Clergy, Counseling by

Licensed and Unlicensed Clergy

Unlicensed clergy may have had some experience or have received a certification but have not completed a program that includes well-rounded training and experience and ongoing oversight of their work. Licensed clergy have completed a comprehensive, ongoing program but not a degree program at a seminary, which may have included specialty classes in counseling and clinical pastoral education (CPE); they are normally required to be in a program of ongoing supervision of their work. Many local clergy are not equipped to provided trauma counseling and refer to those who are more prepared, but they may work as part of a team. If included in the treatment team, licensed clergy can be highly effective in monitoring appropriateness and effectiveness of treatment within the community and family since they are usually in regular contact with the person and welcomed into the home.

Ordained Clergy

Clergy who have completed a ministry degree from an accredited school have completed a graduate-level program of over 80 hours, including a minimum of 6 credit hours of counseling and pastoral care. Within this program, many clergy choose to go through clinical professional education (CPE) in a hospital setting or seek a specialty of 15 hours or more in courses related to trauma and counseling. At this level, a clergyperson should not call himself or herself a “counselor” but rather a pastoral caregiver. In many states, the term counselor is reserved for those who have taken and passed state certification and received a license in a specialty such as marriage and family therapy or drug and alcohol abuse counseling.

Clergy who choose to add specialties in chaplaincy normally have significant experience in situations such as car accidents, HIV or AIDS, rape and abductions, domestic violence, postwar trauma, shootings, and other traumatic events. Often, they will have worked with persons of diverse cultures, ethnicities, religions, sexual identities, ages, and languages. Chaplains may come from many religions and may go through their chaplaincy training in military as well as hospital settings, though hospital settings are the most common. Chaplains also serve in emergency services and school settings, but these are seldom used for the supervised training. Clergy who are working or who have worked in chaplaincy settings may also be found in the local community of faith and available to help in case of need. Accredited CPE programs issue credits based on hours of classroom training and clinical experience under supervision, with the titles of intern and resident given to the first two levels.

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