What are the advantages of pastoral counseling? Why would one turn to a pastor to counsel instead of a licenced professional? Some pastors are licenced professionals and others are not so how can one tell how much training a pastor has in counseling? When is pastoral counseling a better option?

The church has always provided pastoral counseling to people in need. The pastor was the counselor of the western world before the advent of modern psychology. There has been to some degree the false perspective of science and faith at war with each other reflected in the realm of psychology and counseling. In many ways secular psychology invaded and took over a realm that had been the mainly dominated by pastors and religious leaders until modern times. So is there a place for pastoral counseling today?

The answer is yes. Pastoral counseling is still a vital aspect of the ministry of the church. The pastoral counselor is one that operates as a general practitioner or family doctor as opposed to a specialist for most wounds of the soul or family. The pastoral counselor may very well be able to guide us through reconciling relationships, overcoming some forms of depression, and improving our parenting skills. The pastor can also act as a helpful source of referrals to Christan counselors and other specialists when the problems we have seem to be beyond their ability to help.

In addition the pastoral counselor can often offer help to people who would normally not get help at all. Lack of funds or insurance places many people without any ability to get help at their darkest moments from the mental health community. Pastoral counseling is offered as part of the ministry of the gospel of grace and is open to all in need. It is a service the church provides.

The pastor also is uniquely equipped to deal with some particular aspects of a problem. Spiritual direction is the key element that can be provided by the pastoral counselor. Where is God in all of this? The pastor is well trained in finding and explaining how God is at work in our darkest moments. If I want to get a biblical or spiritual insight into my struggles then seeking a pastoral counselor makes the most sense.

Another reality is that the pastor may be the only one willing to confront my behavior as “sin”. In our morally relative world it is hard to find someone who can awaken my conscience and help me fix my moral compass. If deep inside of me I know that this is one of my primary needs then seeking pastoral counseling may be critical.

Now pastoral counseling is not regulated by any central group like that offered by the state licenced professionals. So asking the pastor about his experience and training in counseling is a wise and prudent approach. Some pastors are especially gifted and skilled in this areas while others have less ability.

However, we all know that simply because someone is a licenced professional that does not guarantee us that they will provide us good counsel. Such regulation attempts to maintain a basic standard but cannot promise us that every licenced professional is a good counselor. So in reality we just need to be as careful as we normally would be in seeking the help of anyone as we deal with difficult problems. Ask about how much experience the person has especially in dealing with the problem you are facing.

So is there a place for pastoral counseling. The answer is yes. Is there a need of pastoral counseling the answer is also yes. Pastoral counseling provides a vital service to many people that would be without counsel entirely, integrates scripture into psycological methods, and alone can give a spiritual perspective on our problems. There is a need for both liscenced mental health professionals and pastoral counselors. Working together these people can provide a team that can best serve the healing of our souls.

For further reading on this one can read:

Competent to Counsel by Jay Edward Adams

Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counseling: Resources for the Ministry of Healing and Growth by Howard John Clinebell

Clinical Handbook of Pastoral Counseling (Integration Books) by Richard D. Parsons, Robert J. Wicks, and Donald Capps