Pastoral counseling is a specialized type of mental health counseling that combines psychotherapy and theological concepts. It is intended to provide spiritual guidance, healing, and growth for people seeking help. People may choose to see a pastoral counselor instead of a licensed therapist due to the unique religious perspective provided by the pastor, as well as the additional resources such as prayer, scripture study, and participation in community activities that can help guide them on their journey. Pastoral counselors are often hired by churches and interfaith families due to their cultural and religious awareness. They provide services such as counseling families or individuals facing mental health problems or spiritual issues. If the Pastor is a licensed therapist, they are trained to diagnose mental health disorders and intervene in substance abuse cases or other interpersonal issues to bring about healing. Unlicensed pastors cannot diagnose individuals and may only provide spiritual guidance.
Christian and pastoral counseling are both forms of therapy that use biblical teachings and principles as the basis for their approach. However, there are some key differences between these two types of counseling. Christian counseling is a broad term that refers to any counseling based on Christian beliefs and values. This can include a range of approaches, such as cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, or solution-focused therapy. Christian counselors may work in various settings, such as churches, private practice, or community organizations, and may have a background in theology or a related field. On the other hand, pastoral counseling is a specific type of counseling that pastors or other religious leaders provide. Pastoral counselors often work in church settings and may use their knowledge of theology and religious traditions to help individuals understand and overcome their challenges. Pastoral counseling can also include spiritual guidance, support, practical advice, and support for everyday life issues. The main difference between Christian counseling and pastoral counseling is the specific role and background of the individual providing the counseling. Most Pastors are simply a person who is not licensed to practice mental health services but rather offer spiritual guidance. Both can be valuable sources of support and guidance for individuals seeking help from a Christian perspective.
Many spiritual leaders provide guidance to people in crises. This could include individuals experiencing marriage problems or dealing with the death of a loved one, drugs addiction and spiritual confusion. As a clinical pastoral counselor, you might work in a church or other setting where ministry happens, but you typically won't be employed as a pastor or other clergy member. Instead, this is a separate christian counseling position.In certain settings, you might be referred to as a chaplain. Chaplains provide counseling services to people of all different faiths, whereas counselors working in ministry settings may primarily counsel people of their own congregation or faith. In addition to completing a formal training program, you need a mixture of skills to excel as a clinical pastoral counselor. In order to get people to open up and feel consoled, it's important that you have good supportive listening skills and are able to build rapport with others. For this particular type of counseling, you'll also need a thorough knowledge and understanding of Christianity and other faiths. You may reference the Bible or other religious sources in providing consolation or inspiration.
ETU/JCCAE does not offer any type of licensing in the areas of psychology, mental health, family counseling or professional counseling. Our programs are not intended to supplant any academic program accredited by national or regional organizations such as CHEA, Middle State, or other agencies engaged in this type of activity. However, our programs are designed to give our students understanding in the area of pastoral counseling and chaplaincy within a clinical approach based on what the Bible defines as behavior problems and with the purpose of assisting members of the faith community in establishing a criterion of behavior and biblical analysis according to biblical ethics and morality. Leaving this clarified, we define our programs as clinical pastoral counseling based on the ethics of behavior and morals that emerge from the Bible.
As a Christian, each individual must decide if he or she wants to provide counsel as an agent of the state or as a servant of the Church (Body of Christ). If you have a Divine call on your life to counsel and minister to the hurting, then a state license may not provide the best option to fulfill God’s calling on your life. ETU or JCCAE is not a state license, not the equivalent of a state licensure, nor a substitute for a state license, rather something distinctly different. Most states have regulatory laws governing the practice of psychology. Many of them also legislate the practice of general counseling. The laws vary from state to state. For example, some states have a counselor category called “Licensed Professional Counselor.” Therefore, ETU and JCCAE requires its pastoral counselors to clearly identify their degrees as religious nature not academic” . This helps to ensure that the ETU-JCCAE trained counselor is operating within legal and ethical standards, and maintaining the public’s trust and confidence as a pastoral counselor, chaplains and clergy member. State regulatory laws help to protect the public and ensure professionalism within the counseling profession for very good reasons. ETU and JCCAE strives also to attain a similar goal within the Christian community and, at the same time, operate within compliance with state laws. Most states still recognize that counseling is one of the responsibilities of the Church and its’ clergy.
The major difference between state-licensed professional counselors and Pastoral or Christian counselors, who graduates from ETU or JCCAE are basically under the authority of the Church (Body of Christ), is clear and well-defined. Counselors who have been licensed by the state are held to strict ethical standards which mandate an individual’s right to be free from religious influence. The state licensed professional counselor in certain states is forbidden to pray, read or refer to the Holy Scriptures, counsel against things such as homosexuality, abortion, etc. Initiating such counsel could be considered unethical by the state. In most states in the U.S., state licensed counselors “must not promote their personal religious beliefs” according to the code of ethics in each respective state. The only time a state licensed counselor can involve religious (Christian) principles, morals, activities, instruction, etc., is if the counselee initiates or requests counsel in this area. The state-licensed counselor may not have the education, experience and knowledge of Scripture that ETU and JCCAE provides. Opposite from that, Pastoral counselors are required to pray, share their faith, read the Holy Scriptures, etc. The fact that Pastoral and Christian counselors do these things creates a clear distinction. We are two distinct professions and govern ourselves accordingly. As you can readily see, the state governs secular counselors and the Church is responsible to set standards and govern ministers who have devoted their lives to the ministry and to Pastoral counseling. None of this is to say that the Christian counselor, minister or priest is not permitted to request fees and receive remuneration for the services they render, as long as they remain adherent to the state laws governing such procedures.
There are only six states in the United States that actually license individuals with the title of Licensed Pastoral Counselor (LPC), which are Arkansas, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Important Ministers who engage in counseling should be familiar with the conditions that apply to the pastoral counseling exemption under state law.
