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Welcome to Pastoral Care and Counseling
Welcome to Pastoral Care and Counseling.
People bring their troubles to ministers. Studies have found that nearly one in four Americans who sought help for a mental health problem went first to a member of the clergy, more than went to psychiatrists or doctors. They come with grief, broken relationships, illness, addiction, doubt, guilt, and fear. Some come with dangers they cannot name, such as abuse at home or thoughts of ending their lives.
This course teaches the heart of pastoral care: how to listen so that people feel truly heard, how to support people whose beliefs differ from yours or who have no religion at all, how to help in practical ways, and how to recognize when someone needs more help than you can give. A full module is devoted to domestic violence, because it is common, often hidden, and dangerous for everyone involved, including those who try to help.
One thing must be clear from the start: this course does not make you a licensed counselor or therapist. Pastoral care is a ministry of presence, support, and spiritual companionship. Knowing its limits is part of doing it well.
How This Course Works
| Topic | Details |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite | None. Titles and degrees begin with ordination through the Ordination Orientation. |
| Pace | Self-paced. Most students finish in four to six weeks, studying about four to five hours a week. There are no deadlines. |
| Structure | Eight modules. Each module has a lesson, a reading assignment, and a ten-question quiz. |
| Book report | Read one of the books offered, pass its ten-question quiz, and write a one-paragraph summary, after Module 8. |
| Final exam | Fifteen multiple-choice questions and one essay of 1,500 to 2,000 words, taken after Module 8. |
| Credit | 3 credit hours toward further titles and degrees. |
Grading
| Part | To pass |
|---|---|
| Module quizzes (8) | Pass each with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Book report quiz (10 questions) | Pass with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Book report summary (one paragraph) | Approved by the school |
| Final exam, Part 1 (multiple choice) | Pass with 70% or higher. Retakes allowed. |
| Final exam, Part 2 (one essay, 1,500 to 2,000 words) | Approved by the school |
Required texts
- The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach, Carrie Doehring (revised edition)
- The Wounded Healer, Henri J. M. Nouwen
- Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men, Lundy Bancroft
Many of these books are available from public libraries, used bookstores, and as ebooks.
What you will study
Module 1: The Ministry of Care Module 2: Listening That Heals Module 3: Care Across Beliefs and Cultures Module 4: Grief, Loss, and the End of Life Module 5: Helping in Practical Ways Module 6: Knowing When and How to Refer Module 7: Domestic Violence: Danger, Safety, and Faith Module 8: Caring for the Caregiver
Book report choices
The Practice of Pastoral Care, Carrie Doehring; The Wounded Healer, Henri J. M. Nouwen
Academic honesty
All written work must be your own. You may quote and discuss the course readings and other sources, but you must say where the words and ideas came from. Submitting work written by someone else, including work generated entirely by AI tools, is not permitted.