All clergy practice some form of family therapy by virtue of their involvement with people at crucial times in their lives. Pastors are inextricably connected to human pain. They become the first source of aid for people in distress and preferred as counselors. The church--and possibly only the church--touches people at every age. Family Therapy attempts to equip ministers with a practical tool to handle their counseling tasks. Wynn wants pastors to view people in a new and wholistic way, seeing them in a family context rather than as isolated individuals. The family is the patient. The family provides the setting in which change must take place in the individual. Family therapy treats a family as a whole unit, taking into account the system in which members interact.
Although the first couple chapters of Family Therapy sound academic, using psychological jargon, statistics, and theories, much valuable material can be gleaned from them. These chapters help pastors comprehend theory and technique and then how to use what they have learned in a combination suitable to their style and preference.
Wynn guides pastors through the entire counseling process from the first interview through intervention, confrontation, and completion. He clears up several myths, answers often-asked questions, offers role-playing examples and conversations. He gives helpful information regarding how pastors can act in conjunction with other professionals in cases of abuse, assault, drug and alcohol addiction, and codependency. The book concludes with resources for family therapists, references, and an index.
Although therapists and ministers share similarities in their counseling roles, pastors make a unique contribution to the therapy process. It is not just diagnostic skills, technical training, or understanding personality theory that makes pastors effective, but their ability to add a spiritual dimension. Their training in the cure of souls makes pastors serve as specialists on issues such as people's capacity to change through conversion. Pastors can view family relations as covenantal and be committed to reconciliation.
Family Therapy in Pastoral Ministry makes a valuable contribution for pas tors serious about upgrading their counseling skills.
