More and more professionals in ministry realized the benefits of brief pastoral counseling-typically three sessions-for addressing the real-life dilemmas of their congregants. In this very helpful resource, eleven leaders in pastoral counseling-both established leaders and new thinkers in the field-offer a convincing rationale. Based on reserach, case studies, and the latest thinking, they lay out (1) the dynamics of the pastor- parishioner relationship, including the need for collaborative, hospitable, future-oriented, and wholistic counseling, and (2) specific strategies, including brief counseling's solution-focused method, its relation to spiritual direction, its focus on people's strengths, and time limits. The volume concludes with a call for the whole field to recognize the contextual, practical character of effective, responsible pastoral counseling.
