Pastoral counselling in Britain: an introduction

A brief historical survey is given of the development of pastoral counselling in Britain. The positive contribution and qualities of the British pastoral counselling movement are acknowledged, but it is also recognised that the pastoral counselling scene in Britain is deeply fragmented and the causes of this fragmentation are briefly discussed. The articles in this symposium are welcomed as a sample of current thinking within British pastoral counselling. Four of the articles are fundamentally concerned with the nature and identity of pastoral counselling as a discipline, and another two explore specific elements of therapeutic practice (namely, prayer and forgiveness) that are historically associated with pastoral care. The presentation of original empirical research within some of these articles is also welcomed as a constructive development in the context of British pastoral literature.     

Internationalizing counselling: A Southeast Asian perspective

To learn about our Southeast Asian colleagues’ views on internationalizing counselling psychology to Asian cultures, we interviewed eight counselling psychologists who had received their doctoral training in the United States. Four of the participants were currently practicing and teaching in their native countries and four in the United States. Using the basic principles of Grounded Theory [Glaser, B., & Strauss, A. (1967). The discovery of grounded theory. Chicago, IL: Aldine.], we derived two themes from the data: (1) major assumptions in US counselling psychology that may limit its transferability to Southeast Asian cultures and (2) practices in learning, training, and cultural adjusting for future development and internationalization of counselling psychology. The participants emphasized the need for indigenization and knowledge sharing in the efforts to internationalize counselling psychology.     

Embracing Your Bicultural Identity: Implications for Pastoral Theologians from an Asian American Perspective

This article examines the bicultural identity of Asian Americans and its potential relevance to the in-between identity of pastoral theologians. I suggest that both Asian Americans and pastoral theologians have hyphenated identities that allow them to exist betwixt and between two particular cultures or disciplines. Consequently, I explore the unique pressures that are experienced by those who have a bicultural identity. However, I also argue that there are unique strengths and advantages to having a bicultural identity. Two particular images of the bat, as depicted in Aesop’s fables, are used as metaphors to help understand the context of bicultural individuals and pastoral theologians, and to encourage further inquiry of their strengths and vantage points.     

Reversal theory: A new perspective on crisis counselling

Caplan, in a variety of publications, has presented a model of crisis development which seeks to exemplify the core conditions of a crisis. Brandon has elaborated this model and shown its relevance to counselling and therapy. The recent development of the theory of psychological reversals, however, poses questions about the validity of Caplan's model. In this paper, a critique of crisis theory is presented, focusing particularly upon the notion of homeostasis and upon the relationship between arousal and anxiety. It is suggested that the five crisis models derived from the theory of reversals offer a fuller understanding of crises and crisis counselling than can be derived from Caplan's work.     

Render Unto Caesar: Pastoral Care and the American Empire

This article addresses the relation between the American Empire and the intriguing contradictions and problems that arise for pastoral ministers who live in and are citizens of the empire. Sources and characteristics of the American Empire are described, which serves as a foundation for identifying four key features of an empire psyche. The attributes of the empire psyche, which are yoked to pastoral identity and practice, contradict central Christian claims. Given the reality of the American Empire and an empire psyche, I identify and describe some pastoral struggles and possible responses.

Pastoral care for the head-injured: A biopsychosocial/spiritual perspective

This article discusses the pastoral role in the individual and family crisis of a head injury. A case study illustrates the nature and consequences of this widespread but little-understood injury. Physical, emotional, and spiritual consequences of this injury are discussed. Finally, this article describes four pastoral responses to head-injured victims and their families: helping the victim to speak the unspeakable, facilitating prayerful imagination, connecting therapeutic efforts among professionals, and advocating for the family with national and community head injury resources.Private Practice, 1542D Honey Grove Dr., Richmond, VA 23229.     

Pastoral counseling challenges in the Javanese hospital: A cross-cultural perspective

The following article presents some of the challenges experienced by a European pastoral counselor during a two year service period in a Protestant hospital in Central Java, Indonesia. The incompatibility of some of the Western, First-world counseling approaches with Javanese culture suggests the urgent need for pastoral counselors to rethink their methods in the face of cultures not their own.     

