The Art of Pastoral Counseling – Re-finding Enchantment at the Intersection of Science and Spirit Across Faith Traditions - Panel Discussion
Moderator-
Alan Astrow, M.D. ,New York Methodist Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine
Panelists-
Michelle Friedman, M.D., Director of Pastoral Counseling, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School
Asma Mobin-Uddin, M.D., FAAP, Ohio State University Center for Bioethics
John Graham, M.D., DMin., President and CEO, Institute for Spirituality and Health
How do persons in roles of spiritual authority understand and fulfill their vocations? While clergy and medical caregivers are people others look to for spiritual wisdom and guidance, they rarely receive adequate training for this role.
The goal of this interfaith panel is to understand how religious leaders from different faith traditions may approach the cases below and to look at how to best train religious leaders who are vested with this power. How do seminaries of different faith traditions approach pastoral counseling? How do medical and nursing schools train their students to provide care and guidance to patients in profound spiritual need? Patients and congregants often project intense feelings on to religious leaders. In turn, vibrant pastoral counseling evokes powerful feelings in clergy as well, sometimes resulting in boundary crossings and even violations. Clergy need to know how to process their own emotions and to do appropriate self-care. These issues are relevant to clergy of all faith traditions as well as physicians, nurses and other health care providers.
Dr. Friedman, a psychiatrist, educates orthodox rabbis to be competent pastoral counselors. Her work integrates psychodynamic principles of active compassionate non-judgmental listening with Jewish tradition. She parses topics such as comparing psychotherapy with pastoral counseling and boundaries and borders.
Dr. Mobin-Uddin is a pediatrician and clinical bioethicist. She addresses the complex needs of patients and families from all faith traditions as part of her work doing hospital-based clinical ethics consults. She is also often called upon to advise Muslim patients and families with regards to medical decisions influenced by their Islamic faith.
Dr. John Graham is a physician and a priest. For the last seven years he has served as President and CEO of the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center, in Houston.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The following cases will be discussed by the panelists with emphasis on their respective faith traditions:
Case #1: Responding to an unusual request
A recently married couple in their late thirties learn that they are infertile. Their reproductive physician tells them that an egg donor would be a good option, but that there is a shortage of eggs. The physician suggests they approach their pastor/religious advisor (who she knows is also a chaplain at the local university) to ask for help to achieve their dream as he is acquainted with many female undergraduate and graduate students, The physician hopes that the pastor/religious advisor would inquire if some of these young women might consider egg donation. The physician assumes that the pastor/religious advisor will be especially motivated to help because he supports the couple’s wish to have a family, a strong value in their faith tradition.
Case #2: Sudden tragedy in the family
Adam Abraham, 39, a dentist, his wife Susan, 37, a fourth grade teacher in the local school, and their two children, Zachary and Sarah, ages ten and four, regularly attend a local house of worship.
Three days ago, while Adam and Susan were driving home from celebrating their anniversary, a drunk driver ran into their car. Susan was critically injured. Adam, who was at the wheel, suffered minor bruises. The religious leader from their house of worship came to the emergency room as soon as he/she heard about the accident and has been absorbed with the tragedy since. Last night, the religious leader was asked by the transplant team to advise on organ donation in case Susan did not survive. She died early the next morning.
Although Adam and Susan created a will when their first child was born, they do not have documents designating advance care directives or health care proxy. Despite the religious leader’s counsel supporting the choice of donation, Adam could not bring himself to allow the transplant team to harvest her organs.
The funeral is in a few hours. The religious leader comes over to Adam’s house to talk through the upcoming events. Adam is distraught. He asks the religious leader if he made a mistake about the organ donation and whether or not he should bring the kids to the funeral. Adam says that he can’t imagine getting through the next week, let alone the rest of his life.
Alan Astrow, M.D. ,New York Methodist Hospital/Weill Cornell Medicine
Panelists-
Michelle Friedman, M.D., Director of Pastoral Counseling, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School
Asma Mobin-Uddin, M.D., FAAP, Ohio State University Center for Bioethics
John Graham, M.D., DMin., President and CEO, Institute for Spirituality and Health
How do persons in roles of spiritual authority understand and fulfill their vocations? While clergy and medical caregivers are people others look to for spiritual wisdom and guidance, they rarely receive adequate training for this role.
The goal of this interfaith panel is to understand how religious leaders from different faith traditions may approach the cases below and to look at how to best train religious leaders who are vested with this power. How do seminaries of different faith traditions approach pastoral counseling? How do medical and nursing schools train their students to provide care and guidance to patients in profound spiritual need? Patients and congregants often project intense feelings on to religious leaders. In turn, vibrant pastoral counseling evokes powerful feelings in clergy as well, sometimes resulting in boundary crossings and even violations. Clergy need to know how to process their own emotions and to do appropriate self-care. These issues are relevant to clergy of all faith traditions as well as physicians, nurses and other health care providers.
Dr. Friedman, a psychiatrist, educates orthodox rabbis to be competent pastoral counselors. Her work integrates psychodynamic principles of active compassionate non-judgmental listening with Jewish tradition. She parses topics such as comparing psychotherapy with pastoral counseling and boundaries and borders.
Dr. Mobin-Uddin is a pediatrician and clinical bioethicist. She addresses the complex needs of patients and families from all faith traditions as part of her work doing hospital-based clinical ethics consults. She is also often called upon to advise Muslim patients and families with regards to medical decisions influenced by their Islamic faith.
Dr. John Graham is a physician and a priest. For the last seven years he has served as President and CEO of the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center, in Houston.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The following cases will be discussed by the panelists with emphasis on their respective faith traditions:
Case #1: Responding to an unusual request
A recently married couple in their late thirties learn that they are infertile. Their reproductive physician tells them that an egg donor would be a good option, but that there is a shortage of eggs. The physician suggests they approach their pastor/religious advisor (who she knows is also a chaplain at the local university) to ask for help to achieve their dream as he is acquainted with many female undergraduate and graduate students, The physician hopes that the pastor/religious advisor would inquire if some of these young women might consider egg donation. The physician assumes that the pastor/religious advisor will be especially motivated to help because he supports the couple’s wish to have a family, a strong value in their faith tradition.
Case #2: Sudden tragedy in the family
Adam Abraham, 39, a dentist, his wife Susan, 37, a fourth grade teacher in the local school, and their two children, Zachary and Sarah, ages ten and four, regularly attend a local house of worship.
Three days ago, while Adam and Susan were driving home from celebrating their anniversary, a drunk driver ran into their car. Susan was critically injured. Adam, who was at the wheel, suffered minor bruises. The religious leader from their house of worship came to the emergency room as soon as he/she heard about the accident and has been absorbed with the tragedy since. Last night, the religious leader was asked by the transplant team to advise on organ donation in case Susan did not survive. She died early the next morning.
Although Adam and Susan created a will when their first child was born, they do not have documents designating advance care directives or health care proxy. Despite the religious leader’s counsel supporting the choice of donation, Adam could not bring himself to allow the transplant team to harvest her organs.
The funeral is in a few hours. The religious leader comes over to Adam’s house to talk through the upcoming events. Adam is distraught. He asks the religious leader if he made a mistake about the organ donation and whether or not he should bring the kids to the funeral. Adam says that he can’t imagine getting through the next week, let alone the rest of his life.