According to Throne, some “seriously question where pastoral counseling ends and secular therapy begins…the beginning of a great merger operation with increasing number of secular therapists acknowledging …that both I and my client are essentially spiritual beings” (Throne, 2001, p.436). Furthermore, in recent decades, the historical use and understanding of the term clinical specialists who are educated, trained and equipped to practice intensive therapy have claimed “Pastoral Counselor”.
People turn to clergy to get their moral footing back. This is often an honest effort to get right with God — people should exercise their rites of repentance. Through this it can become clear that the ethical guidelines of the profession are very similar to ethical guidelines of most secular counseling professions.
Certified Pastoral Care Counselors are ministers or others endorsed by a religious faith group who are mental health professionals. They have
received specialized graduate training in both religion and the behavioral sciences and are certified by the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC), the National Christian Counselors Association (NCCA) and other organizations. In addition, the PC may be state licensed as a professional counselor or in a number of mental health specialties, such as marriage and family therapy, clinical psychology, or social work.
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