More and more professionals in ministry realized the benefits of brief pastoral counselingtypically three sessionsfor addressing the real-life dilemmas of their congregants. In this very helpful resource, eleven leaders in pastoral counselingboth established leaders and new thinkers in the fieldoffer 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.
