ABCs of Internet Mental Health Services

INTRODUCTION:
What is e-therapy?


  WHOS LISTED HERE
  IF YOURE IN THERAPY
  IF YOURE IN CRISIS

THE ISSUES: What you need to know about e-therapy

  IS E-THERAPY FOR YOU?
  CHECK THE THERAPIST
  IS THIS THERAPY?
  IS IT ETHICAL?
  IS IT CONFIDENTIAL?
  IS IT EFFECTIVE?
  WHAT E-THERAPISTS DO
  HOW E-THERAPY WORKS
  FEES & PAYMENT
  LEGAL ISSUES

CONSUMER SURVEY
E-THERAPY HISTORY
NEWSROOM
INFO FOR JOURNALISTS
INFO FOR CONSUMERS
INFO FOR THERAPISTS
CONTACT ME

Copyright 1995-2001 Martha Ainsworth. All rights reserved.

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Pastoral Counselors, Christian Counselors, Spiritual Directors... are they mental health professionals?

Take Our Quiz:

Which one is a qualified professional psychotherapist?

A. Christian Counselor
B. Pastoral Counselor
C. Spiritual Director

If you had any trouble answering, this page will explain.

Counseling is a rather vague word. In everyday language, we use it to cover everything from friendly advice-giving to professional psychotherapy. This vagueness can be a consumer trap. More and more sites are springing up that offer counseling, and sometimes its a little fuzzy exactly how much professional training and experience the sites proprietor has had.

When we turn to spirituality, things get even more fuzzy. For centuries, virtually all Christian clergy have practiced a form of caring traditionally called pastoral counseling. But does that mean that clergy are qualified to help you with complex emotional issues?

And what about spirituality? Increasingly, people are aware of a strong connection between spiritual and emotional health. But psychotherapists arent trained to help you with your spiritual journey - are they?

To help you navigate these murky waters, I will describe three types of helping professionals: Christian Counselors, Certified Pastoral Counselors, and Spiritual Directors. At the bottom of this page you will find a comparison chart for reference. After reading this page, you will know whether or not you would like to consult one of these professionals.

  1. People who describe themselves as Christian Counselors may or may not have had professional training in psychology or mental health counseling. In their view, they dont need it. Christian Counselors believe that your emotional and life difficulties are the result of incorrect belief. Christian Counselors assert that if you re-order your life according to the principles in the Bible, your psychological problems will be solved. Christian Counselors are strongly oriented toward evangelical Christian values. If you are too, this might be a choice for you.
    American Nouthetic Psychology Association
    American Association of Christian Counselors

  2. Certified Pastoral Counselors, on the other hand, are professionally trained psychotherapists. On top of that, they also have a graduate degree in theology. This dual training enables them to address both your spiritual and emotional needs. Pastoral Counselors are certified by AAPC after lengthy training and experience. They do not impose any religious beliefs on you, but are trained to understand your spiritual journey as well as your emotional difficulties. Generally they are equally supportive to persons who are Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, New Age, or any other spiritual tradition. If you want to work on your emotional and spiritual health as one, qualified Pastoral Counselors are a good choice. (Note: some clergy refer to themselves as Pastoral Counselors, but have no training in psychotherapy. To be sure you are connecting with someone who is a professionally trained psychotherapist, you need to look for a Pastoral Counselor who is a member of AAPC.)
    Example of a Pastoral Counseling website
    AAPC can refer you to a qualified Pastoral Counselor

  3. You might consider a Spiritual Director if you already have a psychotherapist, but would like to do some work on spirituality with a separate person. Spiritual direction is an ancient practice that grew out of the monastic tradition. Spiritual directors are trained to be companions to you on your spiritual journey. They do not impose beliefs on you, but will help you develop a spiritual path, by working with you on prayer, meditation, and study. Spiritual directors do not claim to be able to help you with psychological difficulties (unless they also happen to be trained psychotherapists); they would refer you to a psychotherapist for help with those issues.
    Example of a Spiritual Direction website
    Shalem, a spiritual direction training institute
    Spiritual Directors International

Comparison Chart: This chart describes the major differences between categories. Naturally, some individuals in each category are exceptions (there are some Christian Counselors with mental health credentials, for instance) but these descriptions serve the purpose of comparison.

A Christian Counselor: A Spiritual Director: A Pastoral Counselor: A typical Psychotherapist:
addresses spiritual and emotional issues in counseling addresses only spiritual issues in counseling addresses spiritual and emotional issues in counseling addresses only emotional issues in counseling
has professional training to help you with spiritual issues has professional training to help you with spiritual issues has professional training to help you with spiritual issues probably does not have professional training to help you with spiritual issues
may or may not have professional training to help you with psychological issues may or may not have professional training to help you with psychological issues does have professional training to help you with psychological issues does have professional training to help you with psychological issues
is probably not certified/licensed is probably not certified/licensed is certified, may also be licensed may be certified, licensed, registered
may or may not have degree in theology often has graduate degree in theology has graduate degree in theology doesnt have degree in theology
may or may not be a religious professional is a religious professional is a religious professional is not a religious professional
may or may not have experience counseling in a pastoral context has experience counseling in a pastoral context has experience counseling in a pastoral context has no experience counseling in a pastoral context
is oriented to evangelical Christian beliefs is probably oriented to liberal Christian beliefs, but may be Jewish, Buddhist or other supports a broad range of spiritual traditions, including Jewish, Buddhist, Christian, New Age has no particular spiritual orientation, may or may not have some personal interest in spirituality
believes emotional troubles result from incorrect beliefs; seeks to convert you to Bible-based Christian faith to solve problems companions you on your spiritual journey; helps you find your own spiritual path to deeper relationship with God does not impose any belief system on you; understands relationship of spiritual journey to emotions; trained to work with both may or may not be concerned with spirituality; may believe it related to emotional health but is not professionally trained to integrate the two

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