Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / The relationship between counselor and patient has emerged as one of the primary curative resources in both psychotherapy and pastoral counseling. This dissertation compares the therapeutic relationship in psychotherapy and pastoral counseling with respect to its nature, goals and functions. A specific focus of this comparison is to determine the impact of the religious concerns of pastoral counseling on the relationship. The literature of six major approaches in psychotherapy and that of pastoral counseling was examined to compare the relationships, determine goals and functions of each. Further comparison was made by means of a modified Q-sort technique in which eleven pastoral counselors participated. An Interview Analysis Schedule was constructed on the basis of these data and 44 hospital pastoral interviews were examined by four judges to determine the quality of the relationship, the extent to which goals were achieved and functions fulfilled in interviews judged to be good or poor. The following results were obtained: (a) Extensive agreement was found as to the nature of the ideal therapeutic relationship among psychotherapists and pastoral counselors when the dimensions of communication, security factors, and status of the therapist were considered. Pastoral counselors placed 29 of 45 Q-sort items into identical categories as did the psychotherapists and varying only one out of five categories in sorting the remaining 16 items. (b) The pastoral counseling relationship was found to consist of five dimensions including (i) communication, (ii) status, (iii) trust, (iv) emotional distance, and (v) religion. (c) Four major goals common to all therapies but with varying emphases were found: (i) personal integration, (ii) self-acceptance, (iii) restoration of wholesome interpersonal relationships and, (iv) finding new meaning for life. Pastoral counseling relationships hold these same goals but with specifically religious emphases. (d) Three major functions of the therapeutic and pastoral counseling relationships emerged: (i) the relationship gratifies basic needs, (ii) serves as a corrective experience and model for interpersonal relationships and, (iii) as an occasion for social learning. (e) The religious dimension of pastoral counseling took precedence over the others, followed by communication, trust, status and emotional distance, in that order, supporting the major hypothesis of the study. (f) Pastoral hospital interviews which were known to be "good" and were so rated by the four judges were scored consistently higher in the dimensions of trust, religion, status and communication than were hospital interviews known to be "poor", thus fulfilling the functions and achieving the goals of the relationship to a greater degree. Both "good" and "poor" interviews scored equally high in the emotional distance dimension. The following conclusions were drawn: (a) There is significant similarity between psychotherapeutic and pastoral counseling relationships, most marked between client-centered therapy and pastoral counseling. Pastoral counseling, however, clearly retains its religious orientation which effects the nature, goals and functions of the relationship. (b) The primary religious function of the pastoral counseling relationship is to bring about an awareness of the redemptive activity of God and to communicate the accentance and forgiveness of God, verbally and non-verbally. (c) Communication emerges as a central role of the pastor and as a primary factor in pastoral counseling, though it does not occur independently of the other dimensions. (d) On the basis of the interviews examined, the more nearly ideal the pastoral counseling relationship is, the more completely are the goals and functions of the relationship fulfilled. Further research into the nature and function of the pastoral counseling relationship is indicated in the following areas: (a) the counselee's expectations and experience in the pastoral counseling relationship; (b) the nature and effect of the symbolic role of the pastor in counseling; (c) the effect of the content of communication on the other dimensions of the relationship; (d) the function of the relationship in the parish setting; (e) the impact of the theological concepts of the pastor on the dimensions, goals and functions of the pastoral counseling relationship.

