Hope in Pastoral Care and Counseling

by Andrew D. Lester

In this ground-breaking book, pastoral counselor Andrew Lester demonstrates that pastoral theology (as well as social and behavioral sciences) has neglected to address effectively the predominant cause of human suffering: a lack of hope, a sense of futurelessness. Lester not only looks at the reasons why addressing the ideas of hope and despair has been overlooked by pastoral theology and other social and behavioral sciences. He also offers a starting point for the development of addressing these important dimensions of human life. He provides clinical theories and methods for pastoral assessment of and intervention with those who despair. He also puts forth strategies for assessing the future stories of those who despair and offers a corrective to these stories through deconstruction, reframing, and reconstruction.

Genres: Counselling, Theology, Religion, Psychology

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

Reviews

[Starla Gooch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I seriously love this book. It’s now one of my favorites in pastoral care and counseling. I read a few chapters of this three years ago and found it really illuminating for areas of my life in which I was struggling at the time. Reading it again, this time cover to cover, I again experienced new insights and ways to process and make sense of my current anxieties and struggles. This is a book I want to keep revisiting in the future and use while providing spiritual care. It’s relatively brief and often redundant (like any good academic book tends to be), and I love it all the same. Highly recommend! This will end up on my future syllabi when I teach.

[Rick Lee Lee James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reframing tool

Without hope we turn to despair and just give up. A hopeful future is one that is full of possibility and this book is an excellent tool for caregivers trying to help patients and congregations reframe their despair to rediscover hope.

[Rev. Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Course Text for Pastoral Experiences of Aging class at Brite Divinity: In this ground-breaking book, pastoral counselor Andrew Lester demonstrates that pastoral theology (as well as social and behavioral sciences) has neglected to address effectively the predominant cause of human suffering: a lack of hope, a sense of futurelessness. Lester not only looks at the reasons why addressing the ideas of hope and despair has been overlooked by pastoral theology and other social and behavioral sciences. He also offers a starting point for the development of addressing these important dimensions of human life. He provides clinical theories and methods for pastoral assessment of and intervention with those who despair. He also puts forth strategies for assessing the future stories of those who despair and offers a corrective to these stories through deconstruction, reframing, and reconstruction.