Well, my promise to write a posting on the quaint and curious customs of the Fraters of the Wayside Inn needs to be deferred a little. Don’t worry, that post will come along before long…
But I only have a couple of free minutes today and wanted instead to mention a project being worked up by my esteemed colleague, Frater the Reverend Doctor Walter Wieder. Walt to his intimates.
In a paper he delivered to the Fraters yesterday he mentioned in passing a past plan to start a school of pastoral counseling. I found it sufficiently compelling that I thought I’d post the gist of it here. Those among my readership who are ministers or have had to deal with ministers or just think about ministry when there is no football came coming up might find it useful.
The program, should it actually get off the ground, stands in the “straighten up and fly right school of pastoral counseling.” Not as well known as the more popular non-directive model, but a worthy model nonetheless.
In addition to the common aspects of such a school, how to establish fee schedules and the way to cram fifty minutes into the therapeutic hour, there are four major areas the coursework would particularly address. I suspect if the categories were simply memorized they might prove the foundation for a successful career as a pastoral counselor. Or, not, of course…
They are:
1) Don’t Ever Do That Again!
2) You What?!
3) That’s the Most Disgusting Thing I’ve Ever Heard!
and
4) Cut That Out!
What can I say? It seemed funnier when I heard it.
Okay, back to the meetings…
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