Clinical Pastoral Supervision and the Theology of Charles Gerkin

Glossary of Key Terms

Glossary of Key Terms Analogical is based on David Tracy's use of the term in The Analogical Imagina­ tion: Christian Theology and the Culture of Pluralism. Analogical refers to the similarities and differences between two interpretations. Usually, one interpretation is from theology and the other interpretation is from a non­theological source. The two interpretations are analogical when there are both similarities and differences between them. Applied theology is the process where theology is developed from Scripture and/or Tradition and then applied to the pastoral situation. This is a theory/praxis method­ ology that is different from the practical theology utilized in this book. Christian Fact refers to Scripture, Tradition, creeds, theologians and their theolo­ gies, sacraments, worship, denominational structures and teachings, administrative policies, Magisterium, lives of the saints, historic events, spiritual books, official prayers, etc., within Christianity. Christian fact is borrowed from David Tracy and is a short form to include all that is encompassed by Christianity. Clinical method developed in medicine. Clinical comes from the Greek "kline" meaning by the bedside. In medicine, clinical refers to doctors in training moving from examining medical theory in the abstract to seeing it manifested in a particular patient. Clinical method focuses on what the practitioner needs to do in this specific moment. Skill development and feedback are important elements of the clinical method. Clinical pastoral supervision developed from two sources: pastoral supervision, which has been part of the tradition of the church since its beginning, and clinical supervision, developed by the professional disciplines outside of theology in the last hundred years. Clinical pastoral supervision evolved into the Clinical Pastoral Edu­ cation (CPE) movement as it drew on both these sources. Supervision involves oversight of a student's work from the Latin super, meaning over, and videre, meaning to see. Clinical pastoral supervision focuses on the clinical training of su­ pervisees from a theological standpoint. It most often takes place in an institutional setting and/or pastoral counselling centre. Clinical supervision is the training that takes place in the professions outside of theology. Clinical supervision focuses on skills and theory in dealing with the con­ crete person in a real situation. Clinical supervision is one of the important ways that a person is socialized into theprofession. Dialectical refers to interpretations that are mostly different. When interpretations are different, there is usually tension and challenge and little or no similarity be­ tween the horizons of meaning in which the interpretations are embedded. An exam­ ple from Gerkin of dialectical is the tension between power and powerlessness. 103 104 Clinical Pastoral Supervision Fusion of horizons describes the process of interpretation and interaction that takes place between text and interpreter. This concept was developed by Georg­Hans Gadamer. Gerkin uses this idea to understand and explain the process between pas­ toral caregiver and care receiver. The fusion of horizons can be identical, analogical or dialectical. Hermeneutical approach describes certain texts in clinical pastoral supervision. These texts number 98 out of 298, or 34 percent. As such, they interpret supervision using theological concepts and language. Most often, these texts use interpretations from the social sciences but there are both similarities and differences between the theological concepts and those from the social sciences. Hermeneutical circle is the interpretative process. This process involves an inter­ action between interpreter and text or situation. In this dissertation, Gerkin utilizes Ricoeur's understanding/explanation/understanding as well as Gadamer's fusion of horizons in interpreting pastoral praxis. The goal of the hermeneutical circle is to transform praxis. Horizon is the standpoint of a particular person or text. Horizon is a term borrowed from Gadamer and refers to the meaning of a text and/or person. A text is embued with meaning and values and the interpreter also has a horizon of meaning that he/she brings to the text. One's horizon, or meanings, is often described in narrative forms. Identical means similarity. Identical is one outcome of the fusion of horizons where the two horizons that meet are very similar, with little difference. Mystery is drawn from the work of Karl Rahner. It underlines that to every case or praxis there is always more to be understood or explained. No one interpretation or series of interpretations grasps the full nature of what is going on in the situation. This more manifests God's Incomprehensibilityand Uncontrollability. Every living human document demonstrates aspects of God's mystery. Narrative is a means that humans utilize to make sense of experience. Narrative...