Biblical Themes for Pastoral Care Revisited: An Asian American Re-Reading of a Classic Pastoral Care Text

Over twenty-five years after its initial publication, William B. Oglesby, Jr.'s book Biblical Themes for Pastoral Care still is consulted and used by seminarians and ministers who are interested in honing their caregiving skills by understanding how biblical texts can inform the processes of pastoral care and counseling. This essay revisits Oglesby's work and seeks to apply its insights to ministry with Asian Pacific American (APA) populations. The central theme of the Bible and five subthemes are identified by Oglesby and summarized in this essay, and then several additional subthemes are explained due to their relevance for APA women and men. Finally, to test the hypotheses advanced by Oglesby and expanded in this article, the written testimonies of fifty-two contemporary Japanese American Christians are examined.

A cognitive developmental perspective on counselling adolescents

Although developmental perspectives on counselling are increasingly popular, difficulties inherent in these perspectives impede their actual use in practice. In this paper, individual counselling is situated within a cognitive developmental (Piagetian) framework. Its major constructs — structure and function, assimilation and accommodation, and equilibration — can profitably be applied to the counselling of adolescents. The implications of these constructs for use by counsellors are presented in the light of the traditional responsive and initiative conditions required of the helping relationship. Thus, a perspective on actual counselling intervention founded on a major direction in developmental psychology is provided.     

Marital counselling: Teaching an eclectic approach

Limited opportunities for training combined with misperceptions about the nature of marital counselling lead to many professionals conducting consultations with couples without training. Where training exists, generally a specific ‘pure’ approach, or a definite brand of eclecticism is taught. The Sheffield Marital and Sexual Difficulties Clinic training course currently aims to give trainees the building blocks for evolving their own brand of eclecticism, or the opportunity to follow a particular approach. Psychodynamic, behavioural and systems theories are highlighted, and the various ways to which these (and other theories) can be used together are examined.     

Sins of the American Empire and Pastoral Responses

This article describes attributes of the American Empire and addresses characteristic sins—pride, sloth, greed, and idolatry—that are necessary for maintaining the domestic and foreign policies aimed toward expanding the economic and military power of the United States. In particular, I claim that theo-political narratives and rituals extant in U.S. culture are internalized, structuring our collective psyches and shaping both our wills and actions. Pride, sloth, greed, and idolatry signify the distortion of will, giving rise to actions that result in harm and alienation. To address this reality, several pastoral strategies are depicted.

Humour as a tool in counselling and psychotherapy: A reversal-theory perspective

Humour has occasionally been regarded as a valuable tool in counselling and psychotherapy. The specific uses of humour and its potential as a coping tactic are rarely described. The therapeutic use of humour is accordingly examined in the light of reversal theory (Apter, 1982a). It is suggested that the use of humour needs to be related to the motivational task implicit in the therapeutic interaction.     

Mental health counselling in the Black American Church: reflections and recommendations from counsellors serving in a counselling ministry

The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between “The Black Church”, the mental health needs of its members, and addressing those needs from the perspective of counsellors within the church. Four in-depth interviews were conducted with members of the mental health counselling team at one large, African American-serving church in the Midwest to explore their thoughts about their church pastor’s desire to expand their current ministry to a fully operating counselling centre. The findings suggest that “the Black Church” not only has a role and responsibility in addressing the mental health needs of African Americans within and outside of the church but can also use religiosity as a facilitator rather than a barrier to mental health service use among African Americans.     

On the margins: a psychoanalytic perspective on the location of counselling, psychotherapy and counselling psychology training programmes within universities

Despite the continuing expansion of psychotherapeutic training programmes within universities in the UK, very little has been written about the psychological strains which may be experienced by teams working within the context of higher education. This theoretical paper offers a psychoanalytic perspective on the location of such teams, drawing on Kleinian conceptualisations of anxiety and projective identification, as well as Menzies-Lyth's concept of social defence systems. The paper explores the way in which psychotherapeutic teams in general and counselling psychology teams in particular may be at risk of becoming the locus of unconsciously split-off emotional aspects of the institution. The role of such teaching teams within universities is discussed and brief suggestions for future practice outlined.