Introduction to Pastoral Counselling

An introduction to Pastoral counselling. This book also has a template on the counselling process in an addendum. Special emphasis is placed on the treatment of depression and other anxiety disorders - specifically from a Pastoral / Biblical point of view.

Why Counselling?
•The Meaning of Life
•Man in Paradise
•Man after Paradise

The Believer's Journey through Life
•Justification and Regained Meaning
•Because of being justified in Christ, life itself regains its original meaning

When confronted by people, their problems and their attempts at solving these problems let this be the test you apply:
•Sanctification and Growing Meaning
•After justification comes sanctification
•Life in the Presence of God

The question is how to deal with this sin:
•The Mechanisms of Human Behaviour
•The Need for Significance and Security

The need for significance

The need for security: this need consists of

These needs were automatically provided for by God, who gave them:
•True Significance in Jesus Christ
•True Security in Jesus Christ
•The Role of the Conscious Mind
•The Role of the Unconscious Mind
•The Basic Direction of the Heart
•The Role of the Will
•The Role of Emotions
•Where Problems Come From
•Needs and Wants
•Motivation
•How to Solve Problems

A Basic Counselling Strategy
•Identify Problem Feelings
•Identify Goal-Oriented or Problem Behaviour
•Identify Problem Thinking (= Basic Assumptions)
•Change the Problem Thinking (= Basic Assumptions)
•Secure a Commitment
•Plan and Carry out Biblical Behaviour
•Identify Spirit-Controlled Feelings
•Active Attending:
•Active Listening:
•Blocks to Effective Communication
•Some Important Aspects in Counselling
•Life in the Presence of God

A Basic Counselling Strategy (continued)
•Identify Problem Feelings
•Plan and Carry out Biblical Behaviour
•Identify Spirit-Controlled Feelings
•Identify Problem Thinking (= Basic Assumptions)
•Change the Problem Thinking (= Basic Assumptions)
•Secure a Commitment

Depression
•What is depression?
•Signs of depression
•Symptoms of depression
•Variation between different groups
•Male versus Female depression sufferers
•Some well-known people who were suffering from depression
•Reasons for suffering from depression
•Types of depression
•Endogenous depression
•Exogenous depression. (Formally also known as Reactive depression.)
•Treatment of the depression sufferer