Title: Spiritual care and therapy: integrative perspectives. Author: VanKatwyk, Peter L. (Peter Lorens), 1938- Spiritual care and therapy 197 p. Publisher: Waterloo : Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2003

Mitchell, W Lorne

English

Wilfrid Laurier University

ConsensusVolume 30Issue 2 Festechrift: Faith Elizabeth Rohrbough Article 2011-1-2005Spiritual care and therapy: integrative perspectivesW Lorne MitchellFollow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensusThis Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by anauthorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.Recommended CitationMitchell, W Lorne (2005) "Spiritual care and therapy: integrative perspectives ," Consensus: Vol. 30 : Iss. 2 , Article 20.Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss2/20Hughes are to be commended for helping us all be means by whichGod’s grace – better, God’s compassion – becomes real at any time.David Schnasa JacobsenWaterloo Lutheran SeminaryWaterloo, OntarioSpiritual Care and Therapy: Integrative PerspectivesPeter VanKatwykWaterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2003224 pages, $32.95 SoftcoverIn Spiritual Care and Therapy: Integrative Perspectives, PeterVanKatwyk brings together, in a very personal way, 25 years ofexperience in teaching, supervising and research in the field ofpastoral care and counselling. However, much more than just asummary of his life work and insight, this volume invites the reader toexplore the relationships between “care”, “spirituality” and “therapy.”In the introduction, VanKatwyk suggests that there are two goodreasons to move beyond the term “pastoral care.” First, we live in anincreasingly pluralistic world where the Judeo-Christian image ofshepherding is less meaningful. Second, the concepts of “soul” or“spirit” are being used more and more in the field of counseling andpsychotherapy. With this as a starting point, the first section of thebook looks at spirituality and care from a variety of perspectives. Inthe first chapter, VanKatwyk points out that the concept ofconnectedness is the key link between spirituality and caring. How wecare reflects how we feel connected to one another, and spirituality isoften defined as our sense of being connected to all life. Thus spiritualcare is broader in scope than pastoral care. “Spiritual care embracesmultiple spiritualities and bridges diverse theological worlds.” (18)The second section of the book invites the reader to consider “theessentials of caring” as being clustered around the themes, “what toknow,” “what to say,” and “what to be.” Here we are taken on acreative tour of therapeutic models, communication models and theuse-of-self in the therapeutic relationship. Like a play with threestorylines coming together at the end, VanKatwyk brings these threeBook Reviews 143Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005perspectives together and places them in relationship to one anotherin what he calls “The Helping Styles Inventory.” Well known to manysupervisors in pastoral care and counseling, the HSI is an excellenttool for identifying and stretching the kind of helping responses ofthose in clinical training.In part three, a combination of theory and case studies arebrought together to give the reader an opportunity to reflect on caringin a number of different family contexts. The circumplex model ofthe family, life cycle theory, grief theory and spirituality are observedand explored in a number of vignettes including a catastrophic loss inthe author’s own family.The work of Peter VanKatwyk has much in common with otherpastoral theologians of our day, such as a great desire to hold theoryand practice in close proximity to one another. This ensures that theymay continuously inform one another. However, there are someimportant differences which set his approach to spiritual care andcounseling apart from others. For VanKatwyk, there is always a strongdesire to cherish diversity and not be afraid of ambiguity. His work isinfused with the belief that diversity has a paradoxical truth behind it:only by embracing diversity and not being afraid of it will we see thefull magnitude of how incredibly connected we all are. For this reason,his approach to understanding spiritual care and therapy is notsystematic nor does it try to create firm structures of understandingand practice. He prefers to create maps of the territory. VanKatwyk’sapproach is much more dynamic and circular in nature. This alwaysallows for the possibility that two very different parts of the picturemight actually be closely connected if we look at a different map. If agiven moment of need is viewed as a sculpture, VanKatwyk’sapproach to spiritual care and therapy is the act of intentionallymoving into the space of that sculpture and interacting with it from avariety of creative and mutually life giving perspectives. Following in the footsteps of his teacher, Howard Clinebell, PeterVanKatwyk is one of the great teachers of pastoral care and counsellingin our time, and Spiritual Care and Therapy is essential reading for allthose practicing and/or training in the helping professions today.W. Lorne MitchellSt. James Anglican ChurchStratford, Ontario144 Consensushttp://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss2/20

