Strategies for Brief Pastoral Counseling

More and more professionals in ministry realized the benefits of brief pastoral counseling-typically three sessions-for addressing the real-life dilemmas of their congregants. In this very helpful resource, eleven leaders in pastoral counseling-both established leaders and new thinkers in the field-offer a convincing rationale. Based on reserach, case studies, and the latest thinking, they lay out (1) the dynamics of the pastor- parishioner relationship, including the need for collaborative, hospitable, future-oriented, and wholistic counseling, and (2) specific strategies, including brief counseling's solution-focused method, its relation to spiritual direction, its focus on people's strengths, and time limits. The volume concludes with a call for the whole field to recognize the contextual, practical character of effective, responsible pastoral counseling.Stone, Howard W. is the author of 'Strategies for Brief Pastoral Counseling', published 2001 under ISBN 9780800632991 and ISBN 0800632990.