Resources

Feed Your Wolf: Owning your Shadow in Ministry

Throughout our personal and vocational formation, we are shaped into a community of selves comprising the idealised (public persona) me and the hidden or secret (shadow) me. This paper invites you on a journey towards integration of these often disparate selves. We propose that the pathway to wholeness is by naming, owning, taming, and then appropriately feeding our shadow.

Ministry Burnout Factsheet

Ministry burnout describes the condition of clergy who have exhausted the reserves of the emotional energy they normally draw on to do the work of ministry. They have given all they have in serving God until they find there is nothing left in the bank. It has been described as a declaration of emotional bankruptcy…

Counselling For Pastors

It is not unusual to hear a minister talking about their counselling load. What that usually means is that the pastor is spending time with individuals and/or couples discussing issues or problems in their lives and helping them to select Biblically-oriented ways to improve their life situations…

Feed Your Wolf: Owning Your Helping Professional Shadow

In Jungian psychology, the shadow is a part of the unconscious mind. It consists of shortcomings, repressed weaknesses and instincts, as well as our strengths, and is a term used to describe the ‘dark [hidden] aspects of the personality’ - both the unknown and the harmful (Jung, 1959). While counsellors often consider dark side schema in working with clients, there is a rich yet relatively underdeveloped exploration of the concept within professional caregivers themselves. This paper will explore the development of the shadow in the persona, role and profession of the therapist. The goal of this journey is the integration, not condemnation, of the therapist’s hidden side, and a gentle encounter with the shadow.

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Towards Better Mental Health

Don’t most people worry and have blue days? What then is the difference between a person who is worry-prone and an anxiety condition? How do we distinguish between a person who is very negative, or is having a few down days, and a depressive illness? The simplest answer is that if the worry or sadness is at a point where it interferes with or disrupts everyday functioning in a person’s life – then that points towards a mental health issue.

Growing Healthy Relationships

Loving our loved ones better is reminiscent of something that has often been said - that our deepest needs are to know and be known, and to love and be loved. If that is so, understanding ourselves and developing relationship microskills has to be a priority. As risky as loving is, not learning to love others may be the height of risky behaviour! This handout seeks to explore these two issues of knowing and loving.