DESCRIPTION: The individual-in-family-within-community is the focus of study in the pastoral care and counseling of biological families within the spiritual family. Family theory, theology, and therapy will be integrated as the student explores his/her own multigenerational family system and applies learnings to one's own role in family of origin and to all family ministry.

COURSE OBJECTIVES/LEARNING OUTCOMES: At completion of this course, the student will know new ways of connecting with family of origin with clear self-definition, clean boundaries, and firm personal differentiation; will be expressing trust and risking clarity with self, others, and God; and will be able to do clear thought and application of systems theory in relationships that balance integrity and genuine intimacy.

RELEVANCE FOR MINISTRY: Pastoral counseling ministry is multi-level: to the spiritual family, to the biological families within it, to the persons within these human contexts. This course equips the counselor to think, relate, act, and intervene on all three levels in any ministry experience.

COURSE FORMAT: Class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions. The course focuses on assisting participants in understanding, differentiating, deepening relationships in their family of origin in personal development as a basis for work in family intervention. Lectures, experiential process, sociodrama, case studies, audiovisuals will be utilized to assist the pastoral counselor in growth toward effective preventative and creative change in family systems.

REQUIRED READING:

Friedman, Edwin. Generation to Generation. New York: Guilford, 1985.

Napier, A. and Carl Whitaker. The Family Crucible. New York: Bantam, 1978.

Anderson, Herbert, and Don Browning. The Family Handbook. Westminster John Knox, 1998.

Augsburger, David. Sustaining Love. Ventura: Regal, 1988.

Barton, Stephen C., ed. The Family in Theological Perspective. T & T Clark, 1996.

Bowen, Murray. Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. New York: Aaronson, 1978.

OR Kerr, Michael E. Family Evolution. New York: W. W. Norton, 1988.

McGoldrick, M. Ethnicity and Family Therapy. New York: Guilford Press, 1982.

__________. Genograms. New York: Norton, 1985.

Satir, Virginia. People Making. Palo Alto: Science and Behavior, 1972.

1. Wide reading of 1200 pages in theory and cases.

2. Attendance of all sessions and participation in experiential processes.

3. A four-generation (minimum) analysis of your family of origin and a commitment to pursuit of a family pilgrimage for the following two years.