Introduction to Pastoral Care and

Counseling -

Course Description

An introduction to the principles,

and techniques involved in the
pastoral ministry of care and
counseling. The course
emphasizes basic counseling
skills and ability to relate to
others. Biblical, theological, and
ethical concerns in pastoral care
ministry are discussed and an
overview of common counseling
concerns is presented.

Course Objectives
This course will help students:
to approach ministry counseling
issues from a perspective of soul
care, in order to help God’s
people grow in Christlikeness
as they deal with life’s problems
and decisions;

gain knowledge of the history

and place of counseling in
pastoral and ministry settings,
including some of the current
controversies and issues in the
practice of Biblical/Christian
counseling;

to assess personal strengths and

weaknesses in basic counseling
skills;

to practice a basic problem-

solving approach to common
counseling problems.
Course Outline

Lecture 1. The Harassed and

Helpless Around You
In Matt.9:36 Jesus had
compassion on the crowds of
people, because they were
harassed and helpless, like
sheep without a shepherd. But
what about the people who know
the Good Shepherd? How do
they feel ‘harassed and helpless’
in their life and walk with Christ?
In this lecture Lee Eclov
introduces the course on pastoral
care and counseling by sharing
the results of the survey
conducted in the Village Church
Linconshire, north of Chicago.

Lecture 2. Start by listening

The hardest skill a pastor has to

learn in counseling is probably
not how to use the Bible but how
to listen. In this lecture Lee Eclov
answers the following questions:
— What is active listening?
— How does active listening help
someone?
— What are the most important
listening tools?
— What if you don’t know what
to say?

Lecture 3. The place of

Scripture

What’s the place of Scripture in

pastoral care and counseling?
Isn’t the Bible the ultimate
advice-giver? Don’t pastors use
Scripture to tell people what God
wants them to do? In this lecture
Lee Eclov talks about the primary
purpose of Scripture, explains
how the Bible should be used
properly and reminds of the
transforming power of God’s
grace.

Lecture 4. Six basic dynamics

of pastoral counseling

Virtually everything pastoral

counselors do
relates to one or more of six
dynamics of the counseling
situation:
1) The care and cure of souls.
2) God’s help.
3) Listening and guiding the
counselee.
4) Biblical transformational
principles.
5) Counselee responsibility.
6) Counselor responsibility.
In this lecture Lee Eclov gives an
overview of six key ideas that will
be discussed during this course
and also talks about different
issues that arise in counseling.

Lecture 5. What makes a good

counselor?
What makes a good counselor?
How does your faith enter into
pastoral counseling? What
should you know about yourself?
Lee Eclov answers these
questions and introduces Johari
Window, four different dynamics
that are in play in counseling
and pastoring, and shares his
experience with counseling.

Lecture 6. Biblical Theology for

Counseling

One of the features of a good

counselor is the understanding of
biblical teaching about human
beings in their relationship with
God. In this lecture Lee Eclov
turns to Genesis 3 which
provides ‘biblical
psychopathology’ and helps to
sort through what is being
presented to the counselor as he
engages with the counselee.
Watch this video to learn about
three dynamic processes
necessary to the transformation
in a person’s life.

Lecture 7. The Care & Cure of

Souls

One of the most basic tasks of a

pastor or
church leader is the care and
cure of souls. Pastoral
counseling is a blend of spiritual
direction and problem-solving.
Spiritual direction is one aspect
of pastoral counseling. In this
lecture Lee Eclov talks about four
traditional elements of soul care
and shares a number of rules to
apply in practical situations.

Lecture 8. Integration issues in

Christian counseling

Christians have always given

counsel to one another. This has
long been part of the pastor’s
role. With the rise of psychology
as a secular discipline Christians
face the issue of whether or not
biblical truth can be integrated
with secular therapy. In this
lecture Lee Eclov briefly talks
about the history of psychology
and looks at the distinctive
features of Christian counseling.
Lecture 9. Sin

Sin almost never lies alone and

exposed on the surface of a life.
And it is almost always wearing
other clothes. You’re not sure
you’re even seeing a real sin. Sin
is an enormous factor in people’s
lives and one of the reasons they
need to come for counseling. In
this lecture Lee Eclov talks about
the effects of sin and gives some
helpful tips on how to handle the
problems when dealing with
someone’s sin.

Lecture 10. Building with Broken

People
In a way, pastors build churches
from broken people redeemed by
God. In this lecture Lee Eclov
looks at Psalm 103:1-5 and the
benefits of salvation. How can
the benefits of salvation help
during
counseling people? Watch this
lecture to find it out.

Lecture 11. The Pastor’s Tools:

Authority, Wisdom & Grace

Pastors need to be careful how

they handle authority. Ministry
leaders need wisdom that comes
at the intersection of their Bible
study, ministry conversations and
reflection. A pastor needs
pockets full of grace. In this
lecture Lee Eclov speaks about
three essential tools in the
pastor’s toolbox: authority,
wisdom and grace.

