Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee, Inc.
Presents a Fifth-Friday Training Event
The Use of Metta Meditative Practices in Psychotherapy
Friday, July 30, 2010
9AM – 12Noon
Please join us at the offices of PCCT at Vine Street Christian Church, 100 Vine Court, Nashville, TN 37205.
A continental breakfast and certificate of attendance will be provided.
The cost for the day is only $15. Payment may be made by check (to PCCT), cash, Visa, or MasterCard. The event is free for staff and current students of PCCT and clergy from "Member" congregations.
This program is eligible for Clinical Pastoral Therapist continuing education credit.
Please RSVP by noon on Friday, July 23, 2010 by contacting Caroline McBride at cmcbride@pcctinc.org or (615) 383-2115.
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This experiential workshop is designed to introduce contemplative practices associated with the Buddhist concept of Metta (loving-kindness or compassion) for use in psychotherapy.
The incorporation of meditation into psychotherapy has continued to gain popularity with clinicians operating from within an extremely wide range of theoretical orientations. Recent specific attention has begun to be focused on how Buddhist meditation techniques designed to build Metta might be useful for psychotherapy. Proponents of this movement have endorsed Metta practices as being especially effective for increasing clients' compassion for themselves and for others and for creating an innate grounding or holding space of safety to support the oftentimes painful work of therapy.
This workshop will explore how various Metta techniques are being used as a secular tool within therapy while transparently presenting its Buddhist origins and the ways in which they might differentiate from Christian or Jewish religious thinking. The possible struggles and aversion clients might have towards the use of Metta practices will also be processed. Through exercises and open discussion, participants will have an opportunity to experiment and engage with Metta in an active way.
Our Presenter: Ira Helderman, LPC/MHSP
Ira has worked for the past five years as a staff therapist in Vanderbilt University's Psychological and Counseling Center as well as maintaining a private practice. Prior to his time in the Counseling Center, he gained experience working on Vanderbilt Psychiatric Hospital's Adolescent and VITA (Vanderbilt Intensive Treatment of Addictions) units as well as at Cumberland Heights treatment center. Ira has received training in the use of contemplative practice in psychotherapy from such practitioners as The Dalai Lama, Marsha Linehan, Thich Nhat Hanh and Jon Kabat-Zinn. Ira's areas of clinical specialty include suicidology, addictions, adolescents and families, as well as religious/spiritual issues and diversity. He is currently serves as the coordinator of Vanderbilt University's MAPS grant (Mental Health Awareness and Prevention of Suicide) while also participating in developing a new Vanderbilt Recovery Support Community program.
Storm & Flood Response for Middle Tennessee
The Needs
The staff of the Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee has prayerfully watched the crisis of the floods in Middle Tennessee and we have seen the care in the unity of our community. The people affected adversely by the floods and storms may now be in a state of shock, denial, and physical survival. In time, most will recover and move on to a new normal in their lives. The human spirit is amazingly resilient, especially when you have a good support system and people who love you.
However, as the immediate crisis subsides, most will feel more deeply the impact of the loss and grief. During such grief it is normal to feel some depression. A feeling of depression without suicidal thoughts, without feelings of worthlessness, or without inappropriate guilt, can be normal in grief. Some may want to visit with a counselor just to see if they are okay or to receive support through their grief. Research shows that about 80% of people will bounce back from such a tragedy and find their “new normal”.
For the other 20% of the population, the loss may trigger a deeper depression, anxiety, panic attacks, acute distress disorder or even post-traumatic stress disorder. Many people will need counseling for their grief, and some will need help with psychiatric disorders that may develop. The financial strain placed on most people in wake of their physical losses will mean that many will not be able to afford the counseling they need.
For some, the storms and the damage to their homes and our city may raise questions about the nature of God and God’s care for them. The professional and caring counselors of the Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee (PCCT) are licensed mental health providers who also have theological education and are prepared assists those who may struggle with these questions in addition to the accompanying mental health and emotional issues.
How PCCT Is Helping
PCCT has seven locations in the Middle Tennessee area including two locations where counseling is available in Spanish. PCCT has locations in Nashville, Madison, Brentwood, Franklin, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, and Clarksville. The Pastoral Counseling Centers would like to offer one free session of counseling to anyone affected by the storms and flooding. PCCT also offers financial assistance through sliding scale fee assistance for those that cannot afford our regular fee and this assistance will be available for additional sessions of counseling as needed.
While we will see as many people as we can in our offices, we will need the financial assistance from caring people and groups like you. Though we offer substantial financial assistance for those who cannot afford our regular fee, our sliding fee scale cannot support the level of people in need we anticipate without substantial financial assistance. This is a way you can make a difference and help people reclaim their own internal resilience with the help of highly qualified and caring pastoral counselors.
