Cameroon Bible Institute

BOUNDARIES IN PASTORAL COUNSELING – Four common boundary issues

Ministry practice is a sacred trust. Congregants and persons needing pastoral counseling seek out the experience of the divine as a pathway for healing, whether the brokenness is of the spirit or of the flesh, or whether it has its roots in the cruelest experiences of life. When a person enters a church or a church-related environment and seeks direct help from and relationship with a pastor, in a very visceral way, God has been called into the conversation, too, and for some of the most broken persons, the minister’s words and God’s words become one and the same. And so it is a sacred trust that is being placed in a pastor who counsels, preaches and leads a congregation of people seeking to understand God’s will for their lives. Thus as a counselor, maintaining healthy boundaries becomes necessary in any relationship between the counselors and the counselees.
Boundaries in counseling defines the therapeutic-fiduciary relationships or what has been referred to as the “therapeutic frame.”
Boundaries clarifies how to distinguish between healthy counselor-counselee relationships and ones which have become abusive. A good approach to pastoral counseling focuses on taking care of ourselves and those we minister to. Below are some common boundaries that have been put in place for a healthy counseling relationships

multiple role relationships
power dynamics
sexual and gender boundaries
content of discussion
counselee vulnerability
spiritual protection