Intro to Pastoral Counseling

Catalog description

Taught by SKSM. This online pastoral counseling course will introduce students to culturally responsive counseling practices and foster multicultural awareness. Students will examine societal and institutional structures of power and privilege, and will become more aware of the biases, prejudices, and microaggressions that are detrimental to the growth of the human spirit. Students will study major counseling theories and will practice basic helping skills centered on Person-Centered (Rogerian) counseling and Bowen Family Systems Theory. Contextual pastoral elements will be included, especially in the use of Bowen Family Systems as applied to congregational contexts. This is an asynchronous course, with written lectures with links to videos and online resources. Weekly personal reflections and weekly skill practice exercises will be required, as well as some academic writing. It is an intermediate/advanced course intended for MDiv students and with doctoral upgrade possible. [Faculty Consent required; 24 max enrollment; Auditors excluded]