How to Access Help
The book of Job artfully illustrates that God does not always spare us from suffering in this life; but, as Job discovered, the Lord does give us unwavering divine presence even in the midst of suffering. We at PCCT strive to embody God's healing presence as we sit face to face with those who hurt. If you or someone you know could benefit from sitting down with one of our counselors, please call us at (615) 383-2115 to make an appointment. You will be directed to the counselors in the office closest to you.
How You Can Help
If you would like to make a donation to PCCT to help survivors of the storms and flooding you may call (615) 383-2115 to donate by credit card or send a check (Made out to “PCCT”) to: The Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee, Attn: Flood Relief, 100 Vine Court, Nashville, Tennessee 37205.
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Friends,
This time last year Diana (not her real name) had a comfortable job, was living in a comfortable house with her child, and was seeing me for counseling to deal with trauma from her past. Within months Diana had lost her job, her home and, as a consequence, lost custody of her daughter. Even now Diana still has no home and job. I recently told her I wish that I could do more for her in her situation. She responded by saying, “You do not know how much it means that I am able to continue to see you through all of this. I would not be able to make it from day to day without it.” What makes this story particularly sad for me is the fact that Diana is not the only client I have in this type of situation and more people like her are seen by other therapists at the Pastoral Counseling Centers in similar circumstances.
Many people who come for counseling with us are able to pay our regular fee and our highly trained and experienced staff of clergy is well worth that fee. However, not all who come to us can afford to pay full fee for our services. Because of the generous support from people like you, we are able to make this level of care and guidance available to all. Every gift you make, regardless of size, helps provide counseling for someone who is struggling with depression, anxiety, anger, relationship difficulties, or other issues. Because of you, our staff is able to minister to the corresponding spiritual questions and struggles for each of these people in need.
Prayerfully consider your gift for 2010 and then CLICK HERE to make a donation of any amount online. We also ask for your prayers for our staff and our organization as we seek to embody the healing presence of God for all who seek our services. Thank you for your consideration of our work in your prayers and giving.
Sincerely,
Chris O’Rear, M.Div., M.M.F.T.
Executive Director for Clinical Services
P.S. For information on matching gifts, monthly payment options, stock transfers or auto drafts, please email cwalsh@pcctinc.org.
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PPARx of TN Provides Free or Significantly Discounted Medication for TN Residents
Pastoral Counseling Centers of Tennessee, Inc., joined more than 40 other health care, community, business and consumer groups on June 7 to launch the Partnership for Prescription Assistance of Tennessee (PPARx of TN) to make it easier for qualifying Tennessee residents to access programs that provide free or significantly discounted prescription medications.
Through the website, www.pparxtn.org, and toll-free number, 1-888-4PPA-NOW (1-888-477-2669), Tennesseans and their health care providers or family members can search more than 325 public and/or private programs that provide more than 2,300 prescription medications through pharmaceutical assistance programs for which they may be eligible.
"The PPARx of Tennessee website and call center will be hugely helpful in getting patients connecting to these resources that will help them obtain free or discounted medications", said Phyllis Miller, M.D. of Hixson, who is the 2005 President of the Tennessee Medical Association, speaking at the launch event. "Part of the TMA's mission is to mprove access and delivery of quality medical care across our state. We believe the PPARx program helps Tennessee physicians fufill part of that mission."
The first prescription assistance programs began more than 50 years ago. In 2004,patient assistance programs sponsored by America's pharmaceutical companies provided more than 22 million prescriptions with an estimated wholesale value of more than $4 billion.
This will be a terrific resource for our clients. Because PPARx of Tennessee includes both a website and a toll-free number, our clients can take their healthcare needs into their own hands. PCCT is happy to partner with PPARx of Tennessee.
Pastoral Counseling: Integrating Spirituality and Psychotherapy
by Amy Scholten, Beliefnet e-news
You may be...
Mourning the loss of a loved one
Trying to cope with a serious illness
Having difficulty getting along with your teenager
Exhausted from taking care of an elderly parent
Confronting some other crisis or life transition
At any time, we can face uncertainties and experiences that threaten our emotional and spiritual well-being. Caught off guard by the numerous crises and transitions that accompany life, we may not know how to cope or where to turn for help.
Some people turn to psychologists, psychiatrists, and social workers for help in coping with these crises and transitions. Others look for support and the opportunity to discuss these issues within a spiritual context. But can one find spiritual help and psychotherapy at the same time? Most religious leaders have little time or training to provide in-depth and extensive therapy. And most psychotherapists have little training or desire to discuss in-depth spiritual matters during sessions with patients. The answer may be pastoral counseling.
