American Association of Pastoral Counselors

Carol Saussy's reflection on her journey in AAPC.

Orlo was born in West PenArgyle, Pennsylvania and received his Bachelors degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College before obtaining his Masters of Divinity and PhD from Boston University. Later he did post doctoral work at Harvard.

Families that have a member with a disability often encounter seemingly insurmountable challenges. Although many local churches in the United States have strong ministries to individuals who have disabling conditions, the Christian Church as a whole seems to have missed its God-given calling and opportunity in meeting the needs of couples and families affected by disability.

The author conducted a phenomenological investigation of a sample of his own clients to answer the question, why do some people choose to stay married following an affair, while other people chose to end the marriage. Using a retrospective analysis of clinical records, the author uncovered common themes in both groups. There was, however, one significant difference that predicted which way the couple would decide. Based on this discovery, the author makes some suggestions for clinical pr

As clients embody more Self, their inner dialogues change spontaneously.

This paper examines the challenges that social constructionism presents to the field of pastoral counseling in light of the skepticism that the concept of social construction exhibits toward any kind of normative psychological theory of human beings and human development. The paper examines this challenge for two psychological theories commonly employed in pastoral counseling: psychodynamic psychology and narrative therapy.

A growing interest in spirituality among psychologists, social workers, and health professionals has created new opportunities for collaboration between religion and psychology. This collaboration challenges pastoral counselors to identify what is distinctive about their identities and practices.