What is Pastoral Counseling?
Pastoral Counseling brings many different ideals to mind and I’ve heard many such as, “so you counsel pastors”, “is this religious counseling”, “so it’s different from Christian Counseling”, “what makes you different from a licensed counselor”, etc.
The industry has changed its meaning over the years but in essence Pastoral Counseling is a unique form of psychotherapy which uses theological insights and resources along with psychological understanding to achieve healing and growth. Pastoral counseling is not clinical counseling, however, the knowledge of the clinical psychological disciplines are considered to understand the baseline of the presenting issue. Pastoral Counseling builds on a collaborative relationship between Counselor and Client working together to explore the unique and individual factors unique to each client which has contributed to their present situation. It does not see the client merely as a diagnosis but rather a sum of the factors that contribute to each person’s situation. These factors include family of origin, ethnicity, anthropology, sociology, psychology, spirituality, and cultural factors. It understands that one situation will look different in each individual due to the varied differences in personal and social factors and work to bring change through addressing the issue through those factors.
Long term transformative change occurs as the client is shepherded through their understanding of who they have become in their situation and engage the journey of undoing unhealthy thought and behavior patterns that have opposed their spiritual values. The result is growth in right relationship with themselves, with God, and others enabling them to live in the fullness of all God’s word has intended for them.