DESCRIPTION:

The individual-in-family-within-community is the focus of study in the pastoral care and counseling of families within the family of God. Family theory, theology, and therapeutic interaction will be integrated as the student explores his/her own multigenerational family system and applies learnings to participation in family of origin and in intentional family ministry as a pastor or pastoral counselor or therapist.

Pastoral counseling ministry is first a ministry to the key relational units of a community, church, or extended family and second to the person within these human contexts. At completion of this course, the student will know how to connect with family of origin with clear self-definition, clean boundaries, and firm personal differentiation; will be connecting with self, other, and God with balanced integrity and genuine intimacy; and will be able to do clear application of systems theory work and service in relationships with family, in church, and in the workplace.

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. Class will meet twice weekly for two-hour sessions.

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

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

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

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.

This is a central pastoral counseling course open to all students. Spouses are encouraged to participate whenever possible.

Meets M.Div. core requirement in Pastoral Counseling (MIN 5). Also meets requirements in M.Div. concentration in Family Pastoral Care and Counseling and in M.A. in Family Life Education.

No written exam; the major paper on your family voyage in revisioning your family of origin functions as the final evaluation.