The Practice of Pastoral Care, Revised and Expanded Edition: A Postmodern Approach

by Carrie Doehring

"The Practice of Pastoral Care" has become a popular seminary textbook for courses in pastoral care and a manual for clinical pastoral education. In it, Doehring encourages counselors to view their ministry through a trifocal lens that incorporates premodern, modern, and postmodern approaches to religious and psychological knowledge. Doehring describes the basic ingredients of a caregiving relationship, shows how to use the caregiver s life experience as a source of authority, and demonstrates how to develop the skill of listening and establishing the actual relationship. This new edition elaborates on and expands the author s previous work, adding an intercultural perspective that gives more attention to religious pluralism in the pastoral care setting. It offers a road map for using a step-by-step narrative, relational, embodied approach to spiritual care that respects the unique ways people live out their values and beliefs, especially in coping with stress, loss, and violence. Readers will be able to confidently and professionally offer pastoral care and counseling to members of their congregations or other places of ministry."

Genres: Religion, Spirituality, Psychology, Theology, Counselling, School, Nonfiction

254 pages, Paperback

First published February 16, 2006

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have a problem with the "postmodern worldview" don't let the subtitle scare you off. This book has good advice for pastors and those who find themselves doing similar work.

[Sofia Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

For school and I actually like it

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I knew about this book years ago. It does a great job explaining the evolution of an individual's theology and the power of embracing beliefs that are life-giving.

[Luke Hillier · Rating 4 out of 5]

To its merit, much of the writing I've come across in the field of pastoral care reads as incredibly accessible and approachable. However, this can often leave me feeling as a reader feeling underwhelmed, sorta like we're always only just scratching the surface and ignoring the reality that beyond some crucial rudimentary basics, there is a lot more nuance and finesse to skilled pastoral care. So what I most appreciated about Doehring's text here is, perhaps strangely, that it is -not- especially approachable or basic; it demanded to be read a bit slower, even re-read at times, and does not shy away from some jargon and more academic and theoretical references. In other words, I like that this brought some real big-brain, genius-mode energy to the table and made me work a little to get beyond yet another example of Pastoral Care 101.

As I read, I kept a pile of Post-Its nearby because I could see ways that this could really enrich my practice as a healthcare chaplain. I loved Doehring's sense of pastoral care as distinct from other helping roles in its capacity to attend to people's lived theologies and explore the psycho-spiritual religious worlds that they inhabit. Some questions in particular that struck me were:
1. How do you see God?
2. How do you think God sees you?
3. What are you hoping for?
4. What values do you hold closely?
5. Do you have practices that help connect you with the goodness of God and/or life?
6. What would be a keystone habit that could be generatively incorporated into your routine.
7. How can we kindle self-compassion?
The last one is at the forefront of Doehring's concern, and the text returns again and again to the notion of compassion as a core fruit of healthy spirituality. I found myself wanting a little more elaboration there, maybe a foundational chapter early on where she establishes why this feels so singularly significant, but it's easy enough to connect the dots and to see how one's spirituality can be especially tied to that capacity.

One thing I especially loved here was Doehring's incorporation of process theology into her model of pastoral caregiving, as I have long seen them overlapping but had yet to encounter such a cogent articulation. She emphasizes the elements of agential and receptive power that are innate to a process framework, and in particular encourages caregivers to develop their ability to expand the latter. Some helpful examples of that were to imagine oneself as a listener rather than an interviewer in a care-giving conversation and to resist our "righting reflex" that seeks to fix or save the other (often by shifting to agential power that offers a practical solution or imposes our own redemptive meaning onto what's being described). I also loved the chapter on theological themes and reflexivity which builds on Robert Neville's theology of "broken symbols" that gives a lens to look for ossified religious symbols that are now life-limiting alongside Susan Nelson's paradigms for understanding suffering and evil (Moral Theologies; Redemptive Theologies; Theologies of Lament & Protest; Theologies of Ambiguous Suffering). Her sense that theologies (and especially theodicies) that are flexible enough to tolerate complexity and ambiguity in relation to suffering and God's presence was especially helpful (and especially process).

In the end, I couldn't give it 5 stars because it did get a bit dry and repetitive at times (the risk of going more academic), and I felt like some of the chapters were covering much more basic content, seemingly just for the sake of doing so because she valued their ideas. For example, the chapter on intercultural care or systemic assessment has definitely been done better and more comprehensively elsewhere, but I can see why it felt relevant to a "postmodern" approach. Speaking of, I found that to be a sort of funny subtitle, as I wouldn't say that postmodern theory feels especially ripe throughout the book, unless it was so subtle and ingrained that I just took for granted where it appeared.

