PC501 SyllabusRev. Joel Jueckstock, M.Div.

Bethel

Winter 2012

Mondays, 8:00-10:00 PM

INTRODUCTION TO PASTORAL CARE

Course Description:

This course is designed to introduce the student to the shepherding function with emphasis on pastoral counseling. Basic counseling methods will be discussed in relation to typical situations faced in pastoral ministry. Weekly clinical experience in nursing care, medical setting or other institution is included in the requirements of this course.

Main objectives:

  1. Prepare ourselves and others for effective care in and around the Body of Christ: overcome obstacles for care;
  2. Learn to observe and assess needs, then plan and mobilize multiple resources of the church and community;
  3. Develop a systematic process for approaching and responding to persons, families and groups with the more frequently present critical needs;
  4. Evaluate and appreciate the resources of both faith and science for meeting people’s needs, performing theological reflection and taking action with those resources.
  5. Evaluate and grow in the understanding of cultural and ethnic influences and their impact on pastoral care and counseling relationships.

Required Reading:

Benner, David. Strategic Pastoral Counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003. ISBN: 0801026318

Johnson, Brad, and William Johnson.Pastor’s Guide to Psychological Disorders and Treatments. New York: Haworth, 2000. ISBN: 0789011115

Hawley, Dale R., and Carla M. Dahl. “Using the Levels of Family Involvement Model with Religious Professionals,” Journal of Psychology and Theology 28 no. 2 (2000): 87-98.

Montilla, R. Estaban, and Ferney Medina.Pastoral Care and Counseling with Latino/as. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2006. ISBN: 0800638204

Paget, Naomi K., and Janet R. McCormack.The Work of the Chaplain. Valley Forge, PA: Judson, 2006. ISBN: 0817014993

Patton, John, Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 2005. ISBN: 0687053226

Wimberly, Edward P. African American Pastoral Care and Counseling: the politics of oppression and empowerment. Cleveland, OH: Pilgrim, 2006. ISBN: 082981681X

The Covenant Book of Worship. Chicago: Covenant Publications, 2003. ISBN: 910452-92-X

Recommended Reading:

Floyd, Scott. Crisis Counseling: a guide for pastors and professionals. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2008. ISBN: 0825425883

Lebacqz, Karen, and Joseph Driskill.Ethics and Spiritual Care. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2000. ISBN: 0687071569

Methodology:

Information sharing, intense group participation in developing awareness and action plans, goal-setting, writing exercises, mobilization of inner and interpersonal resources, lectures, reading, practicum experience, supervision, deliberate theological reflection. For three (3) of our class sessions the whole class will meet together for half of the class time; verbatim groups meet the other half of the class time; field experience under supervision is held in a care-giving setting for 4 hours per week for 9 weeks (36 hours) outside of class time. Four (4) hours of the total (36) ought to be spent in supervision sessions with a supervisor.

Course Requirements:

  1. Integrative Essays: Two Integrative Essays (5 pages, 265 words/page, 1,325 words each) will be handed in according to the Class Schedule. These essays are designed to encourage you to interact with our texts and class discussions—and how you plan on integrating these principles into your ministry setting.
  • Integrative Essay #1: Using the concepts in Patton, Pastoral Care, Benner, Strategic Pastoral Counseling, and Paget and McCormack, The Work of the Chaplain, integrate these readings with your own personal and Biblical perspectives and how youunderstand your role in providing Pastoral Care and Pastoral Counseling. In other words, describe how the people you care for will experience your caring pastoral presence?
  • Integrative Essay # 2: Using the concepts in Montilla and Medina, Pastoral Care and Counseling with Latino/as, and Wimberly, African American Pastoral Care and Counseling, integrate and identify your own emerging theoretical perspective and theological understanding of Christian Community. What function/role does community play in pastoral care? What is your role in the community of believers?

Research projects completed for this course have been identified as a required integrative assignment that you may wish to review and reference in future integrative coursework.

