Large and Small Contexts
In regard to parish-driven counseling, there are many rewards connected to how pastoral counseling is one particular aspect of being a pastor. This context is also the most common among those practicing pastoral counseling, as few churches are large enough to have a person specifically over pastoral counseling. The rewards lie in how pastoral counseling connects you further to your parish and is a part of your work in facilitating life renewal and change. You can help people on a short term basis to either resolve an issue or get help from professional counselors. The risk is related to possibly knowing people too well. This can lead to people feeling exposed and uncomfortable staying in a place where they must face you week after week in a non-counseling setting.
Specializing in pastoral counseling I think would be quite interesting, though that may be connected to my interest in spiritual direction (as they overlap a bit in practice). Spending all or most of your time counseling would be rewarding if your passion and gifts drew you to helping in crisis. You would be privy to the harder, more personal details of the congregants’ life. The draw backs would be that you would only have one particular job to do and if you prefer variety this might be less interesting. You would also not be available for long-term assists as that would require a professional counseling, but this could be either a positive or negative aspect.
I appreciated that the Orthodox Priest emphasized the need for cultivating your healthiest inner self. This is integral to the counseling process as ultimately you only bring you. This will inform my ministry as it inspires me to see the importance of my own spirituality in how it affects the wider community. A nice personality and natural gifts only go so far, but one’s connection to God and Her power to renew, energize, and grow the counselor affects everyone around them.
In regard to parish-driven counseling, there are many rewards connected to how pastoral counseling is one particular aspect of being a pastor. This context is also the most common among those practicing pastoral counseling, as few churches are large enough to have a person specifically over pastoral counseling. The rewards lie in how pastoral counseling connects you further to your parish and is a part of your work in facilitating life renewal and change. You can help people on a short term basis to either resolve an issue or get help from professional counselors. The risk is related to possibly knowing people too well. This can lead to people feeling exposed and uncomfortable staying in a place where they must face you week after week in a non-counseling setting.
Specializing in pastoral counseling I think would be quite interesting, though that may be connected to my interest in spiritual direction (as they overlap a bit in practice). Spending all or most of your time counseling would be rewarding if your passion and gifts drew you to helping in crisis. You would be privy to the harder, more personal details of the congregants’ life. The draw backs would be that you would only have one particular job to do and if you prefer variety this might be less interesting. You would also not be available for long-term assists as that would require a professional counseling, but this could be either a positive or negative aspect.
I appreciated that the Orthodox Priest emphasized the need for cultivating your healthiest inner self. This is integral to the counseling process as ultimately you only bring you. This will inform my ministry as it inspires me to see the importance of my own spirituality in how it affects the wider community. A nice personality and natural gifts only go so far, but one’s connection to God and Her power to renew, energize, and grow the counselor affects everyone around them.