Pastoral Counseling In Africa And The West

This is the first time an author has listened to pastors in Africa and compared her findings with pastoral counseling from a Western perspective. Pastoral Counseling in Africa and the West presents a practical record of pastoral counseling in Africa. It accounts for the wide difference between pastoral counseling in Africa and the West considering that pastoral counselors in Africa received Western theological training. It presents a theological perspective of the pastoral counseling ministry in Africa and the West. It also presents both perspectives as professional partners in conversation with each other. “Thank God for providing trained experts like Dr. Daramola to enlighten His people. I have every confidence this publication is only the first installment. More GRACE to her elbows!” Emmanuel Oladipo Former International Secretary Scripture Union

This is the first time an author has listened to pastors in Africa. This book presents a practical record of pastoral counseling in Africa. It accounts for the wide difference between pastoral counseling in Africa and the West considerting that the pastoral counselors in Africa received Western theological training. It also presents a theological perspective of the pastoral counseling ministry in Africa and the West. As concerns their counseling role, if we may borrow an expression from the children of Israel in Egypt, our pastors are being asked: to make bricks without straw. This is because they receive practically no training for this aspect of their work. Evidently, the grace of God is very much involved; otherwise, a lot of tragedy would be the normal result of what is sometimes the blind leading the blind. Counseling in the context of the church was the field of research for Dr. Ibidun Daramola. Her scholarly study has resulted in valuable contribution to knowledge in the highest degree. She has documented for us some things we suspected but did not know for sure, some things we thought we knew but actually did not know, and some things we did not even know we need to know. - Emmanuel Oladipo

The coming of Colonization and Christianity to Africa and other indigenous cross-cultural contexts was a “mixed bag” of pros and cons. The impact of the advent of the two has had a lasting effect being felt even today. It created issues of bi-culturalism and bi-religiousness in personal and religious identities that counselors and the church need to address when working with people from these contexts. There is the existence of deep cultural trauma (including psychological and spiritual scars) needing healing for those living in most of these post-colonial contexts. The Western counseling approaches and Christian rituals need contextualization. A counselor or pastoral caregiver with an integrative consciousness is required to address the psychological and religious identity conflicts existing in African and other indigenous cross-cultural contexts.

Gain fresh perspectives on pastoral care and counseling from international experts! This informative book will show you how pastoral care and counseling are viewed and practiced in Africa, India, Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Central America, South America, Germany, and the United Kingdom. You’ll find new perspectives on theoretical and practical aspects of pastoral care and counseling as well as fascinating case studies and unique insights on how culture affects this type of ministry. In his Preface, Dr. Howard Clinebell, Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Psychology and Counseling at the Claremont School of Theology, explains the need for this book: “In the radically new world of the 21st century, pastoral counselors of all races and ethnic backgrounds will be challenged by a growing need to provide competent help to burdened individuals, couples, families, and communities of different cultural backgrounds and worldviews than their own.” International Perspectives on Pastoral Counseling gives you an intimate view of: counseling models from the United States that are being adapted to the realities of urban Korean life pastoral care and counseling in African and multicultural contexts counseling issues arising from urban realities in Pretoria, South Africa the state of pastoral counseling and the impact of globalization and international markets on pastoral theology in Brazil care and counseling models from Holland and the United States that are being imported for use in Indonesia how the realities of life in Singapore relate to pastoral care and therapeutic conversations the needs of women and the historical development and meaning of pastoral care and counseling in the Philippines the meaning of forgiveness--from an intercultural perspective spiritual, philosophical, and other perspectives on Chinese cultures the pitfalls of individualistic models of pastoral care and counseling in poverty-stricken regions of Latin America the unique challenges of delivering care and counseling in Asian-Pacific cultures

This publication carefully describes the HIV/AIDS pandemic and how it is understood in some African contexts, which hampers prevention initiatives. It also delineates the complex nature of the poverty and HIV/AIDS interplay. To address the situation, a family systems practical ecclesiological theology and approach to HIV/AIDS ministry, and a pastoral counselling approach that derives from and is sensitive to the African context, are proposed.

Meet me at the Palaver shows the damaging impact of colonial Christianity on indigenous African communities. The book opens with stories of destructive change brought to indigenous contexts, where in the culture, values, religion, and humanity of African peoples were often marginalized. Mucherera argues for a holistic narrative pastoral counseling approach to assess and service the three basic areas of human needs in indigenous African communities: body, mind, and spirit. The book presents a hopeful strategy of recovering stories, cultural traditions, and values that have been subjugated in the past as effective means for dealing with contemporary life in indigenous contexts such as Zimbabwe.