Counceling vs therapy

I am going to take a break this week from blogging about the book I am reading to do some “thinking out loud”. As I have been reading Living Stories I keep running into the idea of therapy, and how to do this as a pastor. What I am really thinking about is if there is a difference between pastoral counseling and therapy. Personally, I think that there is a huge difference. I really do not know where and when I drew these differences in my mind, but they are there. When I think of therapy, I think of a formal setting, people working through deep rooted psychological issues. When I think of pastoral counseling I think of people working through spiritual problems. Don't get me wrong I know that these two things come together and are often integrated in a way that we often can not separate them. However, I think it is important that a therapist and a pastor are two different roles, not one in the same.

Okay, I feel like I just rambled. I suppose what I am trying to ask myself is this: Is it a pastor's role to give primary counseling to their congregates? Take for example the seminary I currently attend. To graduate with your MDIV, students are only required to take 1 class on pastoral care. ONE CLASS!! We are not trained professionals! Some graduates, like myself, have backgrounds in psychology, however most do not. So, as pastors I really feel that we should listen and care for those in our congregations and if we need to, help them find a therapist that can better help them. We simply can not fulfill all the roles in their lives.

I think when it comes down to it, we have to be careful. We need to constantly be in check with ourselves, knowing what we can and can not do. Knowing when someone does need professional therapy and when someone needs to simply talk. We must always push into the heart of God to obtain discernment in these situations.