[Yonasan Aryeh · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a title like this, it should be obvious to the reader that this work is intended for a religious audience. The fact is that every religion has someone that fills in the role of pastoral care. The title may not be pastor. It could be teacher, Rabbi, Bishop, etc.

In fact, this work takes more of an agnostic or non-denominational approach, with credentials from Yale Divinity. The book is designed to take an intercultural approach to reach anyone in a similar position. Even better, storytelling is the heart of pastoral care in this work. With my own doctoral in semiotics, seeing the implied relevance of storytelling is encouraging and bolsters the foundation of this work.

I’ll admit it - I went into this review process thinking that I was not going to enjoy the book. That’s now how it ended.

So why is storytelling so essential for this? To quote the author at different points, narrative builds trust, finds meaning in praxis, assesses interwoven theologies, and presents a cohesive, digestible, tangible way to connect to the person. We use storytelling everyday, so why not use it in pastoral care? After all, are religions not based on the concepts of bigger picture, individual narrative in the whole of creation? Based on trust? Based on value and meaning? The answer, of course, is yes to all of the above.

“The mingling of the care seeker’s and caregiver’s narrative worlds generates an intersubjective space for meaning-making.”

The author’s voice is the most challenging part of this work. The discussion is quite academic in nature, using larger terminology and theoretical theologies that can leave a reader reeling from vocabulary and cobwebs alone. But this is not a cobweb of a book - this is a complex web drafted in a format that requires the intellectual mind to engage the theological components and make sense of the mess. Quite frankly, it requires a higher-level degree in order to fully benefit from the work and digest it in a way that is comprehendable and useable to apply to providing pastoral care for one’s own congregation. Whether that is a Master’s, Doctorate, or Smicha, this is not entry-level material, which is it’s greatest weakness.

Disclosure: I have received a reviewer copy and/or payment in exchange for an honest review of the product mentioned in this post. This product is reviewed based on content and quality in consideration of the intended audience. Review or recommendation of this product does not solicit endorsement from Reviews by J or the reviewer.

[Rob O'Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to the practice of pastoral care, especially one that is grounded in the methodological approach of the Clinical Pastoral Education movement. Slight theological differences aside, this volume promotes a holistic approach to the caregiving relationship.

Unlike most volumes that (incorrectly) approach "pastoral care" from a counseling perspective that would require a long-term commitment comprised of weekly sessions, this volume rightly approaches "pastoral care" from the more interventionist approach connected to crisis management ministry (i.e., chaplaincy).

While there is (and should be) a counseling approach to chaplaincy and crisis intervention, that is not the beginning point. There is a much-needed triage element to Doehring's work that underlies her approach, something is almost always missing from other works that focus more on treatment than assessment, something that is certainly more apropos to pastoral ministry.

[Andrew Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found certain parts of this book more helpful than others, but that is probably due to my context as a hospital chaplain. For example, I really appreciated the three-fold approach that considers premodern, modern, and postmodern frameworks when providing spiritual care. Other parts of the book, however, seemed to focus more on how to refer to other professionals than how to provide spiritual care. Sure, referring is an important part of spiritual care, but there wasn't as much depth about how to actually provide spiritual care in these environments. Easy for me to say, though, because I work in an inpatient setting, and I can trust that a whole team of providers is also working with said patient, so it isn't totally up to me catch everything. This allows me to stay in my lane and focus on providing spiritual care without getting side tracked by other pressing issues. Overall, I found the book pretty helpful. I'm glad I read it, but I doubt I would read it again.

[Brian Sturtz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author offers an integrated method to listen well to the stories of others. Part of listening includes picking up on the theology of the other person and seeing if that theology is life giving or life limiting. A reader could be turned off by her use of technical terms and a very broad view of "spirituality". However, there are plenty of practical applications given as well as helpful diagrams. Good book for those seeking to better their pastoral care skills.

[Lori Neff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as a part of a Pastoral Care class. I really enjoyed it - it was inspiring, informative. The charts were helpful and practical. I do wish there had been more examples given. I do understand the author's desire to keep the book broad in practice, but when she suggested that spiritual practices could help in a crisis, I wondered what an example might be.
Overall, very glad I read it and will hang on to it for future reference.

