Short term pastoral counseling, as offered by Catholic Campus Ministry, is a non-professional tool which is able to assist people who are attempting to identify and resolve some specific issue. Sometimes referred to as Time Limited Counseling, the process involves two primary techniques: identification and emphasis of a focal relational issue (FRP) and the development of a strategy for resolution of the FRP within a pre-determined set of meetings. The counselor in this setting is not a therapist. The counseling is not clinical counseling. The counselor is a minister who serves as a guide in helping the person to develop skills they already possess and to be a sounding board on the way to resolving the defined issue. If at the end of the process the client still has not resolved the issue or is not well on the way to resolving it, a referral to an appropriate professional is then made. This should not be viewed as unusual.

Students will come to a campus minister with a variety of issues. They face conflicts with parents, teachers, fellow students, friends, and romantic interests on a regular basis. Most of the time, their basic need is for someone to listen and to help them put their issues into context. Often, they need an advocate. Time-limited counseling can meet these needs.

At the heart of this technique, the minister, on first contact, spends time simply listening and then gives some feedback to make sure the issue is correctly in focus. Critical information is taken and assessed in order to ascertain and sharpen the presenting problem. The issue is then evaluated and consultation and referrals are made at the beginning, if necessary. Finally, a determination is made as to the number of sessions that will be required, usually between three and six. Success is the goal and if this cannot be accomplished, a referral would need to be made. Expectations are clearly stated at every stage. Each session begins with an accounting of the number of meetings to go in order to evoke a sense of urgency. The focal relational problem (FRP) is then restated and clarified, focusing attention on remedy and progress. The minister keeps attention on the FRP throughout. The goal of this type of pastoral counseling is to enable the student to help themselves. At the end of the process, the student is usually ready either to face the issue himself or herself or to move on to a more formal counseling process.

If you have questions or feel like you need to explore the possibility of Pastoral Counseling, please contact the Campus Minister to set up an appointment.