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  1. Personal Growth Plan: (3-4 pages 750-1000 words) Charles Gerkin states: “many pastors evidence a lack of coherence in their work, resulting in a fragmentation of purpose, confusion among often conflicting methods of operation in various functions, valuing of one function and neglect of another…Pastors need a foundational, organizing image of the whole of pastoral ministry that can give coherence to and inform all of the various functional roles of the pastor.”
  • Based on the ways in which God has gifted you for pastoral ministry, describe the foundational, organizing image or metaphor that will guide your ministry (shepherd, interpretive guide, others?). What theological tenets inform your approach to pastoral care ministry? How does this image inform, or what are the implications of this image for, your various roles (i.e. pastoral care, preaching/teaching, leadership, administration, vision, supervision, spiritual formation etc)? Use concrete examples.
  • What are your growing edges and concerns (personal reorientations)? Organize this section around any new realizations that occurred for you during the quarter that re-shaped your way of understanding and practicing pastoral care and counseling. Include implications of appropriate boundaries and ethical concerns in ministry.

This personal growth plan will become part of your Supervised Ministry File.

  1. Weekly Reflection Summaries: Interaction is an essential part of this course, so come each session prepared to ask questions, to engage with questions others raise, and to participate actively in discussion. Turn in a reflection summary (typed, single-spaced) each week reading is assigned (see Weekly Reflection Summary in syllabus).
  1. Clinical Experience: Students will meet with individuals, couples or families for pastoral visitations (for a total of 20 hours). These meetings are intended to be with a variety of people (meeting no more than twice with one person, couple, or family). This is to be arranged through a church, parachurch, or community organization. Students who are on staff at a qualifying organization may inquire the professor regarding the use of work experience. This visitation experience will need to be served in a setting outside your typical comfort zone. Some options for venues for your visits could include homes, hospital, nursing home, your office, etc. You could, for instance choose to complete your meetings in a nursing care facility visiting different residents. You will be responsible for arranging a ministry context to do your clinical experience in. You mustarrange for a mentor who will meet with you three times during the visitation experience to debrief. Provide your mentor with the evaluation form included in the syllabus. Your mentor will be required to submit an evaluation of your experiences with them. Your mentor must verify that you have completed 20 hours of service, excluding 2 hours of supervision (presenting and discussing your second verbatim and discussing other pertinent pastoral visits). You must provide me with a Clinical Experience Plan (included in syllabus) that contains contact information for your mentor.
  • Reflection of the pastoral experience: (250-300 words each) This will happen via discussion board as you answer the questions provided during the weeks you have discussion board entries assigned. You will respond to the question(s) provided and share your experiences with each other. We will also reflect on your pastoral experiences throughout the course.
  • Supervisory Feedback on Field Experience: Since supervisors vary greatly in their evaluations and previous experience as a supervisor [they will receive a form to fill out], the professor will use the supervisory feedback with judgment.
  • Verbatims: A verbatim, in essence, is a request for help for a difficult moment in care giving for which the student wants to ask for helpful feedback from his/her supervisor and peers. The image in your head should not be that of a tape recorder, but rather, the processing of a difficult counseling experience with colleagues. After you experience the "difficult situation," you should sit down very soon with paper following the interview to note key words and transitions, and then write it all out as soon as you can get to a word processor. You should be pleasantly surprised how much of the conversation you remember. Be sure to describe how you feel the "sticky spot" happened and include your impressions throughout the visit. When writing up your verbatim, follow the format that is included in the syllabus.
  1. Each student will complete two verbatims. One will be turned in to the professor and discussed with your on-campus group (see due date in course schedule). The second verbatim is to be presented to your practicum site supervisor at some later date and discussed there. The practicum site supervisor will confirm in their evaluation that the student handed in and discussed the second verbatim with them in order for the assignment to be considered completed.
  2. When verbatims are processed in your small group, the questions you should have in mind as you listen and interact should be as follows [review these each time you will be listening to a verbatim]:
  3. Is the setting and the client's condition clear to you?
  4. Is the presenter clearly aware of the client's emotions, mood, tone, physical, social and spiritual situation?
  5. Is a pastoral identity evident in the presenter?
  6. What issues of their own does the student bring to this situation? What personal work do they have to do?
  7. Is there evidence the student has reflected on the theological issues involved in this situation?
  8. Is there a helpful response made to the client?
  9. Is there evidence the student is ready to improve his/her approach next time? Does the student have a plan?
  1. Ministry Functions Assignment: (2 pages, 450-500 words total) Please represent one of the following topics: baptism, communion, or anointing of the sick as you consider it from biblical perspective (150-200 words) and from your denomination/tradition (300-350 words). How will you bring your point of view into your ministry setting?
  1. Participation: Complete readings according to the assigned schedule, and use concepts from the readings explicitly in class discussion and written assignments. Attend class sessions and participate in large-group and small-group discussion in respectful, hospitable ways. Participation also includes the handing in of all assignments on time, especially verbatims.
  1. Attendance: More than one unexcused absences from class will cause deductions.
  1. Inclusive Language: In accordance with Bethel Seminary policy, inclusive language should be used in class discussion and papers.
  1. Plagiarism: Zero Tolerance. If a student plagiarizes any of their work, it will result in failure for the course and will be reported to the Student Development Committee.
  1. Late Papers: If you do not turn in an assignment when due, the assignment will lose 10% of its earned grade for each day that it is late. Late papers may not be graded or returned at the same time as those received on time. The weekly reflection summaries will not be accepted if they are not turned in prior to class.
  1. Academic Course Policies: Please familiarize yourself with the catalog requirements as specified in Academic Course Policies document found on the Registrar's website at: You are responsible for this information, and any academic violations, such as plagiarism, will not be tolerated.

