Kategoria BISAC: Religion >> Christian Ministry - Counseling & Recovery

What do you do when the call comes from a distraught parishioner who needs help in dealing with a murder, rape, traffic accident, miscarriage, or the effects of a natural disaster or war? How can students of pastoral care and counseling learn in a seminary setting how to think about and counsel in those situations? An extraordinary number of survivors of such catastrophic events turn to clergy for help to deal with their stress. The effects of such massive stress are typically known as Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Knowing how to recognize PTSD and how to handle such crisis situations is...

Ethics and Spiritual Care responds to three phenomena of increasing importance:

- Although spiritual care is at the heart of ordained ministry, there is no text in professional ethics for clergy that focuses specifically on spiritual care. What ethical guidelines are needed to ensure that spiritual care in ministry is appropriate?

- Many people in our world do not consider themselves "religious," but use the term "spiritual." The burgeoning interest in "spirituality" is an invitation to people with little training to set themselves up as "spiritual directors."...

Teenagers and their families live in a society with epidemic levels of social problems that put adolescents at risk for emotional problems. Teens have special mental and emotional issues that need to be addressed by pastors and their colleagues in ministry. For this reason, clergy and caregivers need to know about the most common mental disorders that occur in adolescents, including how to assess and diagnose the disorders, what types of treatment can be initiated in the faith community, when referral is required, and to whom to make a referral.

This book identifies twenty-two of...

Hospital visitation is one of the most intimidating tasks new clergy face. Afraid of not knowing what to say when faced with situations of serious illness and death, uncertain of how to negotiate the maze of the medical establishment, unsure of themselves in the pastoral role generally, new pastors often don't know where to turn for help and advice about this central, yet tough, aspect of ministry. The Hospital Visit: A Pastor's Guide will help provide just this kind of guidance.

Written with student pastors and pastors in the early years of their ministry in mind, it will...

Long recognized as the definitive crisis-counseling volume for the active minister, The Minister as Crisis Counselor is now thoroughly modernized to incorporate recent contributions to the field. David K. Switzer offers a comprehensive examination of both the theory and the method of crisis counseling as it relates specifically to active working pastors.

Chapter titles include: The Minister, the Congregation, and Community Crisis Services; Intervening in the Suicidal Crisis; The Minister and Divorce Crises; Intervening in a Pathological Grief Reaction: A Case Study; The...

After establishing a sound theological understanding of pastoral visitation, the authors examine the theological and ethical homework that the pastor must do as preparation for effectively doing hospital ministry. Concluding chapters deal with the patient's needs, the pastor's spiritual resources, the pastoral visit, and continued pastoral care after hospitalization.

Key Benefits: Helps pastors understand the hospital context/culture; Helps pastors deal with defense mechanisms of patients; Helps pastors recognize the healing functions of guiding, healing, and substaining; Helps...

Christians who counsel, counselors who are Christian--what is the difference? What makes Christian counseling distinctive from secular counseling approaches? In this book, Malony and Augsburger introduce the substance and method, including family systems methodology, of Christian counseling as a major voice. The book also includes how to do a faith assessment; how to collaborate, consult, and refer; the centrality of Christ in the counseling process; how to address issues of sexual and cultural...

Clarifies how to distinguish between healthy therapeutic relationships and ones which have become abusive.

Carrie Doehring propose an approach to pastoral counseling that focuses on taking care of ourselves and those we minister to by monitoring power dynamics and relational boundaries in our relationships. When we monitor the power struggles within us, between us, in our communities and cultures, and the ways in which we are pulled to disengagement and merger, we will be able to prevent abuse and neglect. We will also be more likely to experience empowering, empathic moments in our...

Story Journey offers a series of biblical stories to be learned and explored in a variety of ways. Each story is printed in episodes to facilitate memorization. Exegetical comments are offered, with references to good commentaries that explain the meaning of the story in the original context. Each chapter also includes suggestions about ways to connect the story with contemporary experience and to pray with the story

Boomershine's chapters describe the essence of story as intertwining truth. Boomershine distinguishes learning a story in solitude from learning it with a...

Gives pastors strategies to effectively respond to persons at possible risk for suicide and families of suicide victims.

No one can ever be prepared enough to deal with suicide; but one can identify special risks and be aware of short and long-term effects on survivors and family members. In Suicide: Pastoral Responses, Dr. Townsend defines patterns and issues that surround suicide. This book will help ministers identify particular markers and give steps for pastoral intervention and suicide prevention.

The Pastoral Responses series is designed to help pastors...

This is a useful book that discusses the differences and similarities if pastoral care and counselling' - Quaker Retreat Group Newsletter

I think Gordon Lynch has produced an admirable introduction to this subject. I believe it should become a 'must' for those undertaking theological training and would also highly commend it to those engaged in the supervisory...

This is a useful book that discusses the differences and similarities if pastoral care and counselling' - Quaker Retreat Group Newsletter

I think Gordon Lynch has produced an admirable introduction to this subject. I believe it should become a 'must' for those undertaking theological training and would also highly commend it to those engaged in the supervisory...