What This Document Is
This is a student assignment – a “First Meaning Making Forum” – completed for PACO 500, Introduction to Pastoral Counseling at Liberty University. It details a student’s initial approach to a counseling case involving a client (“Bruce”) grappling with grief and family dynamics following a tragic loss. The assignment focuses on the initial phase of counseling, rapport building, and the application of theoretical concepts to a real-world scenario.
Why This Document Matters
This assignment is intended for Dr. Ron Hughes as partial fulfillment of the course requirements. It demonstrates the student’s ability to begin applying pastoral counseling principles, including understanding client presentation, establishing a guiding purpose for sessions, and integrating faith-based perspectives with counseling techniques. It’s a formative assessment of early counseling skills.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This document represents a *starting point* in the counseling process. It outlines initial impressions and a proposed plan, but does not reflect the full arc of counseling or detailed session transcripts. It is a student work and should be viewed as such.
What This Document Provides
The full document includes: a case overview of the client, Bruce; a guiding purpose statement for a series of five counseling sessions; a reflection on the student’s DISC assessment and its relevance to the client relationship; an exploration of the concept of “outrageousness” in grief; a marker for assessing client progress; and references to relevant course readings and resources. This preview does *not* include the full session plans, detailed analysis of the client’s emotional state, or a comprehensive evaluation of the counseling process.
