One of the primary reasons I am pursuing clergy leadership is because I love people.  I love being with people – through good times and difficult times. I love asking questions and getting to hear new stories and perspectives and experiences.  I believe people supporting each other and figuring out how to be together in community is a tremendous gift. Clergy leadership is such a privilege because it affords me the ability to be with people in some of their most joyous and most challenging times.  I am awed and humbled when I am allowed to walk beside someone, even for a brief time.

“But Laura,” people say, “you’re a psychologist!  Don’t you get to do this as a psychologist, too?” Of course, the answer is – in part – yes.  As a psychologist, I do get to walk beside folks through challenging decisions, difficult emotional experiences, and life transitions.  I get to ask questions and hear stories from people experiencing so many different ways of being in the world.  

However, there are also key differences between providing support as a clergy person and providing psychological care.  Pastoral care is often short term. Three visits about a particular issue is the general rule, after which a referral to a mental health professional or other resource is generally necessary.  Psychological care is often diagnostic and solution-focused: it often comes with recommendations for behavior change and new ways of acting, thinking, or being. I think about pastoral care as being more about accompanying someone on a particularly difficult piece of a journey.  

And – some things are the same.  As with a mental health professional, information shared with a clergy person is private, unless there are concerns about your safety or the safety of others.  Both clergy and mental health professionals provide a safe place to talk about hard things.  

Some of the real magic that is unique to clergy leadership and unique to communities like WES is the way the members of the community also support each other.  I had the opportunity to meet with some of the Pastoral Care Associates team (the team currently consists of Beth Baker, Shelagh Bocoum, Justine Johnson, Johanna Klein, and Bryan Pashigan) and talk with them about the type of support they offer to the community.  The care this team offers is different than pastoral care offered by a clergy person. The team said so many beautiful things, but they particularly emphasized that they provide practical assistance for things like coordinating rides or organizing meals. They might check-in with a phone call, an email, or meet for coffee if they know things are difficult.  They emphasized that they provide support when the big things happen in life, but can also be a support when you hit a rough patch and are feeling low.

The team emphasized that participating in pastoral care – either formally (by serving on the Pastoral Care Associates team), or informally (e.g. by signing up to cook a meal or offer a ride to a community member in need) – is a valuable way to get connected and meet new people.  I loved seeing the way this team of folks is both committed to serving the WES community and to encouraging members of the community to care for each other. If you are interested in serving on the Pastoral Care Associates team, contact Amanda to learn more.

The holidays can be a wonderful time, and also a challenging, or difficult time, for many people.  If you need a place to go for Thanksgiving or Christmas, let Amanda know! And, if you are willing to have a WES member join you for a holiday meal, let Amanda know that, too.  
I am so glad to be in community with you all.

Warmly,

Laura