The Uniqueness and Importance of Pastoral Counselling Today

This essay explores the uniqueness and importance of pastoral counselling, defining it as a blend of traditional pastoral care and dynamic psychology. It emphasizes how pastoral counselling enhances an individual's awareness of God's grace, improves their ability to live effectively, and helps troubled individuals find dynamic healing. The essay highlights the role of pastoral counsellors in representing Christian values and offering a relationship that integrates life and faith. It also discusses the use of psychological and theological resources, the importance of prayer and scriptures, and the role of church songs in providing solace and guidance. Ultimately, pastoral counselling is presented as a crucial resource for individuals seeking to address life's challenges through a combination of spiritual and psychological support.

Running head: PASTORAL COUNSELLING
Pastoral Counselling
Name of the student
Name of the University
Author note

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Pastoral Counselling refers to branch of the counselling with the help of which the
psychologically trained ministers along with priests can help in providing the therapy
services. It can help people to manage the problems that the individuals have so that it can
help him in surviving within the stressful environment of the present age (Pembroke, 2016).
Pastoral Counselling refers to special area pertaining to pastoral activity that can be said to be
closer to the idea of shepherding. It offers help to the people who are defeated and dispirited
who needs restoring so that they can come back to their normal state. According to the
psalms, a good shepherd helps in the aspect of strengthening along with healing and a poor
shepherd fails in performing the tasks (Magezi, 2016). According to Kent, it refers to the
experience that can help an individual in meeting with the individuals suffering from the
problems. The ministry of pastor can be applied that can help an individual in dealing with
the folks so that the principles of Christ can be applied to mental, emotional along with the
physical hunger. This essay identifies the uniqueness in relation to pastoral counselling. It
also elaborates on the things that are allowed in the case of pastoral counselling. This essay
talks about the fact that pastoral counselling is important in present age as it can help
individuals in dealing with the challenges and the agony of their lives.
Pastoral Counselling can be said to be unique as it can be said to be an amalgamation
of traditional pastoral care along with the dynamic psychology. Dynamic psychology helps in
focussing on certain aspects of the personality that can help an individual in understanding
the other individuals (Drdavidgbenner.ca. 2019). I think that uniqueness of pastoral
counselling is due to the fact that it talks about establishment of time-limited relationship that
can provide the comfort to the troubled persons. Pastoral counselling can be used in the
present age as it helps in enhancing the awareness of an individual towards God’s grace.
According to me, it increases ability of the individuals for living their lives in a more
effective manner due to the realizations. Pastoral counselling is unique as it helps the troubled

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people for bringing the anxieties along with the struggles into that of dynamic healing (Cowie
& Pecherek, 2017). The structured relationship of pastoral counselling helps in removing
distress of an individual and it helps in facilitating growth of an individual. Pastoral
counsellors represents the Christian values along with the understanding that can help in the
area of healing for an individual.
Pastoral Counselling can be said to be different from the other kinds of counselling
owing to accountability of counsellor. The counsellor in the case of pastoral counselling act
as representatives of central images of the life and the meaning can be affirmed with the help
of religious communities. Pastoral counselling can help in offering relationship that can help
in understanding life along with faith. This makes it imperative for the people living in the
modern era when people have to deal with the problems in their life. The pastoral counselling
makes use of both the psychological along with theological resources that helps in deepening
understanding pertaining to pastoral relationship (Bowers, 2017). The pastoral counsellors
develop the training programs so that it can encourage cooperation in between the religious
professionals along with the medical professionals. It helps in providing holistic approach in
relation to healing along with growth. It takes recourse to the spiritual resources along with
the psychological understanding that helps the clients in meeting the challenges of life. The
uniqueness pertaining to pastoral counselling lies due to the fact that it is centred towards
individuals and it respects spiritual commitments of the people who look for assistance
without the imposition of counsellor beliefs in client (Magezi, 2016).
The church has always extended help to the people so that they can help the people
having the personal problems. The clergymen had for a long period of time dedicated
themselves for treating abnormal behaviour in the people. I think that the church gave up on
the responsibility in the event of term called “mental illness” becoming famous and in the
event of the medicine taking up the responsibility of treating the people who had personality

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related problems. The pastors started to refer the people who were suffering from the
problems to the members belonging to the new profession (Carey & Cohen, 2015). The
psychologists however a few years before realized that religion can act as an important force
that can bring about improvements in the lives of the patients.
Christianity believed in the fact that God was concerned regarding the predicament of
the human beings. According to me, God had sacrificed the Son for improving the condition
of the human beings on the earth and so the human beings can seek Christianity that can help
them in removing the problems that they have in life. God cares about the entire man and not
solely about the spirit of a person (Pembroke, 2017). This kind of thought can instill
confidence in the modern man who would then be strengthened to deal with the rigours of the
life. The Bible is instrumental in providing abundant information that can help in healing
non-material wounds regarding the highest order of creation of God. Pastoral counselling can
help in restructuring Christian mind and it can act as a therapy that can cure the mental state
of the human beings (Raymond, 2018). The Christian men along with the women needs the
psychological guidance so that they can turn their lives in the right direction.
I think that pastoral counselling can be stated to be related to psychological
counselling and there has been continuous tension in between pastoral and that of the
psychological. The pastoral counselling of North America has been dominated by the client
centred therapy. According to me, the pastoral counsellor plays a role in revealing what is
happening in the life of a person or have chances of happening based on the emergent
psychology. Pastoral counselling can help in leading people so that they can become free
from the burdens of the past (Gordon, 2018). They can become free with the help of
knowledge of the ideals of Christianity and the Church.