Este trabalho indaga sobre a interface da ciência psicológica com o aconselhamento pastoral, culminando nas contribuições da psicologia pastoral. O primeiro capítulo contempla o desenvolvimento da psicologia e aborda algumas escolas tradicionais até a contemporaneidade. No segundo capítulo vislumbra-se a história do aconselhamento pastoral e sua evolução, transcorrendo por modelos proeminentes, como o fundamentalismo de Jay Adams, o modelo evangelical conforme Gary Collins e por fim o modelo holístico de libertação e crescimento de Howard Clinebell, além de seu destaque ao ministério de cura como amplo e inclusivo de toda a comunidade cristã. Aponta-se o ministério de aconselhamento pastoral como de grande evidência na atualidade. A psicologia pastoral é apresentada no terceiro capítulo como ponto de confluência da psicologia e do aconselhamento pastoral, pois ao mesmo tempo em que se vale da ciência é também um ministério eclesiástico. Como pano de fundo este estudo expõe a pós-modernidade e o momento de transição social, as possíveis crises contemporâneas e o papel do aconselhamento pastoral nas diferentes situações. O aconselhamento pastoral é um momento em que conselheiro e aconselhado caminham juntos, refletindo sobre as situações vivenciadas no sentido de empoderar a pessoa fragilizada a fazer escolhas autônomas e retomar o rumo da sua vida. / This work inquires on the interface of the psychological science with pastoral advising culminating in the contributions of the psychology pastoral. The first chapter covers the development of psychology and addresses some contemporary to traditional schools. The second chapter glimpses the history of pastoral counseling and its evolution, elapsing by prominent models, such as Jay Adams fundamentalism, the model as evangelical Gary Collinsand finally the holistic model of liberation and growth of Howard Clinebell, beyond its highlight to the healing ministry as broad and inclusive of the entire Christian community. It points out the ministry of pastoral counseling as great evidence today. The pastoral psychology is presented in the third chapter as point of confluence of the psychology and of pastoral advising, so at the same time in what it uses the science it is also it is an ecclesiastical ministry. The backdrop to this study exposes the postmodern and the moment of social transition, the possible contemporary crises and the role of pastoral counseling in different situations. Pastoral counseling is a time and advised counsel that go together, reflecting the situations experienced in order to empower the individual to make autonomous choices weakened and resume the course of your life.

A dissertation presented on the availability of Pastoral Care and Counselling for mothers whose previously normal, healthy children, developed epilepsy and became intellectually handicapped. The dissertation covers the mothers' reaction to their children's condition, the support they did or did not receive through Pastoral Care and Counselling and the theoretical perspective on pastoral care and counselling. Finally, the dissertation offers a challenge to the Church to seek ways of forming support groups to those suffering from grief. / Thesis (M.Th.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2003.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, 2009. / Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p.164-169).

As an Irish farm boy turned educated poet, Seamus Heaney navigates a liminal space between the world of agriculture and the world of letters. Many of his poems draw upon his rural childhood experiences, infusing them with firsthand accounts of life on an Irish farm. As a result, most scholars label Heaney's poetry as antipastoral, noting its failure to provide the idyllic look at the countryside that is characteristic of traditional pastorals. However, reconsiderations of the pastoral mode reveal a unique aspect to Heaney's poems that is derived from his liminal existence as both a rural Irishman and as an educated writer. This thesis aims to analyze Heaney's particular version of the mode, noticing not only specific characteristics of his pastoral but also charting his development as a pastoral poet throughout his career. Through close readings of select poems contextualized by events in Heaney's life, I demonstrate not only why Heaney should be considered a pastoral poet but also how he transforms the pastoral mode. / Master of Arts

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / Theologians, philosophers, and psychotherapists have assumed that a positive, linear, and sequential relationship exists between self-acceptance and acceptance of others. Research results, however, at points contradict one another and/or basic theory. The aims of the present study were to: (1) explore more fully the nature of the relationship between self-acceptance and acceptance of others with particular reference to Clinical Pastoral Training (CPT); and (2) present conclusions and implications relative to the goals and methods of CPT. Self-acceptance meant both the: (1) receiving into awareness of all experience relevant to one's self-concept; and (2) perceiving one's self as of value and worth. Acceptance of others connoted the same two meanings but in relation to others. A distinction was made between superficial and real acceptance. That which is superficially accepted is merely available to the understanding while that which is really accepted influences behavior. Two hypotheses were explored: (1) that a positive relationship exists between expressed self-acceptance and expressed acceptance of others, and (2) that a positive relationship exists between expressed self-acceptance and acceptance of others as indicated by the judged adequacy of interpersonal relationships. The sample was 115 students from the CPT programs at Boston City and Boston State Hospitals during the summers of 1963 and 1964. The first hypothesis was explored by comparing scores of self-acceptance and acceptance of others on each of two self-report tests: Billsrs Index of Adjustment and Values and Ellzey's A Study of Attitudes. Pearson product-moment correlations were computed to indicate the degree of relationship between the scores. The second hypothesis was explored by: (1) comparing the self-acceptance scores of all 115 subjects on each test with their grades in the CPT program; and (2) comparing self-acceptance scores of twenty-eight subjects, who were the fifteen with the highest and the thirteen with the lowest self-acceptance scores on both tests, with their supervisor's written evaluation of the adequacy of their interpersonal relationships. The first hypothesis was confirmed, since self-acceptance and acceptance of others scores correlated significantly (.05 level or above) with each other on each test. The second hypothesis was tentatively confirmed, since seven out of fifteen subjects with high and only two out of thirteen subjects with low self-acceptance scores were judged to have related adequately to others. Further, grades failed to correlate significantly (.05 level) with self-acceptance scores. In addition, high self-acceptance scores were more often obtained by those who valued themselves highly but who excluded negative aspects of their experience, while low self-acceptance scores were more often obtained by those who devalued themselves but who were aware of the negative aspects of their experience. Major conclusions: (1) numerous intervening variables influence the relationship between the variables; and (2) self-report tests are inadequate indicators of true self-acceptance. Implications for CPT are: (1) the self-report tests used in this study may be used best to aid a CPT student understand his self-perceptions; (2) grades in CPT are invalid indicators of the quality of interpersonal functioning; (3) goals and methods of CPT should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate the individuality of each student; and (4) the Christian faith with its concepts of the value, worth, and dignity of the individual in spite of his sinfulness should be actively affirmed for it provides a constructive framework within which a student may orient his self-acceptance. Future studies need to: (1) increase the validity of the measuring instruments; (2) use more than one method of investigation at a time as a check on the validity of each; and (3) investigate the relationship between self-evaluations and observed behavior. / 2031-01-01

