Understanding Pastoral Counseling

Professors Snodgrass and Maynard have done their field a service in bringing together all that is here. The American Association of Pastoral Counselors now has a splendid contemporary text to present themselves to other fields whose members may yet wonder 'What has religion (or spirituality) or pastoral counseling have to do with the healing arts?' There was in a past era the critique and complaint that the pastoral care and counseling field did not have a literature and history that allowed it to stand as intellectually serious colleagues with others in more traditional theological disciplines. Now they have an answer in this book. -- Curtis W. Hart, MD, Weill Cornell Medical College, Journal of Religion and HealthThis book is written in the active voice. It does not desire to define pastoral counseling but offers real time examples that illustrate the breadth, depth and vibrancy of practitioners in various contexts of work and practice. It is clear the authors are engaged in their vocation and it engages them. Upon reading this book I trust that you will feel similarly about your work." óDouglas M. Ronsheim, D.Min., Executive Director, American Association of Pastoral Counselors "Understanding Pastoral Counseling is the new benchmark book in the field. Not only does this serious, practical, and fascinating work provide great insight into appreciating pastoral counseling as it is but it also, through a great diversity of authors and topics, stimulates us to dream where the field may go in the future. It is truly a tour de force." óRobert J. Wicks, PsyD, Author, The Resilient Clinician and The Inner Life of the Counselor "This is a welcomed, major addition to our literature on pastoral counseling that will be useful in seminary and clinical classrooms alike. Understanding Pastoral Counseling honors the history of pastoral counseling in the U.S. while it explores contemporary diverse models and practices in and beyond the U.S. With a wide range of accomplished contributors, this book celebrates the religious and cultural plurality of contemporary pastoral and spiritual care." óNancy J. Ramsay, PhD, Professor of Pastoral Theology and Pastoral Care, Brite Divinity School What are the roles, functions, and identities of pastoral counselors today? What paradigms shape their understanding of the needs of others? How can pastoral counselors serve...