Pastoral counseling practices and applications

¶ … Pastoral Care and Counseling by Dr. Howard Clinebell. Specifically it will contain a reactive summary on the book. This book is must reading for anyone interested in becoming a pastor even though it is relatively old from a publishing standpoint. It illustrates just how a pastor can counsel his or her flock, and what that counseling can accomplish in their lives.

Early in the book, the author establishes his strong belief in pastoral counseling. He writes, "Counseling can help save those areas of our lives that are shipwrecked in the storms of our daily living, broken on the hidden reefs of anxiety, guilt, and lack of integrity" (Clinebell 13). He notes that this is an opportunity to be the church and nurture relationships that are rewarding and nurturing. I believe this is a positive and realistic statement about how important a pastor can be to his or her congregation. I feel the author is in touch with what it is to be a pastor and that he passes this knowledge on quite effectively. He also makes it seem like a very positive and enriching experience for the pastor themselves, which is quite refreshing.

I enjoy the fact that the author finds counseling to be such a fulfilling occupation. He notes, "Counseling can allow us to discover fresh dimensions of our humanity. It can release our potentialities for authenticity and aliveness" (Clinebell 15). He also notes that it is not an easy occupation, and that it can often be difficult to form real bonds and attachments with parishioners. He notes, "It is painful to relate to the depths of others because it inevitably exposes us to the dark rooms of our own inner world" (Clinebell 15). I respect the fact that he is honest and open about the pitfalls of the profession, and how it can be challenging and even dark at times. This honesty helps prepare the future pastor for their duties, and gives them a much more real sense of what to expect when they take over their first church.

He notes that pastoral counseling is coming under a Renaissance, and becoming much more popular, and much more practiced. Ministers must engage with their congregations and really understand them to provide the best ministry possible, and he makes that clear throughout this book. The book contains seventeen chapters that clearly lay out every aspect of pastoral counseling, from grief counseling to marriage counseling and beyond. He gives clear examples of counseling sessions, tells the reader when they should refer their members to a professional counselor, and covers just about every aspect of counseling that a minister would need to know to help their congregation members.

He also believes that counseling is integral to every aspect of the ministry. Later in the book he writes, "Supportive pastoral relationships are integral to the entire pastoral care ministry" (Clinebell 172). He illustrates this throughout the book, and shows how to seamlessly integrate counseling into the operations of the church. He includes skill-building sessions in the book that are incredibly helpful in developing a successful counseling technique, and the reader can learn from these exercises and see how they can be put into daily use.

Clinebell also helps the reader understand what skills the minister will need to develop in order to help their congregation members. He writes, "In our society, ministers need to develop effective skills as guides to their people on their journey through complex and confusing ethical and value issues" (Clinebell 138). He then describes how to develop these skills, and where to turn when their own skills are not enough to help their members. He also notes that there are different counseling methods necessary in different counseling situations, and that the pastor must understand these differences to counsel effectively. This book is a gold mine of information and experience in counseling, but the author presents it extremely well, and in an interesting manner that keeps the reader involved and engaged.

The author makes it quite clear what he thinks the church should accomplish in the lives of its members and in the community. He writes, "Churches should be supportive, extended family for everyone who wishes this, including those who live alone and those who are married or live in other committed relationships" (Clinebell 277). It is refreshing that he includes everyone, regardless of their marital arrangements, which shows he is an open, honest individual that does not judge others. I believe this is another key element to being a good spiritual counselor, and that attitude would well serve my (and anyone's) congregation. It is not the role of a pastor to judge his members, but to give them guidance and help them grow as people and grow spiritually. Later, he gives specifics on how to counsel alternative lifestyle couples, noting that they have many of the problems and concerns as any married couple, and they should be treated as such. He writes, "If churches are to become healing and wholeness centers for human brokenness in our world, they should seek to become so for the persons in the variegated-lifestyles of our society, not just for those in traditional marriages" (Clinebell 276). I think it is extremely important to remember that, every day.

The author even tackles issues such as sex counseling in marital counseling, and offers advice from a variety of experts about how to counsel effectively in this situation. He also offers suggested reading at the end of each chapter, so the student can find additional resources to learn more about each aspect of counseling. This is a nice touch, and it is extremely helpful to know where to look for additional information.

He encourages pastors to train others to help in counseling, creating a lay ministry of church counselors. He writes, "The caring ministry of the laity is essentially a ministry to persons in need - in the congregation and in the community" (Clinebell 395). This is also a refreshing concept, and it could certainly include young lay ministers for youth counseling, senior lay ministers for senior counseling, and even gay lay ministers for gay counseling. It is good to know that there is help available, especially in crisis situations, and that Clinebell does not thing that a minister must "go it alone" when it comes to counseling. In large congregations, that could be quite difficult to manage, and it could create a feeling of distance between the pastor and the congregation.