As I was applying for colleges, I knew that I was looking for three things: a business management major, a minor in communication arts, and a place that would challenge me to live out the Catholic faith in a way that no other university could. When I visited Franciscan University for the first time, I…
Campus protests, a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Title IX investigations, and much more. This is just a small sampling of what I have covered as a journalist since seeking the help of Franciscan University’s Career Services office nine months ago, publishing stories on leading conservative news…
It seems that every source on this topic and every person asked has a different answer to the question, “What is pastoral counseling?” Some are in agreement; others are not. To answer this question, I think it’s first necessary to ask why we are asking this question in the first place. What is the purpose…
Many Christians have heard of spiritual direction and most people have heard of mental health counseling but far fewer have heard about pastoral counseling. Is pastoral counseling simply getting advice from your pastor or is it something more? There is something more to pastoral counseling and the simplest way to understand the approach is to…
Two weeks before the end of my junior year at Franciscan University, I made the call to the managing editor of Quarto Publishing Group, finalizing my internship for the summer. I would be traveling to Beverly, Massachusetts, less than an hour north of Boston, to work in the editorial department of a major nonfiction publisher,…
Taking care of your self implies taking care of the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects; for example nutrition, leisure activities, emotions, relationships, etc. Counseling may assist in taking care of your mental well-being which affects your emotional and physical health. The point that I am trying to make is that a clinical counselor helps you…
It was 10 a.m. on June 27, 2016, and I was sitting in a small wooden chair in the side aisle of the Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., waiting eagerly for the justices to announce their decisions. At the sound of the gavel, all rose while the marshal announced the entrance of the justices:…
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” With the many thoughts and images the term “pastoral counseling” evokes, it is not difficult to imagine why the disciple is so difficult to define. Yet, with a culturally, historically, and religiously rich word such as “pastoral,” surely a counseling profession claiming the title…
Although there are many different definitions of what pastoral counseling is, I notice several common themes which writers have drawn upon. The term “integration” appears a lot in reference to guiding a client towards physical, mental and spiritual well-being. For Christian clients whose faith is important to them, knowing that pastoral counselors share their faith…
The term “pastoral counseling” can hold a variance of meanings to different individuals. To some, this brings to mind an image of a male pastor who helps clarify God’s direction in a person’s life. To others, this term specifically relates to a professional counselor who only helps those practicing the Christian faith. Although these associations…