CO121 Pastoral Counseling: Foundations and Practices
Overview
Pastoral Counseling: Foundations and Practices (CO121) will equip you to face a diverse array of problems in your pastoral counseling practice. In the course, licensed clinical psychologist and ordained minister Dr. C. Gary Barnes introduces theological anchor points for pastoral counseling as well as the identity and role of the pastoral counselor in the counseling process. You will also study the interdisciplinary integration of theology and psychology and the intradisciplinary integration of theology and psychology with pastoral counseling. Alongside these, you will gain a thorough understanding of Christian personality theory so you can approach people holistically in your practice. After laying a foundation for the course, Dr. Barnes walks you through a variety of strategies to initiate change in the individual, couple, family, and group dynamics, and he corrects some common myths regarding issues facing pastoral counselors.
Top Highlights
“Practical theology is addressing much, much more than that. It’s intentional belief that drives intentional behavior that’s changed by our interaction with God. This is an essential anchor point for us in pastoral counseling.” (source)
“Dallas Willard helps us, in his book Spirit of the Disciplines, when he defines [practical theology as] ‘the manner in which our actions interact with God to accomplish His ends in human life.’” (source)
“Practical Theology, is helped out by this understanding of the difference between practice (what we do) and praxis. What is praxis? We could say that praxis is intentional belief that drives intentional action.” (source)
“Gravitas. Gravitas ‘refers to a soul that has developed enough spiritual mass to be attractive, like gravity. It has everything to do with wounds that have healed well, failures that have been redeemed, sins that have been forgiven, and thorns that have settled into the flesh. These severe experiences with life expand the soul until it appears larger than the body that contains it. There is nothing that pastors do for the congregation that is more important than taking care of their own souls.’” (source)
“When we use the term ‘personality,’ we’re referring to those emotional and psychological features of our immaterial selves that influence and even govern how we relate to others.” (source)
- Title: CO121 Pastoral Counseling: Foundations and Practices
- Author: C. Gary Barnes
- Series: Logos Mobile Education
- Publisher: Lexham Press
- Print Publication Date: 2018
- Logos Release Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Courseware
- Subjects: Pastoral counseling; Counseling › Psychology; Education › Pastoral counseling; Education › Counseling--Psychology
- Resource ID: LLS:CO121BARNES
- Resource Type: Courseware Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2020-06-06T00:39:42Z
Dr. Gary Barnes is currently professor of biblical counseling at Dallas Theological Seminary. He is a licensed psychologist, a certified sex therapist, and an ordained minister, specializing in marriage and family research, counseling, and training. After graduating from Dallas Theological Seminary, he served as an assistant pastor for seven years and then earned a Ph.D. in psychology from Columbia University. While in New York, he was a research project coordinator at NYU Medical Center’s Family Studies Clinic and later completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship in clinical child psychology through Parkland Hospital in Dallas and the Child Guidance Clinics of Dallas and Texoma.
He is a member of the American Psychological Association, the National Register of Health Service Providers in Psychology, the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, and the American Board of Christian Sex Therapists. He also maintains a marriage and family private practice.
Dr. Barnes and his wife, Cathy, have two sons, two daughters, two daughters-in-law, a son-in-law, and almost 7 grandchildren. For fun, he races in the USA Cycling Masters competition.