[Katie Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this comprehensive contribution to the field of pastoral care, Doehring unpacks best practices for those in ministry contexts drawing on wisdom from her own experiences, storytelling, and modern psychology. Her thoughts on reflexivity and the expansion of one's own theological journey to make space for that of others is a very necessary aspect of pastoral care, and one I hope to see more of in the future.

[Joshua Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of my first unit of Clinical Pastoral Education. Doehring does an excellent job outlining the major goals and methods of spiritual care. I've already begun integrating her pastoral approach with my own.

[Melissa M. Skelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

A through, sophisticated and helpful book on perspectives related to functioning as a caregiver in today’s world. Foundational and reflects the complexity of the narratives of caregivers and those to whom they offer care.

[Ryan and Sara Wendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Resource for Pastoral Care

I thoroughly enjoyed this book as a primer for pastoral care praxis in the postmodern world. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to enhance their pastoral care skills as a practitioner of pastoral care.

[Gerard · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Elegant Read

Insightful lived experience. An intelligent read for the evidence-based practitioner with a theological and psychological appreciation of pastoral care. Well researched and perhaps critically-reflected for the authentic clinical practitioner. Amazing.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the book sensible for its practical advice, but out over its skis when it comes to theology. The author is troublingly dismissive of basic tenants of Christianity and its associated pastoral care traditions. This is especially disappointing given that the author is an ordained minister.

[Terrance Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book that should be a resource in any pastor’s library. While it is a very dry and intellectual read it has a wealth of information that is practical. It is a required text for my seminary class on pastoral theology and for clinical pastoral education.

[Alan Londy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative but uneven.

[Aldon Hynes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book during my first unit of CPE. I found it very helpful. If I do another unit of CPE, I'll probably go back and read it again.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great resource for Pastors and Care givers.

[Paris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a good pastoral care textbook.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to review books like this, which I see as more textbook-y/helping teach a skill. Overall I think it’ll be very useful — I just wish there were more practical examples

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent study, discussion, and reference on how to provide appropriate pastoral care to a diverse and pluralistic population. One of the emphases is that the care giver must not assume that the care seeker share the care giver's frame of reference, be it faith, social structures, beliefs, or cultural norms. The care giver must not impose his or her beliefs onto the seeker. The care giver must derive from listening to the care seeker where he or she is coming from, and to offer affirmations and options, not suggestions or judgment.

This is achieved through what Carrie describes as self-reflexivity in which the care giver works intentionally with a trusted group of peers to understand her or his assumptions and actions in care giving. These assumptions include various social systems such as sexism, racism, heterosexism, and religions. Through this activity the care giver learns how she or he may have inadvertently harmed the care seeker by imposing assumptions, beliefs, and judgment in a harmful manner. The goal is to ensure that the care giver and care seeker relationship can be as healing and supportive as possible.

The material in this book is based on a Christian starting point. However, if the reader is looking for "biblical counseling" material, he will be disappointed. Carrie's material incorporates the principles she discusses: she allows her Christian faith to influence how she incorporates the diverse counseling material that is available and provides a perspective that she believes can be the most healing through established best practices. The principles in this book align very much with counseling and victim advocacy principles that are taught in colleges and universities. Even those without faith backgrounds can find much to inform and assist with their counseling work and practices, especially in their interactions with care seekers that do come from highly spiritual and/or religious frames. Each chapter ends with exercises to reinforce and assist the care giver in putting into practice the principles discussed.

(The book was supplied as an ARC via NetGalley by the publisher.)

[David Cowpar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is a female Presbyterian minister. Despite this she seems to be a Feminist and a liberal theologian. She very seldom mentions the work of the Holy Spirit and Jesus in the lives of the individuals she is caring for.
There are hints that she is a universalist, or that she believes Christianity to be merely a coping mechanism for life and not a fact/truth.
Her book claimed to be a postmodern approach to pastoral care though she, which she herself admits, uses a blend of pre-modern, modern and postmodern approaches to pastoral care.
There are some good take away points from the book, but it was not the best book I’ve read on pastoral care/theology.

[Rob Sabin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just read this the second time. This time for CPE and I find greater relevance to ministry now, than the first time I read it in seminary. I could have grown wiser or this ministry lends more toward the post modern view.

[Kate Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the book I would give to people who wonder about The Seattle School's approach to pastoring. Narrative based, postmodern. Which is great, except that I read it three years in--obnoxious.