Pastoral Counseling is a specialized form of ministry which integrates the rich resources of theology, faith and behavioral sciences to provide hope and healing of mind, body and spirit.

When the popularity of the pastoral counseling movement increased in the 1960s, the counselors who worked at pastoral counseling agencies were ordained clergy who wanted to take the art of care and counseling one step out of the traditional medical model. Today pastoral counseling centers are multidisciplinary, inter faith groups with skilled counselors including psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, as well as pastoral counselors.

Most people seek out pastoral counselors because they want someone to respect their individual values and to take a holistic view of life that integrates body, mind and spirit. Pastoral Counselors are certified mental health professionals who have in-depth religious and/or theological training and thus can address psychological and spiritual issues. Pastoral counseling is not a disorder-focused discipline and people do not have to be sick, weak or dysfunctional to receive help.

Often people ask what makes pastoral counseling different than other therapy. One answer is that we encourage the whole person in our work: body, mind, and spirit. We do not operate only on the medical model of illness and pathology. Sometimes our problems and challenges are physical and often mental, but many times they are spiritual. Pastoral counseling is a unique form of psychotherapy which uses spiritual resources as well as psychological understanding for healing and growth.

Pastoral counselors certified by NC and the American Association of Pastoral Counselors must abide by the codes of ethics of those bodies. Confidentiality may be broken only as provided by law. Generally these exceptions include dangerousness to self or others; abuse of children, the elderly, and the disabled; and a court order.

Pastoral Counseling is generally used for both pastoral counseling and pastoral psychotherapy. Technically though there is a difference. Technically speaking pastoral counseling is brief and focuses on an identified issue; “My parent just died,” “I lost my job and need some support,” “I’m thinking about changing jobs,” etc.

counseling session. Pastoral counseling addresses most of the same issues as secular counseling, but there are differences. One main difference is that pastoral counseling is a ministry. Pastoral counselors are representatives of one or more faith communities and as such serves as a channel through with the care of communities is offered to those in need of help. Pastoral counseling’s identity comes out its affiliation with a faith community.

The Pastoral Mentor is a seminary-trained priest who shares in the coordination of the team, serving as mentor and shepherd, offering resources and support for the team, and facilitating the training and formation of the ministers. Total Ministry teams are required to have a seminary-trained mentor. Spirit of the Heartland's Pastoral Mentor will also serve as Priest in Charge and may fill in where there are vacancies on the team..

The Center is an independent not-for-profit organization, dedicated to providing quality affordable counseling to adults, adolescents and children, couples and families. The Center was organized in 1972 and has grown to become one of the largest counseling groups in central Iowa, serving over 2,000 clients annually. The Center also provides educational opportunities to mental health and religious professionals.

Credit counseling agencies are staffed by experienced professionals familiar with the stresses and financial straits of having more debts than income. Find out if credit counseling is good for you. Credit counseling service can help you make ends meet and work out a plan for you to become debt free. Find out more about what a credit counseling service can do for you.

Counseling is a very private decision. Keep in mind that you have been diagnosed with a relatively rare cancer that often acts quite differently from more common cancers. This may at times, make you feel 'different' when talking with other cancer patients. Many of us have experienced this. Some of us believe that counseling has helped us to understand ourselves, our reactions, the reactions others, and our social interactions as we go through the many facets of this disease.

Genetic counseling is a communication process which deals with the human problems associated with the occurrence, or the risk of occurrence, of a genetic disorder or birth defect in a family. As part of this process, the patient obtains information regarding diagnosis, treatment, prognosis and inheritance of the genetic condition or birth defect of concern to the family. In some cases genetic testing is available for specific genetic diseases.

Some Bricks-and-Mortar churches have "home groups"-- i-church has Pastoral Groups, which are similar in some ways but also quite different. It's a smaller group of i-church Community Members whom you can get to know a little better. Each Pastoral Group has a private forum, and a chat room. Each group does slightly different things and may organize more or fewer activities: most include opportunity for fellowship, study, and prayer in a smaller group.