Publisher's Synopsis
This guide is intended for all who are engaged in the christian pastoral ministry - clergy, counsellors and lay pastoral workers. Drawing on insights from psychotherapy, psychiatry, and contemporary counselling techniques and styles, the author offers an informative guide to essential counselling skills in a variety of pastoral situations - with individuals, couples and groups. Attending, listening, empathising, asking questions, confrontation, assessment, and knowing when to refer to a specialist are some of the areas explored. It contains case studies across a wide range of human experience - grief, depression, marital conflict, and self-esteem. Dr Ian Harrison, a consultant psychiatrist, contributes a supplement on the complementary role of psychiatric medicine in Christian pastoral care.
