Can SFBT and Narrative Therapy Transform Ministry?

Can SFBT and Narrative Therapy Transform Ministry?

Pastoral Counseling: A Short-Term Approach
Dr. William Roozeboom – Fuller Theological Seminary
Pr. Lijo George, D.Min | Section C, Fall 2023

1) How Am I Different Now as a Pastoral Caregiver?

Before this course, I viewed pastoral counseling as mostly problem-centered: listening deeply, offering support, and helping people heal over time. But that changed. Through learning about Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and narrative therapy, my understanding shifted. I began to see the power of helping people imagine their preferred futurerather than dwell on their pain. It was like someone handed me a new set of tools—lighter, sharper, and made for action.

One book that stood out was Charles Kollar’s Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling. It didn’t just offer ideas—it reshaped my approach. I learned to ask better questions:
What’s already working? When was the problem not happening? What small step could move someone forward?

SFBT taught me to help people build on their strengths. And the more I read, the more I grew:

• From Fredrike Bannink’s 1001 Solution-Focused Questions, I learned to use language that unlocks possibility.

• Jeffrey Guterman’s book helped me communicate more clearly and compassionately.

• And Thorana Nelson and Frank Thomas’s handbook showed me how SFBT can work in diverse situations, with different people, and real problems.

At the same time, narrative therapy introduced me to the idea that stories shape our lives. Michael White and David Epston helped me understand that if we can help people tell a different story, we help them live a different life. They aren’t broken—they’re just stuck in a story that needs rewriting.

Books like Narrative Therapy in Practice and The Archaeology of Hope grounded this approach in real, everyday ministry.

Finally, feminist and womanist perspectives opened my eyes to the need for inclusive care. Nancy Gorsuch, Bonnie Miller-McLemore, and others helped me realize that pastoral counseling must not only be compassionate—it must be just, inclusive, and aware of power, gender, and culture.

2) How Has My Practice Shifted?

Since taking this course, my counseling style has become lighter and more forward-facing. I don’t only ask, What’s wrong?—I ask, What’s next? I sit with people in pain, yes, but I also gently invite them to dream again.

Books like De Jong & Berg’s Interviewing for Solutions, and de Shazer’s More Than Miracles, gave me the confidence to apply this practically. I now use SFBT questions that help clients find hope, build goals, and move forward—often in just a few sessions.

And the narrative therapy lens reminds me: everyone has more than one story. My role is to help them rediscover the one where they are strong, brave, and capable of healing.

3) How Has My Ministry Shifted Overall?

My ministry is more inclusive now—more sensitive to culture, gender, and trauma. Feminist theology helped me rethink how I offer care and to whom I offer it. Nancy Gorsuch’s writing, especially, made me examine blind spots in my caregiving.

Books like Justice Matters reminded me how crises—like the COVID-19 pandemic—change the way people experience God, grief, and hope. As a result, my approach to pastoral care has become more adaptive. I no longer assume everyone needs the same kind of help. I listen more deeply to context.

4) What Are My Strengths as a Pastoral Caregiver?

If I’ve developed any strength, it’s this: I hold space well. People feel safe to tell me their stories. I listen deeply and ask questions that help them uncover their own strength.

Books like John Patton’s Pastoral Care affirmed this gift. But the integration of narrative and SFBT has taken it further—I now help people reimagine their stories and discover their next steps.

5) Where Do I Still Need to Grow?

Despite all I’ve learned, there’s still so much room for growth—especially when it comes to cultural competence. The course gave me a foundation, but I know this is lifelong work.

Also, grief. It’s messy, complex, and doesn’t fit neatly into any brief counseling model. Melissa Kelley’s Grief: Contemporary Theory and the Practice of Ministry helped me see the depth of this pain—and reminded me that sometimes, presence is more important than progress.

6) What Questions Still Linger?

The digital age raises new questions for me. How do we offer real spiritual care through a screen? Can we maintain sacred connection online?

Books like Justice Matters and Technotherapy pushed me to think beyond traditional methods. I explored practical resources like Jane Evans’s Online Counselling Skills, and read broadly—including market research and psychoanalytic reflections on the digital world.

These voices reminded me: ministry must evolve. The Spirit moves in virtual spaces too.

Final Reflection

This course changed me. Not by replacing who I am, but by refining how I serve. Through SFBT, narrative therapy, and feminist pastoral care, I’ve learned to walk alongside people not only as a listener, but as a collaborator in hope.

And perhaps that’s the real transformation—not just in how I counsel, but in how I imagine ministry itself.