, the society holds them to a higher standard.
Pastors are part of a system that most people look up to with even some perceiving them as their ``gods``. With the numerous functions and dysfunction in this system, pastoral counselling can help the leaders in juggling their roles and promoting stability (Rambo, 2012). Therefore, the responsibilities associated with a pastor are so demanding. Pastoral counseling shapes the leaders endearing to make them effectively responsive in a wide range of scenarios. It significantly differentiates them while ensuring that they do not feel lonely. As expected, many people, including their families, do not understand the professional responsibilities pastors have to endure in the ministry. Remember that every day is characterized by various challenges as aforementioned. Despite the high numbers of conflicts, the pastors have to work towards beating the numbers even when the odds are against them. It is no surprise that a good fraction of the pastors opts to ditch some of their roles or the ministering profession altogether. Pastoral specialists offer support to the congregation, the congregational leaders, and the families of the duo. Through supervision, consultation, certification and referrals, pastors strive in creating a satisfactory environment in the ministry.
Again, religious leaders must fight the ``god complex``. This is a feeling of perceiving themselves as superior thus not seeking support from others. That is why the pastoral counseling proposes an intervention model which is not totally inclined to self-care. Everyone needs support and encouragement, regardless of his or her status. Analogically, pastors are like parents. They are role models and are expected to be on their best behavior. Hence, it is important to nurture them become effective and gracious role models. The case is especially so given the rise of false prophets. Today, the ministry involve con men who masquerade as preachers. They have turned the preaching profession as a business by cooking miracles in order to garner massive followers thus cashing in from their ``tithes``. The pain and anxiety within the congregation are too high, and leaders cannot depend on the congregation for healing (DelkeSkamp-Hayes, 2012). To that end, pastoral counseling offers solace to these leaders who have plenty of duties on their table. Importantly, pastoral counseling helps in developing the capacity of the youths fresh from the seminary. The group lacks pastoral education, and they are usually overpowered by the needs of the members.
According to Johnson & Johnson (2014) pastoral counseling supports the congregation and helps the members in executing the functions of nurturing and healing. For instance, it values generations after generations because from the very beginning, the members effectively meet the needs of children. In fact, the ministry becomes a second home for the growing bodies and minds. In supplementation of healing, pastoral counselors are ambassadors of God`s love. The society is motivated to care for their families, the dying and the elderly. Marriages are strengthened, parenting efforts secured, and the retired persons who are healthy given a new purpose of serving in the church. As seen, pastoral counseling is at the center of providing hope and inspiration – two components that are greatly required in modern times. People gain a sense of being accepted and celebrated. The community becomes a place of faith and healing. Pastoral counseling creates an environment in which the presence of God is invited to interplay with therapy and prayers (Johnson & Johnson, 2014). Pastoral counselors work in tandem with the pastors and congregations in the move to promote the steadfast love and redemptive grace of God.
Therefore, pastoral counseling enables ministers to access inner selves to efficiently self-supervise themselves in the face of responding to emotionally demanding situations. It is after they manage themselves appropriately that they will be able to provide care for others. It is not difficult to find a congregation suffering because of a pastor. Pastoral counseling comes in to avoid such circumstances. Importantly, it would be easier for ministers with the experience of psychotherapy to convince others religious leaders to resort to pastoral counseling. Apparently, pastoral counseling offers more than just clinical treatment and the current world direly need such interventions.
References
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Bingaman, K. A. (2015). When Acceptance is the Road to Growth and Healing: Incorporating the Third Wave of Cognitive Therapies into Pastoral Care and Counseling. Pastoral Psychology, (5), 567. doi:10.1007/s11089-015-0641-9
Delkeskamp-Hayes, C. (2012). Pastoral versus Psychological Counseling in Bioethics. Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies In Medical Morality, 16(1), 1-8. doi:10.1093/cb/cbq004
Frick, E. (2012). Pastoral and Psychotherapeutic Counseling. Christian Bioethics: Non-Ecumenical Studies In Medical Morality, 16(1), 30-47. doi:10.1093/cb/cbq005
Johnson, W. B., & Johnson, W. L. (2014). The Minister's Guide to Psychological Disorders and Treatments. New York: Routledge.
Pan, P. D., Deng, L. F., Tsai, S. L., & Yuan, S. J. (2015). Perspectives of taiwanese pastoral counselors on the use of scripture and prayer in the counseling process. Psychological Reports, (2), 543. doi:10.2466/02.PR0.116k23w0
Rambo, L. (2012). Conversion Studies, Pastoral Counseling, and Cultural Studies: Engaging and Embracing a New Paradigm. Pastoral Psychology, 59(4), 433-445. doi:10.1007/s11089-009-0202-1
