What is so Special about Pastoral Counseling in a Pandemic?
Rev. Shelton Davis, M.Div., M.A., LCMHC
To say that the last 14 months have been difficult would be a redundant understatement. It has been rough and the whole world knows it. A June 2020 study of more than 5,000 Americans reflected that forty percent of adults in the United States reported higher levels of mental health issues and/or substance abuse. Anxiety and depression levels between April and June of 2020 were significantly higher than the same period in 2019. Most concerning amongst the statistics gathered was the rate of respondents who had seriously considered killing themselves. Eleven percent of those surveyed had been suicidal in the previous few months. Of that 11 percent, higher than average percentages of young adults, black, and Hispanic respondents reported suicidality. Suicidal ideations were also higher amongst front line workers facing the daily pressures of caring for a sick world. The whole human race has been suffering mightily under the dual pressures of fear of a deadly disease and the crucible of feeling trapped in our homes without the comforts of socialization or distraction. As therapists, we at Sanctuary Counseling Group have seen a significant increase in clients calling for help. Most of the people who have called us for help are seeking solace of heart, mind, and soul. We are specially equipped to walk with our clients in these holy spaces.
In a study released in 2007, 505 members of one of the largest counseling organizations in the U.S. (American Counseling Association) were surveyed about their competence in dealing with matters of spirituality and faith. Only half felt they were able to practice within spiritual competency standards set forth by the Association. Disconcertingly, only 21 percent of participants who felt unprepared to practice in this area competently believed that they needed further training. That means that a whopping 4 out of 5 of the counselors surveyed who felt they did not have the ability to integrate spirituality into therapy felt like they would actually need this set of skills in the counseling setting.
Pastoral counselors, like many of us who practice at Sanctuary Counseling Group, are able to overcome such limitations by offering therapeutic interventions that intertwine the emotional and spiritual aspects of human life that are often difficult to separate. We respect religious differences and perspectives and allow our clients to help us understand how much or little of their faith lives they want to involve in the counseling process. No matter which end of the faith-involvement spectrum a client falls upon, pastoral counselors are available to offer safe places to share emotional pain and life’s difficulties.
As pastoral counselors, we spend years being trained in sound psychological theory and technique. Understanding the science of the mind and the theoretical grounding offered by the psychological community is key to the pastoral counseling approach. Thorough training in these areas is required for certification and licensure and is essential to our offering of counseling services.
Education is necessary to become a pastoral counselor, but continual improvement is impossible without good supervision from our peers. At SCG, we have weekly group supervision in which we present cases confidentially and receive feedback from our skilled group of practitioners. Additionally, many of us have individual supervisors to keep our skills sharp and make us accountable for offering the highest level of care for our clients.
But what makes a pastoral counselor pastoral? Years of theological study through master’s degrees certainly gives us a start. Pastoral counseling begins with the counselor’s unique ability to integrate the spiritual and the mundane through the lens of these years of study. Pastoral counselors are trained to understand human problems in terms of how those issues impact people on spiritual levels as well as emotional and relational ones. For some of us, the process of ordination also adds to the way that we view our approach to counseling. This profession is not just a route to a paycheck; it is what we feel called to do with our lives and is an integral part of how we live out our individual relationships with God. The view of this “job” as a fulfillment of a calling requires that the pastoral counselor approaches clients not with the assumption that they are people with problems to be solved, but that they are unique individuals seeking help in the midst of trying times and are capable of working towards renewed wholeness.
This calling to care for God’s people is one we take seriously. Spiritual practices are significant parts of the daily practices of most pastoral counselors. Contemplative and centering prayer help us to focus on our faith journeys. Reading devotional materials and scripture remind us of God’s work in the world and inspire us to help complete it. Involving ourselves in communities of faith for worship and study connects us to God and supports our callings.
One cumulative result of the calling, training, education, supervision, ordination, and spiritual practice is that pastoral counselors tend to approach our clients with hope. Hope that suffering from mental illness is not a life sentence for misery. Hope that difficulties due to grief, loss, divorce, or heartache are not permanent states of affairs. Hope is a precious commodity. Hope is waiting.
