Pastoral Counseling Reflection Paper
University

Abstract This paper shares a reflection of my pastoral counseling experiences. My experiences have been while serving overseas as a M, along with my time serving at Church as the Assiocate Pastor. In this paper I will share past events and what I have learned from them when it comes to counseling. I will share what I have learned through reading the assignment required by PACO 500 and how it has changed the way I view my past experiences with counseling.
CONTENTS
Abstract 2
Life Experiences Changed My Future 4
The Changes 4
Conclusion 7
References 9
Rubric 10

After returning home from the mission field and going on staff at a Church, it wasn’t long before I
In Petersen’s (2007) Why Don’t We Listen Better? Rev. Dr. Petersen shares one of the things he has learned. He states, “I have leaned the value of communication balancing: listen awhile, talk until the other person stops hearing, and listen until the person calms enough to hear again.” (p. 5). While I was meeting with these different families, I realized I did not have a balance in my listening skills. I would battle with the feeling of wanting to interject my thoughts or opinions. Petersen’s (2007) statement “real listening gets us inside each other and there seems to be something in such human connection that touches and changes us.” (p. 7) This statement taught me that if I want to follow my heart’s desire to truly help people, I must become a better listener. Looking back on my time when I went through counseling in France, I realize the counselors had a great amount of balance in their sessions. Reflecting upon my life experiences with counseling sessions, I am excited to learn how to be a better listener and how to ask the right questions to show I care.
One of the things I am expecting out of this class is to learn how to effectively use the Solution – Focused Counseling taught in the first edition of Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling: An Effective Short-Term Approach of Getting People Back