by Richard Dayringer
page 1-4
by James V Gau
page 5-25
Until this decade, the field of psychotherapy, perhaps following Freud, has been at least skeptical, if not debunking of religion. All the more amazing, then, is the recent inclusion of a V-code for religious or spiritual problems in the DSM IV. In order that this development not be just another trend in which psychotherapy and religion are layered over one another, serious efforts are being made to show the real integration of the two (Anderson & Worthern, 1997). This paper will make such an effort by addressing issues common to both fields and by showing how these issues grow out of a common human experience. On the psychotherapeutic side, the paper works out of the psychoanalytic tradition of Object Relations and Self Psychology, which has integral connections with a systems approach; and on the religious side, it works from a Biblical Christian theology, Christianity being predominant in this culture.
by Ryan LaMothe
page 27-45
In this essay, I discuss, from a psychodynamic perspective, the challenging and beneficial task of recognizing, containing, and working through hatred and hostility in pastoral counseling relationships. I briefly describe Freud's, Klein's and Winnicott's theoretical and clinical perspectives on hate and hostility in order to highlight several crucial and beneficial aspects of constructive functions of hate and hostility in human development. This provides the groundwork for positing three necessary steps in achieving a greater sense of trust, spontaneity, and hope in pastoral counseling relationships. First, the pastoral counselor must recognize possible signs of and defenses against hatred and hostility. Acknowledgement is the first step toward handling and making use of hate. Once recognized, hate and hostility must be contained by not retaliating, condemning or withdrawing but by meeting the client's hate with "objective hate." This communicates to the client that hate and hostility will not destroy the other person or relationship, which leads to the final step of working through hate and hostility. The last step invites persons to a greater sense of confidence, trust, and intimacy in his or her relationships. Finally, I suggest that the relative success of this process contributes to a deepening of one's faith in God.
by R Hal Ritter
page 47-65
This article raises the question of how religious beliefs influence the process of pastoral counseling. A pastoral counselor may be articulating one's own beliefs with a client by the choices one makes for various therapeutic interventions, because counseling theories are value based anthropologies. The author challenges the notion that therapeutic neutrality is really neutral and suggests that pastoral counselors who attempt neutrality may be compromising the "pastoral" aspects of counseling. The article concludes with the suggestion of several biblical polarities which impact both the counseling process and the pastoral counselor with possibilities and ambiguities.
by J LeBron McBride, Lloyd Pilkington, Gary Arthur and Jamie Cramer
page 67-76
This study explores the relationship between social support and spirituality. The Dartmouth Medical School Primary Care Cooperative (COOP) Chart of Social Support and the Index of Core Spiritual Experiences (INSPIRIT) were used as instruments with two different subject samples. Results from both a stratified random sample at a family practice clinic and a convenience sample at a community senior citizens center revealed a significant difference in spirituality based on social support. This is important for pastoral counselors because it highlights the relationship between spirituality and social support.
by James R Farris
page 77-81
page 83-84
page 85-93
Transcribed by Angus Nicolson
11 June 1998