Final Grades:

The Personal Growth Plan and Mentor evaluations are graded much more subjectively than some other courses in seminary. In these areas I am not looking as much for cognitive growth as for total personal growth that is clearly expressed in terms of developing one's whole self as a person involved deeply with people in pastoral care and counseling. I will be trying to determine whether or not the student gives evidence of having self-awareness and appropriate goals for his/her self in growing in pastoral care skills and knowledge.

Final grades for this course are based on the following percentage of accumulated points:

A / 96-100 / B- / 83-85 / D+ / 71-73
A- / 92-95 / C+ / 80-82 / D / 68-70
B+ / 89-91 / C / 77-79 / D- / 65-67
B / 86-88 / C- / 74-76 / F / 0-64

Assignment valuation:

  • Weekly reflection summaries, discussion posts, and participation 15 points
  • Integrative Essay #115 points
  • Integrative Essay #215 points
  • Verbatim #17.5 points
  • Verbatim #27.5 points
  • Personal Growth Plan10 points
  • Evaluations: 20 hours completed at practicum site20 points
  • Ministry Functions Assignment7.5 points
  • Course Evaluation2.5 Points

Total Course points possible100 points

Course Evaluations: Student course assessments are an important part of course development and enhancement. In order to recognize the value of your input and to encourage you to provide that input, your completion of the course assessment will be included as a factor in your final course grade.Review the course syllabus for how this will be calculated. For any questions regarding the course evaluation process, please go to

DATE / DISCUSSION TOPICS / PREPARATION/ ASSIGNMENTS
1/9 / Orientation to course
Week 1 / Images of Care & Personal Readiness
Basic skills in Pastoral Care
Selecting practicum site and arranging first / Begin finding a site for clinical experience
communication
1/23
Week 2 / Basic skills in Pastoral Care cont.
Pastoral Care in Context
Integrating practice and faith
Image of God—Creation/Restoration / Due: Weekly Response Sheet
Read: Patton, Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide; Benner, Strategic Pastoral Counseling, Ch. 1
1/30
Week 3 / Developmental and Systemic Issues for Caring
Levels of Involvement in Pastoral Care
Benner model discussion / Due: Weekly Response Sheet
Read: finish Benner, Strategic Pastoral Counseling; Hawley and Dahl “Applying the LFI Model to Ministry” (blackboard)
Due: Discussion Post #1
Due: Discussion Post #2
2/6
Week 4 / Listening as a skill
Grief
End of life issues / Due: Weekly Response Sheet
Read: Paget and McCormack, The Work of the Chaplain
2/13
Week 5 / Discuss Paget and McCormack
Ethical issues in Pastoral Care
Boundary issues and misconduct in ministry
Pastoral Care and Addiction
Referral and reporting / Due: Weekly Response Sheet
Read: Johnson and Johnson, Pastor’s Guide to Psychological Disorders and Treatments
Due: Integrative Essay 1
2/20 / Chronic illness
Week 6 / Ministry with/to the Disabled
Verbatim Groups / Class verbatim due
2/27
Week 7 / Depression, suicide, anxiety and other mental health issues
Spiritual and therapeutic connections/perspectives / Due: Weekly Response Sheet
Read: Montilla and Medina, Pastoral Care and Counseling with Latino/as
Verbatim Groups
3/5
Week 8 / Culture and ethnicity in Pastoral Care / Due: Weekly Response Sheet
Read: Wimberly, African American Pastoral Care and Counseling
Verbatim Groups
3/12
Week 9 / Pre-marital preparation
Lay Pastoral Care / Due: Integrative Essay 2
Due: Discussion Post #3
Verbatim Groups
3/19
Week 10 / Pastoral Care and Ritual
Self care / Due: Student/supervisor evaluations
Due: Personal Growth Plan
Due: Ministry Functions Assignment

