Pastoral Supervision is increasingly sought out by people working in ministry. It offers a safe space to reflect theologically and constructively on pastoral experience. Pastoral Supervision: A Handbook is the standard text for what is a growing discipline and endorsed by APSE, the Association of Pastoral Supervisors and Educators, which is now established as an accrediting professional body for all involved in supervision in a Christian context.
Pastoral supervision is undergoing a radical shift from the supervision of pastoral work to fostering the wellbeing of practitioners and systems alike. This book charts twenty years of developing thought, writing and practice and re-visions supervision as the intentional dialogue between Soul, Role and Context. Originally delivered in conferences, workshop and training events across the English speaking world, the material offered here expresses constructive impatience with the narrowness of earlier work - the writer's included - and urges a radical rethink of supervision that can truly be called pastoral and visionary.
This book explores pastoral supervision and the benefits of adopting a system of supervision for clergy. It is informed by research into the impact of introducing structured supervision into the life of the Methodist Church in Britain.
Enriching Ministry offers a more detailed and wide-ranging overview of pastoral supervision and its relationship to other disciplines and fields of study. It describes an approach to supervision which is theologically rich, psychologically informed, contextually sensitive and praxis based. It is intended for those seeking support for their own ministries as well as for those who supervise in the areas of initial and continuing ministerial formation; healthcare; executive coaching, spiritual direction. The final chapters consider the professional development and training of supervisors.
Over the last three decades, family therapy has revolutionized the mental health field, changing the way human problems are conceived and therapy is conducted. In concert with the dynamic growth of family therapy, the field of family therapy training and supervision has also expanded enormously yielding many new ideas and skills. Yet, until now, few books have been devoted to it, and no single volume has attempted to relate the full breadth of this growing field in terms of its conceptual and theoretical expansion as well as its practical application. HANDBOOK OF FAMILY THERAPY TRAINING AND SUPERVISION fills this need by presenting a truly comprehensive view of this dynamic area. To accomplish this broad yet in-depth scope, editors Liddle, Breunlin, and Schwartz have assembled 30 highly acclaimed authorities to author chapters in their respective areas of expertise. For further clarification, the editors have included segues that introduce and analyze each of the book's four major sections providing the reader with an overview of the section, highlights of themes that run through it, and discussion of the issues raised in a way that ties the chapters together. The book opens with a presentation of the unique and innovative approaches to training and supervision that have evolved in each separate school of family therapy. Offering a panoramic view of the entire field of family therapy, these seven chapters allow for fascinating comparisons among the different schools regarding the process by which ideas about therapy evolve into training techniques and philosophies. Section II follows with an explication of the pragmatics of family therapy supervision. Helping family therapy trainers avoid and anticipate the common mistakes involved with supervision, the skills described in this section create an atmosphere conducive to learning and maintaining a working trainer-trainee relationship, and finally, for training of supervisors. Practical guidelines for using live and video supervision are included. Section III features family therapy trainers in such diverse fields as psychiatry, psychology, family medicine, social work, nursing, free-standing and academic family therapy programs, who describe the problems and advantages they encounter teaching these new ideas within their idiosyncratic contexts. The book closes with a section that includes reflections on the field by such innovative and respected leaders as Cloe Madanes and Jay Haley. Among topics covered are perspectives and recommendations for researchers evaluating family therapy, practical advice for incorporating a cultural perspective into training programs, feedback on the experience of live supervision from trainees' perspectives. An appendix follows that provides over 400 references organized by subject for easy reference. Given the level and scope of this extraordinary text, FAMILY THERAPY TRAINING AND SUPERVISION is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in teaching, learning, or simply appreciating family therapy.
A companion and guide for ordained and lay ministers seeking to live their pastoral ministry well, amid all the complexities and pressures of contemporary society. It addresses issues which often remain unspoken, inviting dialogue, reflection, honest self-examination and the courage to share struggles and dilemmas with others.
In the last twenty years, the number of texts written on clinical pastoral supervision has accelerated. Thomas St. James O’Connor analyzes these texts, nearly 300 of them, in light of three fundamental questions about the praxis of clinical pastoral supervision: (1)what is distinctive about the praxis? (2)what is an appropriate theological method for the praxis? and, (3)what is an adequate praxis? In doing so, he formulates three approaches: the social science, the hermeneutic and the special interest. Looking at the theology of Charles Gerkin, a pastoral theologian and family therapist, O’Connor develops a conversation between Gerkin’s theology and the texts. The theological methods in the three approaches are critiqued and Gerkin’s praxis/theory/praxis method is endorsed. Case examples are used throughout to illustrate theory and issues discussed and to aid in the presentation of an adequate praxis. Clinical Pastoral Supervision and the Theology of Charles Gerkin provides a unique overview of the history and current state of clinical pastoral supervision and an understanding of its methodology and theological foundations. More than that, it builds on the practical theory of Charles Gerkin, expanding it for immediate use in the practice of ministry.