History and Foundations of Pastoral Care

Historical Pastoral Care

Clinical Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care and Counseling Today

By Robert H. Munson, ThD

Celia P. Munson, Clinical Chaplain (CPSP)Bukal Life Care, 2014

What is Pastoral Care?

• Etymology and Definition of Pastoral Care– Pastor: A Latin word meaning “shepherd”

• Related to pastus meaning “feeding”• A shepherd sees to the feeding, well being, and growth of

the flock

– Care• watchful attention; supervision• show concern for

– Pastoral Care: To be concerned for and give watchful attention (feeding, well being, and growth) for the “flock.”

– Came to mean “cure of soul”

Who is the “Flock” for the shepherd?

• Church members only?

• Those closely associated with the church?

• Community/Parish?

<Reflect on John 10:16>

• People who do not recognize us as a “shepherd”?

Who is the “Flock” for the shepherd?

For Chaplains, the flock most certainly may include people of other denominations, religions and ideologies.

• In hospitals, the flock can be patients (with family and friends) and staff.

• In jails, the flock can be inmates (with families and friends) and staff.

• In military, the flock may include officers, enlisted, civilian workers, and families.

Reflections on Pastoral Care in Terms of Shepherding

• Psalm 23-Takes care of Needs

-Guides the way... safe and right way

-Restores and strengthens

-Protects from dangers

• Ezekiel 34-Directs and gathers together

-Provides healing and safety

-Gives justice (liberation?)

© Copyright 2001 Al Henager. Use only with written permission and with proper credit.

Reflections on Pastoral Care in Terms of Shepherding

• Luke 4-Give words of comfort to the suffering

-Proclaim freedom

-Provide healing

• John 10-Cares for

-Protects

-Sacrifices for

How is Chaplaincy Different from Pastoral Care?

“The term Chaplain refers to a clergyperson or layperson who has been commissioned by a faith group or an organization to provide pastoral services in an institution, organization or government entity. Chaplaincy refers to the general activity performed by a chaplain, which may include crisis ministry, counseling, sacraments, worship, education, help in ethical decision-making, staff support, clergy contact and community or church coordination.”

How is Chaplaincy Different from Pastoral Care?

“ Although many faith groups and institutions use "pastoral care" synonymously with "chaplaincy services," some prefer to use "pastoral care to refer to any services performed by either ordained or non-ordained persons, but reserve "chaplaincy services" for activities performed by ordained ministers, priests or rabbis.”

- The Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling: Rodney J. Hunter, Ed., Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN.

Chaplain

The term comes from “Middle English: from Old French chapelain, from medieval Latin cappellanus, originally denoting a custodian of the cloak of St. Martin, from cappella, originally ‘little cloak’”

Chaplain

St. Martin of Tours. Mililitary Man. Born 335. “Martin and his friends were entering the city of Amiens when an almost naked and shivering beggar asked them for alms. Martin had no money for him, but he took off his cape, cut it in two, and gave half to the beggar. According to the story, later in his dreams Martin saw Jesus coming to him, wrapped in half a soldier’s cape, and saying: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”

Historical Pastoral CareKey figure: Pope Gregory the Great. Wrote

“Pastoral Care,” a book that has been used for centuries. Four assumptions:

-each case requires variable responses.-the display of an outstanding virtue may

conceal a corresponding vice to which the pastoral counselor must attend.

-the pastor's care mirrors Christ's care for us.-that authority in ministry is paradoxically

validated only through humble service following the example of Jesus Christ.

(-Oden)

Other Practitioners and Writers of Historical Pastoral Care

Cyprian,Tertullian, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Augustine, Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas, Luther, Zwingli, Calvin, Bucer, More, Herbert, Burnet, Baxter, etc.

These were commonly quoted by pastoral care practitioners and writers of the 19th century, but mostly ignored by those in the 20th century.

Types of Historical Pastoral Care

Historically speaking, certain tasks of the pastor/ presbyter/ bishop were seen as “pastoral care” and some not. Ones that are identified as:

• Seward Hiltner (1958). Healing, Guiding, Sustaining• Clebsch and Jaeckle (1964). Healing, Guiding,

Sustaining, Reconciling• Howard Clinebell (1966). Healing, Guiding,

Sustaining, Reconciling, Nurturing.• Andrew Lester (1995). Healing, Guiding, Sustaining,

Reconciling, Liberating.

Historical Pastoral CareAccording to Lester: When people are wounded or hurt they need the

pastoral function of healing, when they are confused or perplexed they need the pastoral function of guidance, when they are overwhelmed or stretched to the limit, they need to be sustained or held emotionally, when they are alienated or separated they need to be

reconciled. When they are feeling stuck or trapped they need to be

liberated.<But for this presentation, we will focus on the four defined by

Clebsch & Jaeckle>

Sustaining (Clebsch/Jaeckle)“Preservation- seeks to maintain a troubled person's

situation with as little loss as possible.” “Consolation- to communicate that actual losses could not

nullify person's opportunity to achieve his destiny under God.”

“Consolidation- of the remaining resources available to the

sufferer to build a platform from which to face a deprived life.”

“Redemption- by embracing the loss and by setting out to achieve whatever historical fulfilment might be wrested from life in the face of irretrievable deprivation.”

Guiding (Clebsch/Jaeckle)“Guiding- is the function of the ministry of the cure of

souls which arrives at some wisdom concerning what we ought to do when faced with a difficult problem of choosing between various courses of thought and action.”

Guidance is often done not so much by “advice giving” (although that is certainly appropriate at times) as by drawing out from the individual's own experiences and values for their source as criteria in decision making, “eductive guidance”.

