Pastoral Counseling - Its Theory And Practice

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Pastoral Counseling ITS THEORY AND PRACTICE Pastoral Counseling ITS THEORY AND PRACTICE by Carroll A. Wise HARPER BROTHERS PUBLISHERS . NEW YORK PASTORAL COUNSELING ITS THEORY AND PRACTICE Copyright, 1951, by Harper Brothers Printed in the United States of America All rights in this book are reserved.

No part of the book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address Harper Brothers E-B TO ROBERT AND PATRICIA CONTENTS CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT Introduction ix The Pastor as Counselor i The Person with Whom the Minister Counsels 12 The Counseling Relationship 39 Counseling and the Growth Process 65 Insight as the Goal in Counseling 115 Counseling and the Christian Faith 142 Some Aspects of Pastoral Work and Counseling 168 Some Aspects o Pastoral Work and Counseling Continued 201 Notes and References 223 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this book is to offer an interpretation o pastoral counseling for ministers and theological students.

A secondary purpose is to provide an interpretation for that grow ing group of counselors who do not consider their work pro fessionally in the field of religion, but who have an interest in the relation between what they are doing and religion. The book seeks to deal with a specific approach and method of pastoral counseling.

It does not attempt to be definitive. Such a book cannot be written today in this rapidly developing field. Neither does it attempt to cover all of the various aspects of pastoral care. It rather seeks to help the pastor with thosepersons with whom he carries on a counseling relationship. The reader will soon discover that the book does have a definite point of view.

The author does not try to label his point of view but he is certain that it will be labeled for him. He is more interested in the description of a process that he believes is fundamental in the counseling work of the pastor. After a long number of years in a given field, it is impossible not to have a definite point of view.

It is only in theoretical problems that one can suspend judgment. The pastor, as he meets a per son who needs help, must have a definite point of view as to X INTRODUCTION what help means, what kind of help he can give, how he can give it, and other such questions. If in stating this point of view, the author seems dogmatic at times it is because of his desire to put the situation clearly and sharply.

Either the general point of view or specific statements made in the book may be tested by any pastor. The only limitations to experimentation in this field are the pastors inherent regard for personality and desire to do nothing that would injure another person. The aim of the book is not to try to describe what a pastor without proper training can do.

The author has a great deal of sympathy for the pastor who feels that his training has been woefully inadequate to the demands made on him in his daily ministry. However, he does not know how to give easy answers that make up for the lack of training. He is rather trying to describe in this book what the pastor should have training to do.

He is well cquainted with the obstacles in the way of giving such training to pastors and theological students, but he also sees real grounds foroptimism in regard to future training. This book grows out of a long background of experience as chaplain in a mental hospital, as a counselor in a Y. M. CA. and a Y.

W. C. A., as the director of a counseling service for a large city council of churches, as a minister in charge of pastoral counseling in a large city parish, and as a member of the faculty of a theological school. Much of this material has been given in lectures to ministers. It has been tested in various situa tions...