The following is a guide to help my students in the class I teach on Pastoral Care and Counseling to write a Verbatim (theological reflection paper on a student-pastoral counseling case).
DEFINITION
The Pastoral Care Verbatim is a document that chronicles the context of a ministry event—self, parishioner, presenting issues, dialogue—and contains the theological reflection of the minister as an after-action report.
The Report follows a pattern of Readiness, Recording, and Reflecting. The Readiness stage of pastoral care verbatim invites the minister to record preparations for the pastoral care encounter. This includes Scripture, prayer, and any background information pertinent to the visit.
The Recording stage involves the dialogue documentation. This phase of the report involves the recall of the dialogue verbatim. The speaker is identified as P for parishioners, C for clergy, and O for others (e.g., a nurse or aid comes into the room). The dialogue may be limited to entrance and dismissal or a sample from the movements of a pastoral event (entrance, Word, Table [or Response, remembering the ministry of Jesus Christ and, thereby, renewing our awareness of the presence of Christ], and Dismissal).
Begin with a self-assessment: your identity as a gospel minister, your awareness of your source of strength and the source of healing that you draw from for the person God has brought to you, and your attitude towards the person.
The dialogue may be limited to entrance and dismissal or a sample from the movements of a pastoral event (entrance, Word, Table [or Response, remembering the ministry of Jesus Christ and, thereby, renewing our awareness of the presence of Christ], and Dismissal).
Prepare for the Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Think through the Gospel-centered counseling ministry model of creation, fall, and redemption. Use differential counseling to refer as appropriate.
The Pastoral Care Verbatim is written as soon as possible after the experience. It will be seen only by yourself and me.
SELF-REFLECTION
How has my call prepared me for this ministry? What are my limitations? How is my prayer life today with the Lord? Am I coming into the presence of this lamb of the Lord fully prepared through prayer and communion with the Holy Spirit? Do I see this person as one who is made in the image of God? Do I understand my role as an ambassador of God seeking to offer redemption in His name? Am I bearing the emblems of Christ Jesus in my identity as a minister of the Gospel? Is the Lord Jesus my first and only real identity and source of healing? Have I prayed? Am I seeking Biblical metaphors, Gospel, and cross-centered ministry patterns as I approach this person?
ASSESSMENT, DIAGNOSIS
Did I greet the person in a way that made them feel welcome? Are the surroundings safe for this person with me? How do I feel about this space? Is it adequate for the ministry before us today? Did I begin by reminding the person of my role as pastor (not a psychologist or other mental health professional) if they didn’t know me? I am an ordained minister and provide Biblical counseling according to my faith and training as a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Did I ask if she wanted to proceed with that kind of counseling? Did we pray? Was my prayer seeking the Lord’s presence and His power?
In ASSESSMENT, did I model Christ’s ministry of looking and loving the whole person? Did I observe sensate signs during our initial moments together and verbal signals that might alert me to issues requiring immediate care? If so, did the needed care require professional attention (e.g., medical) beyond my credentials? Did I care for the counselee by urging such immediate care? What else did I notice in the assessment? What did I miss in the assessment?
How did the counselee describe the presenting issue? How would you restate it?
How did you frame your counseling approach with a Biblical fall scripture? With a Biblical redemption passage? Did the consultation lead you to another passage? Why? How did it work out during the time together?
The Pastoral Care Verbatim is a document that chronicles the context of a ministry event—self, parishioner, presenting issues, dialogue—and contains the theological reflection of the minister as an after-action report.
Creation
Where do I see God’s beauty of creation at work in this life? In this situation? How does God’s beauty still shine through the ashes of pain?
Fall
What presenting issues do I see that may be leading me to genuine issues? How is her relationship with her family? With her church community? With her neighbor?
How does the fall manifest itself in this soul? In these peoples’ lives? How has sin infected this community? Has the cancer of sin metastasized into other areas of this life? If so, into which areas? Have I identified the core area of sin? Am I listening well? Am I listening to her soul speak, or just her words? Has another hurt him? Has the wound been infected over time? Has the wound been neglected? Has the wound failed to heal by other means?
TREATMENT
Redemption
Where in the Gospel story does this life, this story before me, present itself? Where can I lead her to see Jesus traveling with her now in the Gospel story? How will prayer best be made manifest to this soul? Now? In the future? In her family? With friends? In a church community? How can the sacraments be used to bring healing to this person? Is he baptized? When did she last receive Communion? Did she tell you about her life of faith in Christ due to experiencing Communion? What devotional books could he be reading to help his life in Christ at the very point of fallenness? At other critical points of weakness? What simple habits of daily prayer would act as highly directed charges of spiritual chemotherapy to begin to shrink numerous sinful growths in personality or behavior?