Healing (Clebsch/Jaeckle)

“Healing- aims to overcome some impairment by restoring a person to wholeness and by leading him to advance beyond his previous condition.”

Today, Pastoral Healing is less focused on healing the physical body (although it is done). The focus is often on other areas such as social, mental, emotional, spiritual, and holistic.

Reconciling (Clebsch/Jaeckle)

Reconciliation can be thought of as healing of relationships. Reconciliation is commonly with others. However, it can be with God, and it can be with self.

Clebsch and Jaeckle suggest that Reconciliation may be the area of Pastoral Care that is in greatest need in this era.

The Scope of Pastoral Care

Philosophy of Primary Pastoral Care

–Client Oriented. The client defines the needs, desires, and agenda. Ministry of Presence. Ministry of Silence.

–Support and Comfort-Focused. Not focused on changing the client, in belief or action. TRY to understand and empathize.

© Copyright 2001 Al Henager. Use only with written permission and with proper credit.

History of Clinical Pastoral Care

• Clinical Pastoral Education (aka Clinical Pastoral Training) began in the US in the 1920’s through Anton Boisen, Richard Cabot, and Helen Flanders Dunbar

History of Clinical Pastoral Care

Rev.Anton Boisen, father of the Clinical Pastoral Education/ Training movement, saw the need for pastoral care in mental hospitals after being a patient there himself. He placed theological students in supervised contact with patients in mental hospitals.

He gave strong emphasis on the role of theology in pastoral care. FAITH and MENTAL HEALTH.

History of Clinical Pastoral Care

Dr. Richard Cabot's efforts to define the physician's, as well as the health care system's, role in human well-being, presaged medicine's current attempts to emphasize the social context of the patient.

the American College of Physicians

History of Clinical Pastoral ClinicalHelen Flanders. Her roots was in

homeopathic medicince. She carved a theoretical niche for psychosomatic medicine--

She established the Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine, serving as its chief editor from 1938 to 1947, and, in 1942 was instrumental in founding the American Psychosomatic Society.

http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/dunbar.html

History of Clinical Pastoral CarePsychological Influences

– Eric Erickson• Ego development

• Life stages

• Stages of psychosocial development

– Carl Rogers• Client centered therapy

• Reflective listening techniques – Abraham Mazlow - Hierarchy of needs – Viktor Frankl - Will to Meaning, Logotherapy

History of Clinical Pastoral Care

Influencers in Pastoral Care/Psychology– Donald Capps

• Psychosocial & theological themes• Focus on personal change

– William Arnold (Union Seminary)• Human development model

– James Fowler (Emory University)•Stages of faith

– Henri Nouwen

- “Wounded Healer”

Psychology and Theology

Levels of Explanation Model

Affiliated groups: Christian Association for Psychological Studies (CAPS); The Journal of Psychology and Christianity; Fuller Seminary School of Psychology

Basic premise: Psychology deals with psychological and natural problems in human behavior and relationships. The Bible looks at spiritual problems and our relationship with God. As such they are separate disciplines that deal with unrelated problems.

<Note: Descriptions of the four major models here are based generally on Timothy Keller's article “Four Models of Counseling in Pastoral Ministry”>

Integration Model

Affiliated Groups: Rosemead School of Psychology at Biola University, La Mirada, CA; American Association

of Christian Counselors; Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, MS.

Basic premise: Psychology and biblical theology are both looking at the same thing—human nature. Two different tools to study human beings, “general revelation” and “special revelation.” They give priority to the Bible when there is conflict, but may give science priority in common practice.

Christian Psychology Model

Affiliated Group: Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, MO

Basic premise: The Bible/Theology critiques psychology at a foundational level. Foundationally, theology dominates, but psychological techniques may be brought in as part of the therapy. In practice, tends to be counselor driven rather than theory-driven.

Biblical Counseling Model

Affiliated Groups: National Association of Nouthetic Counselors (NANC); Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF)

Basic premise: A high level of distrust of modern psychology and psychological methodology. Psychological insights should be used with extreme caution. The older approach, formulated by Jay Adams, put great emphasis on behavioral change and the adoption of patterns of biblical living. Much emphasis on sin, repentance, and redemption.

What About “Pastoral Care”

Pastoral Care has always tended to seek integration (many early church fathers applied practices that foreshadowed modern psychology).

Historical Pastoral Care comes closer to the Christian Psychology Movement.

Clinical (Modern) Pastoral Care comes closer to the Integrationists, with more emphasis on psychology.

A Few Challenges Finding a healthy integration of

psychological principles, theological principles, and personal faith.

Integrating one's humanity into one's clinical role (Dykstra).

Juggling the roles of representative of God, one's denomination, oneself, and the client.

Balancing care of client and care of self.

References

“Pastoral Care in Historical Perspectives,” Book. by Clebsch and Jaekle, 1964.

“Care of Souls in the Classic Tradition,” Book. by Thomas Oden“Skillful Shepherds: An Introduction to Pastoral Theology,” Book, by

Derek J. Tidball.“Preface to Pastoral Theology,” Book. by Seward Hiltner, 1958.“Types of Pastoral Care and Counseling,” Book. by Howard Clinebell,

1966.“Hope in Pastoral Care & Counseling,” Book. by Andrew Lester, 1995.“The Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling,” Book. by Rodney J.

Hunter, Ed.,“Six Functions of Pastoral Care,” Internet Resource, by Jan Corbett-

Jones.“Four Models of Counseling in Pastoral Ministry,” Article. By Timothy

Keller, “Reviews from History of Pastoral Care,” Celia Munson, 2014 “Volunteer Chaplain Training,” Presentation, Al Honager, 2001.“Bukal Life CPE Review,” Presentation, Joyce Gray, 2012.