PACO 830 Individual & Family Issues in Pastoral Counseling

Pastoral counselors must understand individual and family dynamics to provide meaningful, well-rounded care in ministry. Equally important is the ability to recognize, address, or appropriately refer to emotional, relational, and spiritual needs. This knowledge enhances the counselor’s effectiveness in developing tailored strategies for intervention and support, ensuring compassionate and impactful care for those they serve.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

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Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion, answering all key components in the prompt. Each Discussion will require the student to research and participate in topical and theoretical discussions regarding counseling. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads in each Discussion, directly addressing a specific point of references within a related thread. Each reply must include a salutation to the classmate. The Discussions will have word counts of at least 400 words for the thread and at least 250 for each reply. For each thread, the student must support assertions with good examples or thoughtful analysis and at least 3 scholarly, evidence-based citations in current APA format. Each thread must have a clear, logical flow and state major points clearly. For each reply, the student must demonstrate a significant contribution supported by at least 2 scholarly, evidence-based citations, reflecting thoughtful analysis of the subject matter and thread. Any sources cited must have been published within the last 5 years. Acceptable sources include journal articles, scholarly books, and the course textbooks, as well as any references asked for by the prompt. The Bible is not an acceptable resource for a citation but is encouraged where appropriate. Posts should avoid long quotations. Wording may be conversational but should maintain a professional, academic tone. All posts should use correct spelling and grammar; complete, clear, and concise sentences; and paragraphs with appropriately varied sentence structures. (CLO: A, B, C)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will offer a 3- to 4-minute video thread centered around an article the student chooses in response to the provided prompt, addressing all key components of the article and prompt and adding thoughtful analysis. The student will then post 2 replies of at least 200–250 words to classmates that directly address a specific point of reference within a related thread, reflecting thoughtful analysis of the subject matter and thread. The reply prompts must be clearly answered. The video thread must demonstrate a significant contribution, and the student must support assertions with citations and references from at least 3 scholarly sources. Citations can be made in video posts by verbally citing each source and then including a written references list in current APA format with the thread. The replies must demonstrate a significant contribution and incorporate citations and references from at least 2 scholarly sources in current APA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last 5 years. Acceptable sources include the textbooks or journal articles (the Bible cannot be used as a scholarly source). The video provided should have quality audio, and the lighting and background should enhance the video. The video must be organized and clear. Replies must use correct spelling and grammar and complete, clear, and concise sentences. (CLO: A, B, C)

The student will write 2 Contemplative Essay Assignments. These assignments involve analyzing a specific counseling issue by discussing its significance, exploring it from a Christian theological and biblical perspective, examining its psychological impact, and offering a pastoral counseling reflection. The essays should be in third person, with the exception of the personal reflection section, which may be in first person. For each essay, the student will choose 1 issue from a list and write a 500–600-word contemplative essay on the issue, based on the assigned readings. The student must use current APA formatting, with double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font. The student will use the Contemplative Essay Template provided to help organize and format the paper in APA. Each paragraph must be 125–150 words, targeted in scope, and focused on the dimension in question. The assignment must meet all other writing and structure expectations listed in the assignment instructions. (CLO: A, B, C)

The student will choose 1 case study from a list provided. From the case study description, the student will create a comprehensive resource guide to support the client in all 4 of the following areas: emotionally, physically, spiritually, and socially. The guide must include community services, counseling options, spiritual resources, and literature, along with a brief narrative explanation for each resource that provides descriptive information about how it will be helpful to the individual or family. The resource guide should be edited for typos, spelling, and proper grammar. The student will use the Resource Guide Template to complete the assignment. (CLO: A, B, C)

Using the case study identified in the Resource Guide Assignment, the student will conduct 2 brief (10–15-minute) interviews—1 with a peer (with a lay level understanding of the selected issue) and 1 with a professional counselor. The student will follow the assignment instructions to conduct the interview and cover the appropriate topics. The student will compare the interviewees’ perspectives, identify key issues, and reflect on interview observations and perspectives gleaned from the reading in a Memo to Self. Readings will guide the student’s questions and interpretation for this assignment. In summarizing the perspectives from each interview, the student should clearly articulate realistic short-term objectives, establish insightful and ambitious long-term goals, and demonstrate a thoughtful, compassionate response that reflects deep understanding, strategic thinking, and genuine empathy for those impacted. The student may submit findings in whatever form seems most helpful and appropriate to the scope of the assignment. The written content must be focused in scope and target questions asked in the interview. Citations should follow current APA formatting, and the assignment should follow any other relevant templating. The memo must be edited for typos, spelling, and proper grammar. (CLO: A, B, C)

The student will analyze 3 pastoral counseling case studies—from the 3 case studies, at least 1 individual and 1 family issue will need to be selected. This summative assignment should reflect the knowledge gained from the the previous modules in the class. This assignment should be written in narrative style (no bullets or numeral lists), third person, and current APA format (with a separate References page). The student’s analysis must be 2,500–3,000 words, including a clear, concise 300–350-word introduction that provides a brief overview of the case studies in the portfolio and a rationale for their selection. For each case study, the student will provide an overview identifying key challenges across several dimensions, a relevant pastoral counseling approach with aligned interventions, and a pastoral care plan that includes biblical insights and principles, emotional support strategies, ethical considerations (including appropriate referrals to professional counseling), and desired outcomes. The assignment must incorporate course concepts, readings, and at least 5 scholarly, evidence-based sources (excluding the Bible). Textbooks may also be used as sources. The assignment should demonstrate organizational clarity by using correct spelling and grammar; complete, clear, and concise sentences; and paragraphs with appropriately varied sentence structures. The student will use the Case Study Analysis Portfolio Template provided to help organize written content, including the appropriate APA level headings. (CLO: A, B, C)