Reflections on Pastoral Counseling
Loren Townsend of Louisville Theological Seminary has written an excellent book entitled Introduction to Pastoral Counseling (Nashville: Abingdon, 2009). The foundation of his book is research he did in interviewing about 80 pastoral counselors to understand who they are and what they do.
I’ve been part of the pastoral counseling movement—which formally began in the 1960s when the American Association of Pastoral Counselors was established—since the early 1970s as client, trainee, and therapist. Reading Loren’s overview of our history was like reading about the inner workings of the train I’ve traveled on for over 35 years. I’ve felt the bumps, surges, slow-downs, problems, and successes, but not really known the broader story. I was trained in psychodynamic therapy with a heavy emphasis on Rogerian technique, which gave me my foundational theories, but as quickly as I gained experience as a clinician I found myself in dire need of more theoretical perspectives. So I immersed myself in family systems theories, depth psychology, Transactional Analysis, self psychology, and studied in less depth many other perspectives. Then I found myself returning to my theological training and working to integrate many of Paul Tillich’s and Rollo May’s ideas into my clinical work. This led me to better understand the importance of the myths, symbols, and rituals of religion in my clients’ lives.
As I read Loren’s book I grew aware of how my own journey has been a part of the larger journey of pastoral counselors. We all have been seeking to integrate the burgeoning theoretical approaches in the psychotherapy field. And we’ve generally returned to our beginning: that relationships are the central healing field and clients are the subjects (not the therapists) who do the real changing. Instead of growing more certain of my expertise, I’ve grown more aware of the importance of what I don’t know, what I don’t understand, which is the life, aspirations, and relationships of my clients. The more I am able to embrace this humble posture, the more healing the therapeutic relationship can be.
In many areas of my life as I’ve grown older I’ve found just what Loren writes about. As I’ve made peace with the mainstream, I’ve become less of a counter-cultural person—just as pastoral counseling is no longer such a counter-cultural movement. I think that is a shame, for the ability to see from a fresh perspective is vital to the prophetic voice I have long valued. I also see myself in Loren’s mirror: a man who has, to some extent, sold out.
That insight, though, is the challenge I need. It reminds me that diagnosis and treatment planning is not the essence of what I do or who I am. I am a relationship therapist. Though the structure of psychotherapy is of comfort to me, it is not the foundation for my life’s work. Relationships are. I seek to be one who affirms and accepts the best of the person who comes to me for help, lifting up and challenging the negative only when it threatens to overwhelm the good. I do not want to bury my clients in names—diagnostic names—but to offer them the hope that they can reach for their very best despite their weaknesses. And I hope that my presence with them is food for the strength that would overcome weakness and brokenness.