Pastoral Counselor Training in Russia

Abstract

Pastoral counseling is a significant function for pastors not only in the context of the church in the United States, but internationally as well. This paper provides details about positive and negative factors related to training pastoral counselors in Russia. There has been little programmatic counselor training for pastors in Russia. The sting of the Soviet era, cultural influences, the church as a social force, and training resources, are among the issues influencing training. Directions for research and resource development are offered to encourage Russian nationals as well as Westerners to continue efforts to strengthen pastoral counselor training.

The Counseling Profession in Russia: Historical Roots, Current Trends, and Future Perspectives

“…In addition, seminaries are beginning to incorporate pastoral counseling courses into their training curricula (Bowen & Bishop, 2003) in an effort to equip church leaders to meet the psychological needs of their members. Churches have proved to be an effective venue for presenting psychoeducational programs on a wide variety of topics, as well as a vital support system for those recovering from addictions (M. Kitmanov, personal communication, January 24, 2011).…”

An Initial Christian Counselor Internship Program for Ukraine

“…Initially, most of this education focused on pastoral ministry and theology. Few Bible schools or seminaries offered training in counseling (Bowen & Bishop, 2003;Voytenko, 2005).…”

“…At the professional level, Ukraine is in the initial stages of building a contextualized professional psychology. Many in secular psychology accept the Christian orientation as a viable model alongside other orientations (Bowen & Bishop, 2003).…”