Gestalt in Pastoral Care and Counseling is the only book to provide you with an integrated model of pastoral care and counseling from the perspective of Gestalt theory. Covering all aspects of ministry, including visitation, counseling, worship, and administration, it is a valuable text for advanced undergraduate or graduate classes and small group or individual study for seminaries, church ministries, pastoral counseling training programs, and lay pastoral ministry programs. This book will increase your confidence in your work, help you understand blockages as well as avenues of change, and lead you to a more creative, yet consistent, stance in your ministry.Gestalt in Pastoral Care and Counseling makes clear that all of ministry is, in fact, pastoral in nature. It demonstrates the principles of Gestalt in pastoral ministry in a gradual manner, true to both Gestalt principles and your needs. Some of the topics you learn about include:

• key elements of Gestalt theory, from the early developers through more recent practices
• the cycle of experience--a model that provides an understanding of the various steps involved in change on all levels
• Gestalt applications in pastoral counseling, worship, and administration
• a theology of pastoral caring--a model for pastoral ministry based on the relational aspects of the Biblical narrative and its application in ministry
• ideas for continued growth based on daily life experienceWith well-developed presentations of Gestalt principles and pastoral ministry, Gestalt in Pastoral Care and Counseling provides you with a new perspective on the meaning of pastoral ministry. Not only will you learn new skills, you will also develop a new appreciation for what can occur within pastoral relationships. The theoretical basis of Gestalt embraces the whole of life experience as part of the process of change and growth and holds sacred the relationship that exists between persons. As your understanding and use of these principles increases, the quality of care and counseling you provide in your ministry will continue to improve.

About the Author
Jeffrey D. Hamilton, DMin, is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and a Pastoral Counselor at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. He completed his post-graduate training at the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and the Dayton Institute for Marriage and Family Therapy. After serving local congregations in Central Pennsylvania, he completed his residency in Clinical Pastoral Education at Abington Memorial Hospital. He began his career in pastoral ministry at Miami Valley Hospital as chaplain in the Critical Care and Trauma Departments, joining the pastoral counseling staff in 1986. Reverend Hamilton is a member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors and a Certified Chaplain and Fellow of the College of Chaplains. He teaches widely in the areas of lay pastoral ministry, ministry to persons living with AIDS, and small group development. He received his DMin from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio; his MDiv from Lancaster Theological Seminary in Lancaster, Pennsylvania; and his MSSA from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio.


Book Information
ISBN 9780789002389
Author Jeffrey D Hamilton
Format Paperback
Page Count 188
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Inc
Weight(grams) 294g