CONCLUDING
Did I lead into a time of conclusion or get caught off-guard by the time? Did I pray? What words of comfort did I speak? What [rituals did I use that might have brought comfort to them? How did I convey my role as a pastor in healing ways to help speak the redeeming love of Jesus Christ into the woundedness of this situation? How did I conclude? Is there a time for a follow-up? What about his personal worship? Public worship? What about her devotional life? Did I help him establish patterns of spiritual health? Am I helping this person find sustainable spiritual formation for a lifetime following the Lord Jesus Christ?
WRITING THE VERBATIM
Remember that the movements of any pastoral event are the entrance, Word, Table (or Response in remembering the renewing faith in the resurrected Christ), and dismissal.
Frame the ministry event in the stages of a Pastoral Care Verbatim: Readiness, Recording, and Reflecting.
Begin with the Introduction to the “parishioner.” Identify notable traits. Write descriptively and concisely (e.g., “Mrs. Edna Jones is a Caucasian, female, of medium build. She appeared to me to be middle-aged.”). Identify the presenting issues (e.g., “Mrs. Jones is presenting that she and her husband argue every day.”). Record the verbatim this way:
Readiness
I was called by a member of our church who is a neighbor of Mrs. Mary Jones. Mrs. Jones is in a post-retirement stage of life, is widowed, and lives alone. According to a member of our church, Mrs. Jones has enjoyed fine health. Since her husband died, she has been a sporadic church attended, and the lack of fellowship has made an impression on her neighbor, our member. I pull into the hospital clergy parking lot. I leave the car running as I pray. I am drawn to the God who will never leave or forsake us. I read the passage from Hebrews 13:5: Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (NKJV). This will be my text for the visit. I walked through the movements of a visit in my mind (entrance, Word, Table or Response, and Dismissal). I will shape the visit around Hebrews 13:5. I sat for just a few moments, focused on the passage, and thanked God for the opportunity to be His ambassador. I left my car and headed up the hill to the hospital. I noticed the dogwoods were in bloom.
Recording
[Minister/Chaplain is “C.” Parishioner is “P.” Patient is “P.” Others, e.g., nurses, are “O” for others. Use a system that makes sense to identify family members or others present during your ministry event.]
Entrance
I greet Mrs. Mary Jones in room 202. She is in pain. I am determined to be careful about my time with her. I prayed, “Lord, help me to be there to encourage her with Your presence. Help me to see when I should depart.”
We talked about Mrs. Smith, our member, and how she and Mrs. Jones have been neighbors for twenty years. We talked about our church. She told me that she is Lutheran but that “I have not been faithful in attendance since my husband, Jim, died.”
Word
[The Recording picks up at Word.]
C1. Mrs. Jones, how has the arguing shaped your spiritual life?
P1. What do you mean? Do you mean my private devotion?
C2. Yes. Your devotional life, your true, inner life with God?
P2: I am farther from God than I have been in many years.
C1: Mrs. Jones, I have a passage I prepared for you in mind. May I read it? It is only one verse.
Table
I did not administer Communion. I did ask her to remember that Christ lived the life we could never live and died a death of atonement for sin. I spoke slowly and softly as I assured her that Christ is with her now. I asked her to remember His promise, “I will never leave you . . .” and asked if I could pray. We prayed and closed with the Lord’s Prayer.
Dismissal
After assuring her that I was here for her if she needed me, I asked if I could lay my hands on her head and pray for her. I pray that Mrs. Jones may be given eyes of faith to discern His presence. I close with a brief benediction. I end with, “Is there anything I can do for you?” I departed as nurses began coming in for medications.
Theological Reflection followed. I recorded my visit and began the process of theological reflection with the Residency Team. I submitted my Verbatim to the learning management system for archiving.
A Word on Writing the Theological Reflection
Theological reflection begins with identifying presenting issues of a ministry event and seeking Biblical understanding and pastoral application. One may also frame the theological reflection on assessment, diagnosis, and treatment: (1) theological issues involved in the treatment; (2) how your initial approach (your choice of Scripture, your approach in the Creation-Fall-Redemption motif) might have been different, if at all, given the interview; (3) self-reflection in the interview (e.g., transference, use of your own spiritual experience of God, insights from your life) and (4) final thoughts and recommendations, strategies, homework assigned, or closing thoughts on the case.