Priesthood and therapy – the perspective of pastoral counselling

Modern man is experiencing numerous conflicts and problems. In the search for solutions to their difficulties, people turn to faith and the related pastoral care, or to the psychology and the ensuing different interpretations of psychotherapy. Can these two directions of human inquiry be connected? Is it possible to carry out pastoral care through therapy or therapy through pastoral care? The article tackles the issue of pastoral counselling, which appears to constitute such an intermediate solution. Thus, at the beginning of the research the understanding of the concepts of pastoral care, psychotherapy and pastoral counselling were clarified. Then, the article describes the relationship between these concepts and notes the importance of complementary distinctiveness (the author's term) in the functioning of pastoral counselling. What was discussed at the end were practical ways to update the rules of complementary distinctiveness in pastoral counselling.