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The Heart of Pastoral Counseling

Healing Through Relationship, Revised Edition

• By Richard L. Dayringer

• Price: $42.50
• Binding: Paperback (also available in Hardback)
• Pages: 224
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 5th February 1998
• ISBN: 978-0-7890-0421-5

About the Book

The relationship between pastor and parishioner is the essence of pastoral counseling--a simple truth with profound implications. Dr. Richard Dayringer explores these implications in The Heart of Pastoral Counseling: Healing Through Relationship, Revised Edition to help pastoral counselors understand how to use the relationship to bring about the desired ends in the therapeutic process. Drawing on research from the disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, marriage counseling, family therapy, and pastoral counseling, this book lays the foundation for utilizing the pastoral counseling relationship to bring about positive change as it explores topics such as observation, listening, communication, handling transference, and termination of therapy.

Because the interpersonal relationship is the vehicle of therapy, it is critical that pastoral counselors understand the psychological assumptions that play a large part in the characteristics of relationships as well as the factors requiring attention in order to establish a secure counseling relationship. The Heart of Pastoral Counseling will help you attain this understanding as you also improve your knowledge on:

• how pastoral relationships may be applied outside the therapeutic hour in general pastoral work
• eclectic methods for clarifying feelings, developing intellectual insight, interpreting, questioning, and assigning certain behavior
• employing the problem-oriented record in pastoral counseling
• distinguishing relationship from transference and countertransference
• the unique problem that counseling acquaintances presents
• personality traits that attract people to the minister/pastoral counselor
• counselor attitudes that foster relationship
• how a client’s view of the counselor has an impact on the effectiveness of therapy
  
  The Heart of Pastoral Counseling brings a solid base of research to pastoral counselors, seminary students, graduate students in counseling, professors of counseling, and specialists in pastoral psychotherapy so that you might better understand the nature of pastoral counseling relationships and how they are helpful and constructive in people’s lives. You will be challenged to rethink your role in initiating and carrying out therapeutic change and realize why you should build your ministry on relationships, rather than on friendships.

Table of Contents

Contents Preface

• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Part I: What Is the Pastoral Counseling Relationship? Chapter 1. A Philosophical Foundation for the Pastoral Counseling Relationship
• Chapter 2. A Theoretical Framework for the Pastoral Counseling Relationship
• Part II: How Is Relationship Used in Pastoral Counseling?
• Chapter 3. Initiating the Process of Counseling
• Chapter 4. Using the Pastoral Role
• Chapter 5. Building the Relationship
• Chapter 6. Observing and Listening
• Chapter 7. Communication
• Chapter 8. Dealing with Negative and Positive Feelings
• Chapter 9. Handling Transference and Countertransference
• Chapter 10. The Use of Christian Resources
• Chapter 11. Utilizing Problem-Oriented Records
• Chapter 12. Closing and Termination
• Part III: What Are the Implications of Relationship for Pastors?
• Chapter 13. Counseling Acquaintances: A Unique Problem for the Minister
• Chapter 14. Pastoral Work
• Appendix A: AAPC Membership Information and Requirements
• Appendix B: AAPC Code of Ethics
• Appendix C: Multiaxial Evaluation Report Form
• Appendix D. Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) Scale
• References
• Bibliography
• Index