What is Pastoral Counseling?
According to the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), pastoral counseling is a form of psychotherapy that uses spiritual resources as well as psychological understanding for healing and growth. The central theme in pastoral counseling is an awareness of the spiritual dimension in human wholeness. Crises and transitions are addressed in terms such as faith, meaning, purpose, and direction, as well as in psychotherapeutic terms.
The foundation of pastoral counseling goes back to the 1930s, when minister Norman Vincent Peale and psychiatrist Smiley Blanton, MD, integrated religion and psychotherapy for psychotherapeutic purposes. Other influential social scientists, such as Carl Jung, Abraham Maslow, William James, and Karl Menninger, also shared this awareness of spirituality and psychotherapy. Over the years, pastoral counseling evolved from religious or spiritual counseling to pastoral psychotherapy, a practice that integrates theology and the behavioral sciences. The AAPC was founded in 1963.
Who are Pastoral Counselors?
Pastoral counselors are certified mental health professionals who have had extensive religious and/or theologic training. An AAPC certified pastoral counselor typically has:
A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university
A three-year professional degree from a seminary
A specialized masters or doctoral degree in the mental health field
Pastoral counselors also have a significant amount of clinical training. This includes at least 1,375 hours of supervised clinical experience (in individual, group, marital, and family therapy) and 250 hours of direct approved supervision in crisis and long-term situations. "As a result of this extensive study, pastoral counselors are among the most educated of mental health professionals," says Roy Woodruff, PhD, executive director of the AAPC.
Like other mental health professionals, pastoral counselors work with a variety of issues, depending on their training and background. They may specialize in marriage and family therapy, addiction, grief, and other issues, including serious mental illnesses. In addition to short and long-term counseling, they may provide educational programs on marriage preparation, adjusting to divorce, and coping with loss and grief.
Pastoral counselors may work as clinicians in:
Health clinics
State hospitals
Private and group practices
Congregation-based centers
Church or synagogue offices
Free-standing pastoral counseling centers
Increased Demand for Pastoral Care
Today, the demand for spiritually based counseling is on the rise. Mounting scientific evidence is demonstrating a connection between faith and enhanced recovery from trauma and illness. Times are complex and confusing, and increasing numbers of Americans are searching for spiritual growth and deeper meaning.
"In my experience, when people have spiritual resources, they handle trauma more easily," says Reverend John Pearson, DMin, Chaplain and Director of Pastoral Care at Beverly Hospital in Beverly, Massachusetts. "Without spirituality, many people feel adrift and lost during points of crisis."
Finding a Pastoral Counselor
Pastoral counselors represent more than 80 different faith groups, but people of any religious faith—or no religious faith—can see a pastoral counselor. "Some people want to see a counselor who reflects their particular spiritual background, but many people see a counselor of a different faith. And for those who are uncertain of their beliefs, pastoral counseling may be part of the searching process," says Reverend Pearson.
So how does one go about finding a pastoral counselor? Reverend Pearson recommends getting a recommendation from someone you trust, such as a friend, religious leader, physical therapist, physician, or other professional. It's important to "shop around" and interview counselors, too. Find a counselor with whom you feel compatible and comfortable.
Fees and Insurance Coverage
In many states, pastoral counselors are covered by insurance, according to state licensing. Others may offer sliding scale fees or have a certain number of reduced fee hours per week. In some cases, pastoral counseling can be more affordable than other types of counseling, especially if counselors work out of churches and congregations. Sometimes church members even contribute to costs, or they have an assistance fund.
A Well-Kept Secret
Despite the added benefits of a spiritually based mental health approach, many people do not take advantage of pastoral counseling. One reason is that some people fear that they would be pressed in a certain spiritual direction, particularly if the counselor were of a different faith. According to Reverend Pearson, most pastoral counselors don't give advice or force their religious views, but instead help people to explore and make their own decisions. Those few who do operate from a certain viewpoint are usually upfront about it. It's best to inquire about the counselor's views during the initial interview, and if there is a poor match, ask for a referral.
"Another reason some people stay away from pastoral counseling is because they have a negative image of God," says Reverend Pearson. "God may be a projection of an abusive parent. Or they think that God is distant or hasn't answered their prayers. Therefore, it's hard for them to find a spiritual connection."
Lastly, many people don't know about pastoral counseling. Unlike other mental health professions such as psychology and social work, pastoral counseling doesn't get a lot of press. In addition, there is often misunderstanding about what pastoral counselors do. "We don't just work with clergy, but more with everyday folk," says Reverend Pearson.
Resource:
American Association of Pastoral Counselors
http://www.aapc.org