How to Do Pastoral Counseling in Your Local Church

Pastors often also act as counselors to their parishioners.

Pastoral counseling is a specialized area of psychological therapy that has roots in spiritual and religious beliefs. Seminaries offer coursework and majors in pastoral counseling. Pastoral counselors can join counseling practices and offer their services to members of the public. Additionally, some pastors with a background in pastoral counseling offer counseling services to the members of the congregation. While there is no one formula for counseling in the local church, some best practices are recommended to ensure an effective counseling experience.

Instructions

1. Prepare yourself for counseling by taking training courses or majoring in pastoral counseling. Like non-religious counseling, pastoral counseling is delivered through the use of special techniques and skills. These techniques are taught and practiced in an academic setting.

2. Build trust among the members of the congregation. When offering pastoral counseling in a local church, the parishioners must believe in you and trust you to offer wise counsel and confidential consultations. Build trust by demonstrating your trustworthiness and discretion in all matters conferred to you.

3. Define the areas in which you are qualified to offer pastoral counseling. Members of a local church may have many issues for which they seek counseling, including family matters, mental health challenges or financial difficulties. Be sure to inform all members of the types of counseling that you can offer - for example, marriage counseling and family planning.

4. Know when you are not qualified to handle a matter. Refer those matters that you cannot handle to other qualified pastoral counselors. Always be honest regarding your abilities and areas of interest.

5. Decline matters in which you have a personal interest. Counselors must remain neutral. Counseling family members is not advised.

Tips & Warnings

• Write a small brochure or open a Web page explaining the counseling services in your local church. Explain how to contact you for a private counseling session.

• Confidentiality is essential when giving counseling. Do not share the personal details of your parishioners with other members of the congregation.

References

• Xenos Christian Fellowship: Servanthood 2 -- Key Pastoral Counseling Tools
• American Association of Pastoral Counselors: What Is Pastoral Counseling?
• Xenos Christian Fellowship: Servanthood 2 -- Introduction to Pastoral Counseling