PACO 825 The Role and Development of the Pastoral Counselor

This course will help students develop an awareness of the many challenges and opportunities facing pastoral counselors today. Students will also be challenged to develop personal strategies to facilitate longevity in service, as well as increased competency in ministry readiness and effectiveness.

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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 Discussions in this course are designed to engage the student in thoughtful reflection and meaningful interaction as he or she explores key themes in pastoral counseling. For each Discussion, the student will post 1 thread of at least 500 words. The student must then post 1 reply of at least 350 words. For each thread, the student must support assertions with at least 3 scholarly citations, including any sources required by the prompts, in APA format. All key components of the thread prompts must be noticeably and meaningfully answered in each thread, and each thread must have a clear, logical flow. Each thread must be clearly organized and presented with appropriate headings in bold that align with the headings in the prompt. Each reply must incorporate at least 2 scholarly citations, including any sources required by the prompts, in APA format and address a specific point within the related thread. Each reply must be cogent, concise, and substantive. All major points in each thread and reply must be supported by significant evidence-based insights from acceptable sources. Any sources cited (other than class materials and the Bible) must have been published within the last 5 years. Acceptable sources include textbooks, journal articles, and the Bible. All posts should be free of grammatical issues. 

The Pastoral Counseling Interview Paper Assignments are designed to provide the student with real-world insights into the personal and professional practices of experienced pastoral counselors. In this assignment, the student will focus on exploring the self-care habits and spiritual formation practices that sustain pastoral counselors in ministry. The student will conduct an in-depth interview with a full-time pastoral counselor actively employed in a church, chaplaincy, or counseling center, which will focus on the counselor’s personal spiritual walk, self-care practices, and strategies for maintaining spiritual health while serving in ministry. The interview should be no longer than 1 hour and will be conducted in person (preferred) or via Microsoft Teams or Zoom, using the Pastoral Counseling Interview Paper Self-Care Practices Template provided for interview questions. The student will then write a paper of at least 1,250 words (excluding the required title and reference pages) discussing the significance of spiritual well-being in pastoral counseling, specifics about the interviewee’s strategies, and reflections on the key takeaways of the interview. Further length and content expectations for each section of the paper are detailed in the assignment instructions. The paper must use current APA formatting for citations and references, which must include at least 3 class sources (textbooks, videos, or articles). The paper must use proper grammar and punctuation and be well-organized, with a logical flow between sections and smooth transitions. (CLO: A, B, C)

Pastoral Counseling Interview Paper: Emotional Intelligence Assignment

The Pastoral Counseling Interview Paper Assignments are designed to provide the student with real-world insights into the personal and professional practices of experienced pastoral counselors. In this assignment, the student will explore how seasoned pastoral counselors recognize, manage, and apply emotional and relational awareness in their counseling practice and personal lives. The student will conduct an in-depth interview with a full-time pastoral counselor actively employed in a church, chaplaincy, or counseling center (and a different pastoral counselor than the one interviewed for the Pastoral Counseling Interview Paper: Self-Care Practices Assignment) and examine how emotional intelligence contributes to effective pastoral care, leadership, and conflict resolution. The interview should be no longer than 1 hour and will be conducted in person (preferred) or via Microsoft Teams or Zoom, using the Pastoral Counseling Interview Paper Emotional Intelligence Template provided for interview questions. The student will then write a paper of at least 1,250 words (excluding the required title and reference pages) discussing the significance of emotional intelligence and self-awareness in pastoral counseling, specifics about the interviewee’s emotional intelligence strategies, reflections on the key takeaways of the interview. Further length and content expectations for each section of the paper are detailed in the assignment instructions. The paper must use current APA formatting for citations and references, which must include at least 3 class sources (textbooks, videos, or articles). The paper must use proper grammar and punctuation and be well-organized, with a logical flow between sections and smooth transitions. (CLO: A, B, C)

Personal Plan for Effective Pastoral Counseling Assignment

The Personal Plan for Effective Pastoral Counseling Assignment is a capstone assignment that synthesizes the key principles and practices covered throughout the course. The student will develop a comprehensive, personalized strategy for sustaining long-term effectiveness in pastoral counseling, drawing on course materials and personal experiences, with a focus on spiritual health, self-care, emotional intelligence, resilience, and ethical boundaries. The student may complete this assignment in only 1 of 3 formats: an approximately 3,500-word, APA-style paper (each section listed in the assignment instructions will be roughly 350–500 words); a PowerPoint presentation (20–25 slides); or a Canva presentation (20–25 slides). The structure and content requirements are the same for all formats. References must be in APA format for all course materials and sources used; the student must include course materials (textbooks, lectures, videos); and all sections must be addressed thoroughly. The length requirements for all formats do not include the required title and reference pages/slides. For the written paper, the student must use clear headings aligned with the sections listed in the instructions and submit the assignment as a Word document. For the PowerPoint or Canva presentations, the assignment must be visually engaging, using relevant images, colors, and layouts; include detailed slide text with substantive explanations and reflections; and cite sources on relevant slides, along with the final reference slide. The presentation must be submitted as a file upload. If using Canva, the student will download the presentation as a readable file (download options may be found under the Share settings) and not as a link. (CLO: B, C)