Spiritual care and therapy: integrative perspectives

Scholars Commons

Consensus
Volume 30
Issue 2 Festechrift: Faith Elizabeth Rohrbough Article 20
11-1-2005
Spiritual care and therapy: integrative perspectives
W Lorne Mitchell
Follow this and additional works at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus
This Book Reviews is brought to you for free and open access by Scholars Commons @ Laurier. It has been accepted for inclusion in Consensus by an
authorized editor of Scholars Commons @ Laurier. For more information, please contact scholarscommons@wlu.ca.
Recommended Citation
Mitchell, W Lorne (2005) "Spiritual care and therapy: integrative perspectives ," Consensus: Vol. 30 : Iss. 2 , Article 20.
Available at: http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss2/20
Hughes are to be commended for helping us all be means by which
God’s grace – better, God’s compassion – becomes real at any time.
David Schnasa Jacobsen
Waterloo Lutheran Seminary
Waterloo, Ontario
Spiritual Care and Therapy: Integrative Perspectives
Peter VanKatwyk
Waterloo, ON: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2003
224 pages, $32.95 Softcover
In Spiritual Care and Therapy: Integrative Perspectives, Peter
VanKatwyk brings together, in a very personal way, 25 years of
experience in teaching, supervising and research in the field of
pastoral care and counselling. However, much more than just a
summary of his life work and insight, this volume invites the reader to
explore the relationships between “care”, “spirituality” and “therapy.”
In the introduction, VanKatwyk suggests that there are two good
reasons to move beyond the term “pastoral care.” First, we live in an
increasingly pluralistic world where the Judeo-Christian image of
shepherding is less meaningful. Second, the concepts of “soul” or
“spirit” are being used more and more in the field of counseling and
psychotherapy. With this as a starting point, the first section of the
book looks at spirituality and care from a variety of perspectives. In
the first chapter, VanKatwyk points out that the concept of
connectedness is the key link between spirituality and caring. How we
care reflects how we feel connected to one another, and spirituality is
often defined as our sense of being connected to all life. Thus spiritual
care is broader in scope than pastoral care. “Spiritual care embraces
multiple spiritualities and bridges diverse theological worlds.” (18)
The second section of the book invites the reader to consider “the
essentials of caring” as being clustered around the themes, “what to
know,” “what to say,” and “what to be.” Here we are taken on a
creative tour of therapeutic models, communication models and the
use-of-self in the therapeutic relationship. Like a play with three
storylines coming together at the end, VanKatwyk brings these three
Book Reviews 143
Published by Scholars Commons @ Laurier, 2005
perspectives together and places them in relationship to one another
in what he calls “The Helping Styles Inventory.” Well known to many
supervisors in pastoral care and counseling, the HSI is an excellent
tool for identifying and stretching the kind of helping responses of
those in clinical training.
In part three, a combination of theory and case studies are
brought together to give the reader an opportunity to reflect on caring
in a number of different family contexts. The circumplex model of
the family, life cycle theory, grief theory and spirituality are observed
and explored in a number of vignettes including a catastrophic loss in
the author’s own family.
The work of Peter VanKatwyk has much in common with other
pastoral theologians of our day, such as a great desire to hold theory
and practice in close proximity to one another. This ensures that they
may continuously inform one another. However, there are some
important differences which set his approach to spiritual care and
counseling apart from others. For VanKatwyk, there is always a strong
desire to cherish diversity and not be afraid of ambiguity. His work is
infused with the belief that diversity has a paradoxical truth behind it:
only by embracing diversity and not being afraid of it will we see the
full magnitude of how incredibly connected we all are. For this reason,
his approach to understanding spiritual care and therapy is not
systematic nor does it try to create firm structures of understanding
and practice. He prefers to create maps of the territory. VanKatwyk’s
approach is much more dynamic and circular in nature. This always
allows for the possibility that two very different parts of the picture
might actually be closely connected if we look at a different map. If a
given moment of need is viewed as a sculpture, VanKatwyk’s
approach to spiritual care and therapy is the act of intentionally
moving into the space of that sculpture and interacting with it from a
variety of creative and mutually life giving perspectives. 
Following in the footsteps of his teacher, Howard Clinebell, Peter
VanKatwyk is one of the great teachers of pastoral care and counselling
in our time, and Spiritual Care and Therapy is essential reading for all
those practicing and/or training in the helping professions today.
W. Lorne Mitchell
St. James Anglican Church
Stratford, Ontario
144 Consensus
http://scholars.wlu.ca/consensus/vol30/iss2/20


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