Pastoral Counseling

A Gestalt Approach

By Jr, Ward A Knights, Harold G. Koenig

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• ISBN: 978-0-7890-1532-7
• Binding: Paperback (also available in Hardback)
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 21st February 2002
• Pages: 144

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About the Book

This contemporary counseling approach seamlessly meshes with pastoral theology!

Gestalt therapy is designed to be simple, free of jargon, and emotionally liberating--ideal for pastoral counseling in the context of a variety of faiths. This primer is designed to give pastors and rabbis a working knowledge of the basic techniques and attitudes pioneered by Dr. Fritz Perls. Pastoral Counseling: A Gestalt Approach shows how this holistic approach, with its emphasis on the here and now, is a natural counterpoint to pastoral theology.

This comprehensive book gives specific instructions on using Gestalt techniques to increase the depth of the pastoral care and counseling you provide. Pastoral Counseling explains the basic goals of Gestalt work, which are to achieve spontaneity and expressiveness and to move toward personal authenticity. It also reveals how you can employ these techniques to help you and your congregation move toward realizing your God-given potential.

Pastoral Counseling illustrates Gestalt theories from several perspectives, including:

• theory and techniques
• case studies
• a folk tale
• session transcripts
• a sermon

Pastoral Counseling guides you toward a broader understanding of the simple power of the holistic approach. Pastors and priests, rabbis, and other members of the clergy who engage in counseling will find its simple wisdom refreshing amidst the desert of dry theory. Gestalt counselors will find its pastoral perspective enlightening in their work with clients.

Table of Contents

Contents

• Foreword
• Preface
• Chapter 1. A Meeting at the Center of Vital Awareness
• The Gestalt Perspective
• Attention = Awareness = Expressiveness = Closure
• Gestalt and Christian Perspectives
• Pastora Care--An Illustration
• Chapter 2. Becoming Fully Human
• How We Block Our Experience
• Here-and-Now
• Chapter 3. Peeling the Onion
• Rules
• Games
• Other Resources
• A Perspective on Psychodynamics
• Chapter 4. Once Upon a Time
• Gestalting the Folk Tale
• Meanwhile, Back at the Castle
• Chapter 5. A Taste of Our Own Medicine
• Awareness
• Gestalt Experiments
• The Hot Seat
• Beyond the Hot Seat
• Chapter 6. The Royal Road to Integration
• Dream Work
• Catching the Train
• Crystal Chandeliers
• Chapter 7. Where the Rubber Hits the Road
• Background
• The Counseling Session
• Analysis
• Chapter 8. We Are Fallible Human Beings
• Appendix: A Biographical Sketch of Frederick S. Perls, MD, PhD (1894-1970)
• Index
• Reference Notes Included

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