The relationship between pastor and parishioner is the essence of pastoral counseling–a simple truth with profound implications. Dr. Richard Dayringer explores these implications in The Heart of Pastoral Counseling: Healing Through Relationship, Revised Edition to help pastoral counselors understand how to use the relationship to bring about the desired ends in the therapeutic process. Drawing on research from the disciplines of psychiatry, psychology, marriage counseling, family therapy, and pastoral counseling, this book lays the foundation for utilizing the pastoral counseling relationship to bring about positive change as it explores topics such as observation, listening, communication, handling transference, and termination of therapy.Because the interpersonal relationship is the vehicle of therapy, it is critical that pastoral counselors understand the psychological assumptions that play a large part in the characteristics of relationships as well as the factors requiring attention in order to establish a secure counseling relationship. The Heart of Pastoral Counseling will help you attain this understanding as you also improve your knowledge on:

• how pastoral relationships may be applied outside the therapeutic hour in general pastoral work
• eclectic methods for clarifying feelings, developing intellectual insight, interpreting, questioning, and assigning certain behavior
• employing the problem-oriented record in pastoral counseling
• distinguishing relationship from transference and countertransference
• the unique problem that counseling acquaintances presents
• personality traits that attract people to the minister/pastoral counselor
• counselor attitudes that foster relationship
• how a client’s view of the counselor has an impact on the effectiveness of therapyThe Heart of Pastoral Counseling brings a solid base of research to pastoral counselors, seminary students, graduate students in counseling, professors of counseling, and specialists in pastoral psychotherapy so that you might better understand the nature of pastoral counseling relationships and how they are helpful and constructive in people’s lives. You will be challenged to rethink your role in initiating and carrying out therapeutic change and realize why you should build your ministry on relationships, rather than on friendships.