ADDITIONAL BIBLIOGRAPHIC RESOURCES FOR THE COURSE

Balswick, Judith & Jack.Families in Pain.Working Through the Hurts.Baker/Revell, 1997.

Bowman, George. Dying, Grieving, Faith & Family: A Pastoral Care Approach. Binghamton, NY: Hayworth Pastoral Press, 1998.

Brister, C. W. Pastoral Care in the Church. 3rd ed. NY: Harper/Collins, 1992.

Carr, Wesley, ed. The Dictionary of Pastoral Studies.Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2002.

Clark, David C. Clergy Response to Suicidal Persons & Their Families. Chicago, IL: Exploration Press, 1993.

Clinton, Timothy and George Ohlschlager.Competent Christian Counseling: Pursuing and Practicing Compassionate Soul Care. Colorado Springs, CO: WaterBrook Press, 2001.

Copen, Lisa J. "So You Want to Start a Chronic Illness/Pain Ministry." [booklet] San Diego: Rest Ministries, Inc., 2002. Cf. her web site:

Dayringer, Richard. The Heart of Pastoral Counseling: Healing through Relationship. Rev. ed. Binghamton, NY: Haworth Pastoral Press, 1998.

Gerkin, Charles. An Introduction to Pastoral Care.Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1997.

Goldingay, John. Walk On: Life, Loss, Trust, and Other Realities. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2002.

Grossoehme, Daniel H. The Pastoral Care of Children.Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Pastoral Press, 1999.

Haugk, Kenneth C. Christian Caregiving. A Way of Life.Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg/Fortress, 1985. Howe, Leroy. A Pastor in Every Pew: Equipping Laity for Pastoral Care. Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 2000.

Hightower, James E., Jr., ed. Caring for People from Birth to Death. Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Pastoral Press, 1999.

Hunsinger, Deborah van Deusen. Theology and Pastoral Counseling.A New Interdisciplinary Approach. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995.

Hunter, Rodney, ed. Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling. Nashville, TN: Abingdon, 1990. James, John W., and Russell Friedman.The Grief Recovery Handbook.Rev. ed. NY: Harper Perennial, 1998.

June, Lee N., ed. The Black Family: Past, Present, & Future. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991. Koenig, Harold, and Andrew Weaver.The Pastoral Care of Older Adults.Minneapolis: Augsburg/Fortress, 1998.

Knutson, Lois D. Understanding the Senior Adult. A Tool for Wholistic Ministry.Bethesda, MD: The Alban Institute, 1999.

Louw, Daniel. A Mature Faith: Spiritual Direction & Anthropology in a Theology of Pastoral Care and Counseling. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1999.

Lester, Andrew. Hope in Pastoral Care and Counseling. Philadelphia, PA: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1995.

McMinn, Mark. Psychology, Theology and Spirituality in Christian Counseling.Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1996

Moesner, Jeanne Stevenson. Through the Eyes of Women.Thoughts for Pastoral Care.Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg/Fortress, 1996.

Patton, John. Pastoral Care in Context: An Introduction to Pastoral Care. Philadelphia: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993.

Ramsey, Nancy J. Pastoral Diagnosis. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg/Fortress, 1998. Schlauch, Chris. Faithful Companioning.Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg/Fortress, 1995. Steinbron, Melvin J. The Lay Driven Church.Ventura, CA: Regal, 1997.

Tack, Theodore, and Ann Murphy.The History of Pastoral Care.Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2001.