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Our Father Ministry and Program Staff
Donald F. Hinchey Senior Pastor E-Mail	C. J. Ransdell Associate Pastor E-Mail	Werner K. Boos Associate Pastor / Pastoral Counselor | Director of the Denver Pastoral Counseling Center  303-741-5588 (Contact Dr. Boos at the above number if confidential counseling services are needed.)  CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION E-mail	Linda L. Olsen Minister of Parish Education E-Mail
Margaret Hinchey Minister of Music E-Mail	Micah Steiner Minister to Youth and Their Families E-Mail	Mary Fox Ministry Assistant - Youth E-Mail	Alison Cejka Preschool Director 303-779-4910 E-Mail

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FROM REV. DR. WERNER BOOS, OUR FATHER ASSOCIATE PASTOR:

PASTORAL COUNSELING: A MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH

I'm often asked if pastoral (past-o-rel) counseling consists of me counseling pastors, other Christian leaders, and their families. I answer, "At times it does, but the ministry of pastoral counseling is bigger and much more diverse than that." How so?

Pastoral counseling takes its cue as a ministry of the church from the four traditional "shepherd-functions" which help to support, heal, guide, and reconcile people. Pastoral counseling builds upon these approaches to person-care and adds a professional setting, specific appointment times, and appropriate fees-for-services. Pastoral counseling/psychotherapy takes place between a person, a couple, a family or larger group AND a well-trained pastoral care provider. The latter typically has advanced credentials in a mental health discipline (psychology, social work, marriage and family therapy, psychiatric nursing, etc.), and extensive experience in theology, religious community, or spirituality. In other words, pastoral counseling in a formal way brings together the insights of the behavioral sciences and the wisdom/values of spiritual traditions in order to make faith and love relevant to human need. Pastoral counseling is psychotherapy PLUS faith resources to promote the health and wholeness of persons, couples, families, and systems.

The setting in which pastoral therapy takes place run the gamut from private office and business buildings, to hospitals and church structures. The various counseling approaches used may include developmental ego psychologists, cognitive-behavioral interventions, family systems theories, solution-focused/problem solving strategies, psychosynthesis, body therapies, and many blends of the above.

Pastoral therapists can be ordained ministers, persons from a religious order, lay ministers, or trained laypersons from one of the 95 denominations or faith-groups that make-up the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC). The therapists at our agency, Pastoral Counseling for Denver, represent Lutheran, Methodist, American Baptist, Presbyterian, Reformed, Nazarene, and Eastern Orthodox traditions. Nevertheless, the clients whom we counsel teach us about their faith concerns/commitments; then we together shape the therapy with those realities and resources at the very heart of things. We respect the faith stance of our clients, and then help them to actualize its power.

If you have any questions about pastoral counseling, please don't hesitate to call me at the main office (303-741-5588 x 11), located at 9185 E. Kenyon Avenue, Suite #120, Denver, Colorado 80231. My staff and I are eager to serve both members and friends of the congregation at eight different locations in the metro Denver area, including my office downstairs, right here at Our Father.

Love,

Pastor Werner

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