Pastoral Care and Counselling

Pastoral Care and September 11: Scientology’s Non-Traditional Religious Contribution

by Carole Cusack

With Justine Digance in James R. Lewis (ed.), Scientology, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2009, pp. 435-437.

This brief piece is a discussion of the presence of Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers at the Ground Zero site... more This brief piece is a discussion of the presence of Church of Scientology Volunteer Ministers at the Ground Zero site in the weeks after the attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, New York, on 11 September 2001. It has been excerpted and reprinted from: Carole M. Cusack and Justine Digance, “Religious, Spiritual, Secular: Some American Responses to September 11,” Australian Religion Studies Review, Vol. 16, No. 2, Spring 2003, pp. 153-171.

Pastoral Care: Notions of Caring and The Black Female Principal

by Bruce Makoto Arnold

Second author with Noelle Witherspoon. Journal of Negro Education, Summer 2010


Please note that there is an error in the final, printed copy. On page 228, a line attributing the functions of the pastoral caregiver should read: "The unique notion of care as pastoral highlighting in this research and closely mimicking the six pastoral functions outlined by [Witherspoon and Arnold], opens a new door between care and justice, and removed it from one that is raced, gendered, and classed." The six pastoral functions on page 224 are original to the authors of the paper. These ideas were expanded upon in: Shepherding a Flock of a Different Fleece: A Historical and Social Analysis of the Unique Attributes of the African American Pastoral Caregiver

The purpose of this qualitative life narrative study was to describe the themes and patterns in which... more The purpose of this qualitative life narrative study was to describe the themes and patterns in which religio-spirituality influences the leadership process for four Black American principals. The study explored how these women leaders navigated intersecting oppressions as they engaged in social justice in their schools and the role of religio-spirituality in that process. One such emerging theme in their narratives was their re/conceptualization of traditional notions of care in their schools in which large numbers of African American students are served. Although care is not always theological in nature, the type of care highlighted in their life narratives was termed pastoral as it resembled the care often exhibited by theological caretakers and in Black American churches, of which each participant was a member.

Pastoral care in Higher Education and Education: Muslim involvement in the history of Chaplaincy

by Asgar Halim Rajput

Published in Journal of Chaplaincy in Further Education, Vol. 6 No. 1 Spring 2010

Keeping Faith, Externalizing Belief: The Political and Therapeutic Significance of Narrative Therapy in a Post-Secular Era.

by Leland Maerz

In confusing the separation of church and state with the triumph of science and reason over religion and faith, the... more In confusing the separation of church and state with the triumph of science and reason over religion and faith, the modern secular project has produced a pressured situation where religious values and beliefs are perceived to be inappropriate and inadequate resources for addressing problems in the public sphere. Using autoethnographic accounts, as well as current events and recent research from a variety of disciplines, this work will express the need for a revised secularity —a post secular era— in which faith and belief are not exempted from public ‘places’ but rather, where there is discursive ‘space’ for both religious and nonreligious options to be freely sought.  While there is every indication in research and in popular opinion that such change is needed, there is little being written or said about the practices that might make such change possible.
The theory and practice of narrative therapy will be presented as not only therapeutically significant in addressing religion and spirituality in counselling but also politically influential in its contribution to a post-secular manner of engagement.  The therapeutic process and relationship in narrative therapy are built on practices that reveal the implicit influence of societal discourses upon the lives of people seeking help with their problems.  Religion and spirituality can be seen as both constraining of, and a potential resource toward, a more preferred experience of life.

"A Crossing of Paths: Hope for Integration of Religion in Psychology"

by Kieran Conroy

Cumulative Behavioral Science Seminar Final Paper (2004), unpublished

Examines the relationship between the religious/spiritual dimension and psychology, particularly in clinical contexts,... more Examines the relationship between the religious/spiritual dimension and psychology, particularly in clinical contexts, current developments towards careful integration, and my own case for continued growth of this field.