Lecture 12. Key Transformative

Biblical Principles

When we consider how to use

Scripture to help people deal with
sins and diseases of the soul, let
alone less inward issues, it
can be daunting because we feel
as though we know so little of the
Bible. But there are relatively few
transforming life principles in
Scripture. Many texts point to
these basic principles. They are
all centered in Jesus Christ.
Without a relationship with
Jesus, and the truth of Jesus,
these do not work. In this lecture
Lee Eclov shares some practical
examples and asks you to
identify transformational
principles that can help in each
situation.

Lecture 13. Listening

Listening is the first and most

basic gift and skill in Christian
counseling. In this lecture Lee
Eclov shares insights on how to
listen well: listen beneath the
surface and listen intentionally.
You will also learn about four
attributes of empathy.
Lecture 14. Prayer in Counseling

Sometimes the best thing you

can do for people who come for
counseling is pray for them. You
can pray before a session, during
a session or after a session. In
this lecture Lee Eclov talks about
praying for counselees «in the
Spirit» with Biblical words and
ideas. Watch this video if you
want to learn to pray thoughtfully
and pray in faith.

Lecture 15. Cognitive Behavioral

Therapy

One of the most basic and

widely-accepted approaches to
counseling is cognitive
behavioral therapy. It is based on
the idea that our thoughts cause
our feelings and behaviors, not
external things, like people,
situations and events. In this
lecture Lee Eclov looks at the
benefits of
cognitive behavioral therapy and
explains the process of helping
others to find new ways of
thinking and responding.

Lecture 16. Connecting, by Larry

Crabb

This lecture is based on the book

«Connecting» by Larry Crabb.
Lee Eclov covers some of the
ideas from the book and looks at
the pattern of retreating,
reproving and referring. He talks
about people who see the
problem as an issue of stubborn
will, psychological damage or
disconnected soul. Watch this
video to learn Larry Crabb’s view
on people’s problems.

Lecture 17. Recapping and

strengthening what we’ve
learned

What can a counselor discover

by listening
well? What happens when you
listen past the facts? What’s next
to hear? What can’t listening do?
When must the counselor
become the main speaker?
When the counselor speaks,
what are his/her most beneficial
approaches? When is it good to
give advice? What’s wrong with
giving advice? In this lecture Lee
Eclov answers these questions
and recaptures and strengthens
the things you’ve learned about
listening.

Lecture 18. The Continuum of

Care

Pastors don’t have to solve all

the problems by themselves.
They have the benefit of the
whole church, both local and
beyond, in helping care for
people. In this lecture Lee Eclov
shares some examples where
the congregation could help the
counselor and talks about
community as a
necessity of pastoral counseling.

Lecture 19. Boundaries in

Pastoral Counseling

This lecture is based on the book

«Boundaries & Roles in Ministry
Counseling» by Dr. Miriam Stark
Parent and Pastor Lee Eclov’s
personal experience. Who is
responsible for setting
boundaries? Why do we need
boundaries? What are the most
common boundary issues?
Watch this lecture to find out.

Lecture 20. Wiseman, Pastor,

Prophet, Priest: Tailoring Your
Counseling Style
In this lecture Lee Eclov gives
four different scenarios and four
options to choose from. Which
style of counseling should you
use in different situations? Are
you a wiseman, a pastor, a
prophet or a priest? Watch this
video to find it out.

Lecture 21. The Power of

Blessing

How do we bestow and receive

blessings? When is a good time
to bless someone? In this lecture
Lee Eclov talks about the
neglected power of blessings. He
focuses on Numbers 6:24-27 and
explains how a blessing like that
can be part of counseling.

Lecture 22. Christians facing

suffering
What does 2 Corinthians 1:3-11
say about suffering? Does the
teaching of this passage apply to
those who are not being
persecuted but who are suffering
from broken relationships or
heartbreak over children? In this
lecture Lee Eclov does the Bible
study and case study on
Christians
facing suffering.

Lecture 23. Depression

Depression can be caused by

loss, anger, hurt or frustration
turned inward. In this lecture Lee
Eclov talks about common
causes and signs of depression.
Watch this video if you want to
know how to help people
struggling with depression.

Lecture 24. Grief

In this lecture Lee Eclov shares

several observations about grief.
He reads the email of his friend
Marilyn, whose husband
suddenly died. The grief journey
was getting the best of her. She
thought that God took her
husband’s life to humble her.
Watch this video to learn what
Pastor Lee wrote to her in
response.
Lecture 25. Healing

What is the place of healing

prayer in pastoral counseling? In
this lecture Lee Eclov looks at
James 5:13-18 to find the answer
to that question. He also shares
his personal experience with
healing prayer.

Lecture 26. Spiritual Warfare in

Counseling

Pastoral counselors must be

prepared to deal with issues of
spiritual warfare. In this lecture
Lee Eclov answers the following
questions:
— Can Christians be demon
possessed?
— What do we know about
Satan’s work against believers?
— What are some ground rules
for Christians?
The teacher shares interesting
stories and insights for
counselors who meet with
demonically oppressed people.

Lecture 27. General work of

pastoring

What are the responsibilities of a

pastor besides preaching? In this
lecture Lee Eclov talks about
special services in the life of the
church, shares interesting ideas
from Pastor’s Service Manual,
tells stories that teach lessons.
This lecture will help pastors give
shape and language to the many
kinds of services they are called
to officiate.