A practical new volume in the best-selling ¿Star Book¿ series from Judson Press! Rev. Dr. Jason Curry brings his experience as pastor, university chaplain, and pastoral counselor to bear in offering church leaders a compact and comprehensive overview of pastoral counseling as a critical aspect of pastoral care. Dr. Curry covers topics from a foundational definition of pastoral counseling to the unique considerations in counseling women, African Americans, and others. One chapter is devoted to the most common types of pastoral counseling in the parish setting: premarital, grief, and addictions, while other chapters explore group dynamics in counseling couples and families. This pocket-sized volume provides categories for the intake interview, suggestions for planning the counseling session, instructions for creating a genogram, and brief discussions of legal and ethical issues. Includes a chapter about designing a pastoral counseling program in your own church!