Apr 28, 2024  
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog 
    
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2017-2018 Graduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Pastoral Care Concentration

Students in degree programs may choose to concentrate in an area of theological studies. Concentrations may be used to fulfill denominational requirements (concentration in Anglican studies), to ascertain preparedness for future licensing or advanced study (concentration in pastoral care), or to complete an intensive study in an area of benefit or priority for the church (concentration in Hispanic studies, concentration in African-American church studies, concentration in urban ministry, concentration in women’s and gender studies, concentration in social innovation and nonprofit engagement, concentration in church/nonprofit management).

The concentration in pastoral care allows Perkins students to concentrate on theory, skills and practices of pastoral care to equip them for specialized pastoral care ministries. Specialized pastoral care ministries include but are not limited to the following: ordained clergy whose ministerial focus is pastoral care, clergy in agency settings and clergy in social outreach or social work. The concentration can serve as an introduction to professional counseling for those desiring further education and training to pursue certification with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors or the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapists. The concentration can also serve as an introduction for those desiring pursuit of a state license as a professional counselor and/or as a marriage and family therapist. The executive director of the Pastoral Counseling and Education Center in Dallas serves as a consultant to the concentration students if they desire affiliation and advanced training beyond the foundational work offered at Perkins. The concentration adviser is Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner.

Competencies

Competencies are based on theory, skills and practices.

Competency in theory includes

  1. A history of pastoral care.
  2. Multicultural dimensions of pastoral care.
  3. Paradigms in pastoral caregiving.
  4. Spiritual care of mind–body–soul.
  5. Family systems theory.

Competency in skills includes

  1. Empathic listening and confidentiality keeping.
  2. Crisis counseling, effective referral ability and personal boundary maintenance.

Practices will focus on

  1. Self-care and healthy lifestyle.
  2. Supervision through internship, clinical pastoral education or spiritual direction.
  3. Exposure to helping agencies and community organizations of care and extension of learning into the congregational setting.

Concentration Requirements

  1. Formally register for the certificate through the Office of the Registrar and the concentration adviser. To qualify, students must have signed approval from their academic adviser. Candidates must have at least 24 credit hours remaining in their degree program and a GPA of 3.000 in order to register. M.Div. candidates should not yet have applied for internship.
  2. Complete nine credit hours of required courses.
  3. Complete six additional credit hours of electives.
  4. Complete a practicum in an appropriate setting.
  5. Submit a paper to the concentration adviser at the end of the program. This paper should explore the interdisciplinary nature of the pastoral care field, focusing on all four divisions within Perkins’ course of study. In this paper, the student is expected to articulate her or his biblical paradigm in pastoral care. The appendix to the paper should include a description of the student’s efforts/participation in proactive self-care activities related to spiritual, physical and emotional health. Counseling by staff at the SMU Memorial Health Center or a licensed therapist of the student’s choice is strongly encouraged as a part of the certificate program and as a means of self-care.
  6. Engage in an oral defense of the interdisciplinary paper. Faculty from divisions I, II and III will be invited on a rotation basis to participate in the oral defense. Students working on the concentration should prepare for this integrative exercise from their very first introduction to courses in Division I – The Biblical Witness, Division II – The Heritage of the Christian Witness in Its Religious and Cultural Context, and Division III – Interpretation of the Christian Witness.

The required courses are offered each academic year. A minimum of one elective is offered each term. An appropriate practicum would be Clinical Pastoral Education in a hospital, prison or congregational setting. M.Div. students should refer to the Master of Divinity Internship section of this catalog for further clarification of the Clinical Pastoral Education option.

Required Courses and Course Options

The course requirements and options are as follows:

Require Coursework

Nine hours of required coursework:

Electives

Six hours of required electives from the following:

Note

Equivalency credit for transfer courses or Perkins courses will not be granted for more than one of the three required core courses. Equivalency credit is always subject to approval by the registrar and the certificate adviser.