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The human beings struggle with experiences pertaining to human limitations along
with the human aspirations and it makes people feel frustrated. I think that pastoral
counsellors can help in the case of adverse human situations facing an individual. This makes
the importance of pastoral counselling of vital importance in the current age. Praying is an
important element in relation to pastoral counselling that sets it apart from that of the other
forms of counselling. According to me, prayer can help an individual in reminding the fact
that he is dependent on God that makes him regain the mental strength so that he can move
on with the normal course of the life (Beckford & Harvey, 2017). The people in modern
times struggle with many problems and praying helps them in finding out the root cause of
their problems. The spirit of the God acts as the main counsellor pertaining to pastoral
counselling. An individual can regain trust in God with the help of pastoral counselling that
can help him in acquiring courage so that he can take important decisions in the life. I think
that the grace of God can help an individual in avoiding impatience that can help him in
regaining faith in life. Prayer can help an individual in loving other people that can indirectly
make an individual tolerant towards the misfortunes of life. An individual can understand the
meaning of love with the help of pastoral counselling that can help him in rising above the
small things in life (Jang et al., 2017). Prayer can make an individual sympathetic that can
remove the agony prevailing in the life of an individual. It can help a person in understanding
the challenges in a new light and it can help a person in gaining a fresh perspective about life.
According to me, impatience can act as an impediment and it can deter the success of an
individual. Prayer can prove to be an effective step that can teach an individual about
patience that can ensure his success in life.
The scriptures are used in the event of pastoral counselling and it helps in providing
peace to the soul of an individual. Pastoral Counselling can be said to be of crucial
importance in the modern age as it can help a person in reminding about the moral principles

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that should guide the course of life of an individual. I think that scriptures help people in
remembering about the presence of the God that helps an individual in forgetting regarding
the worries of life. It can provide strength to an individual for facing the difficult times that
can help a person in rising above the difficult situations of life. The pastoral counselling can
be said to be effective for modern age because it can provide solace to the spirit of an
individual (Magezi, 2016). The verse of the Bible can make an individual work hard and
strive in life so that they can achieve their aim in the life. It can make people believe that they
can be saved so that they can continue to make struggles in their life. The scriptures condemn
the idea of greed that can be of great relevance for people of the current time. I think that it
can aid individuals in staying away from the path of evil that can destroy the life of an
individual. The scriptures talk about the fact that selling the possessions that an individual has
to the poor people exhibits nobility on the part of an individual. It helps in showing the
humane sides of an individual that can prove to be fruitful for the overall human race
(Pembroke, 2017).
The songs of the Bible are favoured by the people because they help in sharing about
richness of gospel. The songs teach us regarding theology and it plays important that helps in
uniting people so that they can live harmoniously within the society. The songs helps in
teaching individuals about love that can help in bringing the society together. The songs talk
about the sacrifices that should be done by the human beings so that it can help in improving
the overall condition of the human race. The songs of Bible celebrate happiness and the
sorrow in the life of the human beings. There are also songs of disappointment along with
grief in the Bible and in accordance to me it helps people in dealing with the agony prevailing
in their lives (Beckford & Harvey, 2017). The songs talk about helping the other people who
are in need of help that can offer encouragement to the people so that they would provide
help to the other people. Pastoral Counselling can engage an individual emotionally and it

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helps an individual in thing about the words in a careful manner. I think that in the event of
an individual pondering about the meaning of words, an individual can gain essential
knowledge that can elevate the soul of a person. According to me, it can help in uniting
individuals so that they would dedicate themselves to the service of the God. The people in
the present age are filled with hatred for each other and they do not want to accept other
people. I think that songs of the Bible can teach society about consolidation and how
extending help to each other can be fruitful for the society.
Pastoral Counselling is branch of counselling that helps priests in delivering of
therapy services. Individuals can manage the problems with the help of pastoral counselling
and it helps individuals for surviving in environment filled with stress of present age. It can
hence be concluded that pastoral counselling is a significant component of present age as it
can help the mankind for dealing with the struggles of life. The coming together of traditional
pastoral care and that of dynamic psychology are unique features in relation to pastoral
counselling. Pastoral counselling offers relationship that helps the individuals for the
understanding of life. The theological resources are used in pastoral counselling that can
deepen the understanding of the human beings. Human beings have limitations that makes
people of present age feel that they are frustrated. Pastoral counsellors offer help in the event
of an individual facing adverse situations in the life. An individual prays in the event of
pastoral counselling that makes it different from the other form of the counselling. Scriptures
provide peace to an individual and it reminds people about moral principles that can provide
guidance to life of individuals. Pastoral counselling reminds people regarding moral
principles that can help a person. Biblical songs are liked by people as it helps in sharing of
richness of the gospel. Songs teach people about theology that can unite the people for living
harmoniously in society.

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