Competent to Counsel [antikvár]

Like many other pastors, I learned little about counseling in seminary, so I began with virtually no knowledge of what to do. Soon I was in difficulty. Early in my first pastorate, following an evening service, a man lingered after everyone else had left, I chatted with him awkwardly, wondering what he wanted. He broke into tears, but could not speak. I simply did not know what to do. I was helpless. He went home that night without unburdening his heart or receiving any genuine help from his pastor. Less than one monthlaterhedied. Inowsuspect that his doctor had told him of his impending death and that he had come for counsel. But I had failed him. That night I asked God to help me to become an effective counselor. In my first efforts to improve, I bought, borrowed and devoured as many of the current volumes on counseling as I could, but in these I found little help. Almost all commended non-directive Rogerian methods or advocated Freudian principles. Uneasily I tried to put into practice what I read, but I could not help wondering how as a Christian minister I could re-translate what seemed to be sin, as "sickness." I found it ludicrous to nod and grunt acceptingly indetachment without offering biblical directives. It soon became apparent that I was helping almost no one by such procedures, and I was wasting valuable time. Moreover, most of the advice offered in textbooks consisted of little more than vague generalizations, which I found practically worthless for meeting the problems of concrete counseling situations. Many of the interpretations of cases cited in the literature seemed fantastic or absurd, and to top it all, a number of writers made it abundantly plain that they themselves were able to help only a few of their counselees, and these found help only after many months or even years of weekly sessions. How then could I expect to do much? Where would a busy pastor find the time to devote to such extended counseling? Was it a good stewardship of his time; could I ever become competent to counsel?