Pastoral care or its equivalent is part of the traditional means by which people within a community attempt to remain connected to each other positively and personally. Such personal community is modelled on the family; and the original pastoral carers are the parents of a well functioning family. In so far as God or the gods are then seen as standing in relation to the community as parents stand in relation to a family, so pastoral care has been founded in religion and theology. Its theoretical basis is centred in the attempt to think an adequate conception of God as a symbol of the community’s unity of will and purpose. Intentional Friendship: A Philosophy of Pastoral Care proposes such a theoretical base, centred in the attempt to think an adequate conception of the Self rather than God as a symbol of personal and cultural unity; such a conception must necessarily include the capacities for moral, aesthetic and intellectual judgments as distinctive of being a human person. The thesis proposes a conception of the Self as Agent as being adequate to a philosophy of pastoral care in a secular, multifaith society. Such a conception contains within it the conceptions of the Self as Subject and the Self as Object. Thinking then of the Self from the point of view of action enables the instituting of primary friendship as the central concept of personal community and pastoral care; a re-thinking of the relationship between religion, the arts and the sciences; the re-conception of religion as the processes governing interpersonal relationships, including the extension of those relationships out into idealized Others such as saints, gods and God; and the detailed analysis of the relationship between action and reflection as found ubiquitously in life and very specifically and consciously in Clinical Pastoral Education, the primary form of training in pastoral care in Australia. The adequacy of this theory or philosophy for multifaith pastoral care is tested in a pilot multifaith training group. In general terms the philosophy was found to contain and not conflict with the various traditions represented in the group. It was seen as an adequate basis to further explore multifaith chaplaincy and pastoral care within a society such as we have in Australia. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis (Th. M.)--Calvin Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-150).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Harding University Graduate School of Religion, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 172-184).

One purpose of teamwork is to pool the skills of individuals in order to produce a better result than that which could be achieved by each individual working on their own. The total effect should therefore be greater. Such sharing of knowledge permits the development of multidisciplinary teamwork. However, the mere existence of a number of different professionals does not guarantee teamwork. Traditional professional boundaries may be threatened and such interchange will only take place in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect. Multiple individual consultations may lead to confusion about who is responsible for what. It may also lead to the possibility of repetition and overlap. Teamwork therefore is seldom easy but can be satisfying despite some personal loss of professional autonomy. The multi-disciplinary approach is an opportunity for supporting a patient within the framework of realistic expectations for the outcome of any intervention for a patient or family. The biopsychopastoral approach to patient care is intimately associated with psychology, medicine and theology. This approach differentiate the following separate aspects: emotional care, informational care and counselling. Although the final goal of therapy the ultimate well-being of the patient is, each of the discipliners in the team should have separate clear objectives. Problems are however always complex and changing and no person in the team is likely to have all the answers all the time. The biopsychopastoral model provides an approach to the understanding of the physical disease, psychological problems and theological questions, and of their assessment and management. It outlines the way that all the systems function, whether they are biological, psychological or theological and views health care problems in a holistic way. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Durban-Westville, 1999.