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PC501: Syllabus Rev. Jeffrey Sanders, M.Div.
Spring 2009 Bethel Seminary, St. Paul
March 26-May 28, SEM 100
Thursdays, 7-10:15 p.m. Phone: 651.635.8662
INTRODUCTION TO PASTORAL CARE
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is designed to introduce the student to the shepherding function with emphasis on pastoral care and pastoral counseling. Basic care and counseling methods will be discussed in relation to typical situations faced in the pastoral ministry. Weekly clinical experience in nursing care, medical setting or other institutions 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 individual cultural and ethnic influences and grow in understanding the impact of culture and ethnicity in pastoral care and counseling relationships.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS:
Benner, David. Strategic Pastoral Counseling, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2004. ISBN: 0801026318
Johnson & Johnson. Pastor’s Guide to Psychological Disorders and Treatments. Haworth, 2000. ISBN: 0789011115
Paget and McCormack. The Work of the Chaplain. Judson, 2006. ISBN: 0817014993
Patton, John. Pastoral Care: An Essential Guide. Abingdon, 2005. ISBN: 0687053226
Montilla, R. Esteban and Medina, Ferney. Pastoral Care and Counseling with Latino/as. Fortress, 2006. ISBN: 0800638204
Wimberly, Edward P. African American Pastoral Care and Counseling: The Politics of Oppression and Empowerment. Pilgrim, 2006. ISBN: 082981681X
METHODOLOGY:
1. 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.
2. For the majority 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 outside of class time-five hours of the total ought to be spent in supervision sessions with a supervisor plus, if possible, at least one other student.
ASSESSMENTS: (See course schedule for due dates)
1. Integrative Essays (IP): 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 you understand your role in providing Pastoral Care and Pastoral Counseling. Basically, how will those you shepherd experience your care?
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, etc.
Research projects completed for this course will contribute to the student’s seminary integrative portfolio. For students beginning seminary in the 08-09 school year: In addition, to submitting this assignment to the course instructor, you are also required to submit it (upload it) to your Integrative Portfolio.
2. 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.”
First: Describe the foundational, organizing image that will guide your ministry (interpretive guide, others?). 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)?
Second: 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.
3. 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 page in syllabus). These papers are not included in the one day grace period and must be turned in at the end of class.
These papers will not be accepted electronically.
4. 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 need to use the supervisory feedback with judgment.
5. 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 verbatims on time.
6. Attendance: More than one unexcused absences from class will cause deductions.
7. Inclusive Language: In accordance with Bethel Seminary policy, inclusive language should be used in class discussion and papers.
8. 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.
9. Late Papers: If you do not turn in an assignment when due, you will have until noon the following day to turn it in without penalty. This should be used only as a cushion for unexpected problems. After this “buffer day,” 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 do not have the buffer day. They must be turned in at the end of each class period in paper form. For writing format consult Kate Turabian’s latest edition of her Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations.
10. Academic Course Policies: Please familiarize yourself with the catalog requirements as specified in Academic Course Policies document found on the Syllabus page in Blackboard. You are responsible for this information, and any academic violations, such as plagiarism, will not be tolerated.
GRADING FOR THE COURSE:
A couple aspects of this course (Personal Growth Plan, Supervisor's Feedback) 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:
Final grades for this course are based on the following percentage of accumulated points:
A / 96-100 / B- / 83-85 / D+ / 71-73A- / 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 (3 points ea.) and participation 20 points
· Integrative Essay #1 20 points
· Integrative Essay #2 20 points
· Verbatim #1 10 points
· Verbatim #2 10 points
· Personal Growth Plan 10 points
· Evaluations (2), 36 hours completed at practicum site 10 points
Total Course points possible 100 points
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. The most important thing: describing how you feel the "sticky spot" happened. When writing up your verbatim, follow the format that is included on the next page.
Verbatim Groups:
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] :
• Is the setting and the client's condition clear to you?
• Is the presenter clearly aware of the client's emotions, mood, tone, physical, social and spiritual situation?
• Is a pastoral identity evident in the presenter?
• What issues of their own does the student bring to this situation? What personal work do they have to do?
• Is there evidence the student has reflected on the theological issues involved in this situation?
• Is there a helpful response made to the client?
• Is there evidence the student is ready to improve his/her approach next time? Does the student have a plan?
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.
VERBATIM FORMAT FOR PC501
Date: ______Date of Processing this verbatim: ______
Student's name: ______
Date/time: ______Date of admission: ______
Age of client: ______Gender of client: ______
PRELIMINARY: Describe the physical setting and emotional tone of your visit. What sights, sounds, and emotions did you experience as you began the interview? Did you select this individual or were they chosen for you? How did you prepare yourself? What did you know about the person beforehand, and from what sources? Describe the client briefly. Were there others, either present or absent, who were important in this visit? How did their presence affect the interview?
INTERVIEW: Include a verbatim account of the most significant dialogue by all participants sequentially. Separate your non-verbal communications or pertinent feelings about what is happening in parentheses. Number the sequence of verbal interchanges as follows: P1, C1, P2, C2, etc. for Pastor and Client, respectively. To protect his/her privacy use an alternative name, do not identify the individual in the written material.
Example: P 1: Good Morning, Mrs. Johnson.
C1: Good Morning, Chaplain. How are you this morning?
P2: I'm fine. (Really, I felt anxious, she appeared angry to me, and I wondered
why she wanted to see me.) I understand you wanted to see me.
C2: Yes. I'm kind of wondering about my son. I know he is drinking....
Rather than trying to record the whole interview, include some background about how the visit is initiated, and then record the most critical exchanges that reveal the problem area you want to discuss with others. Summarize in a brief paragraph how the visit ended.
EVALUATION: Go back over the conversation, meditate on it, then write up the following elements in numbered summary paragraphs at the end of the verbatim:
1. Initial impression of the person.
2. Change(s) in that impression.
3. Significant conversation shifts, emotions expressed, resistances to you, insights gained by either of you.
4. Perception the client seemed to have of your person and role.
5. Main problems presented and your response.
6. Would you change anything in this visit?
7. Do you plan to return? What are your goals?
8. Was there need for referral? To whom, and why?
9. Summary of your ministry to this person (include issues for counseling and pastoral care).
10. What issues arose in this interview, either implicit or explicit, for pastoral theology, ethics, and pastoral care?
PRACTICUM NOTES
Make nine copies of this form to be able to comment on each practicum visitation. These reflections will be valuable when completing your Personal Growth Plan.
Student Name: ______Date: ______
As you look back on your visit(s) today, do what AA people call "a fearless inventory" which will stretch you to grow in your pastoral care and counseling skills and awareness.
[Rate with: 1 = failure, 2= poor, 3 = average, 4 = good, 5 = excellent]
1. Counseling elements I used, and how I would rate myself:
______a. active listening
______b. empathy and sensitivity to underlying emotional tone
______c. grasp of client's principal issue(s)
______d. allowing client to develop his/her own agenda with me
______e. my ability to track with the client
______f. ability to feel and communicate a "pastoral presence"
______g. tolerance for the other person's belief system
______h. perseverance with issues in face of my own uncertainty about them
______i. alertness to underlying/overt spiritual/theological issues
______j. alertness to client's needs for networking or social support
2. As a result of today's learning, what goals ought I set up for myself for improved effectiveness and skill?