The development and practice of pastoral counseling

The practice of pastoral counselors is not well understood by secular mental health professionals, although evidence suggests that advantages can be gained by increasing the interaction between the two groups. Trends in the historical development of pastoral counseling are summarized, and a typology that distinguishes three major thrusts among its practitioners--religious counseling, pastoral mental health work, and pastoral psychotherapy--is offered. A clergy malpractice case that raises issues of joint concern to secular and religious therapists is discussed.