Pamela D. Couture

Building the Resilient Community

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“Jan Holton's stunning pastoral theological study of resilience among the Lost Boys of Sudan shows what the church and the world can learn from indigenous models of care such as those enacted by the Lost Boys . . . Clearly written, thoroughly researched, and forcefully argued, Holton's work will directly benefit those working in refugee and internally displaced populations, in their countries of origin and in their places of sanctuary, including physicians, nurses, psychologists, non-governmental organizations, and faith communities. Beyond those audiences, it reminds all caring communities to tune themselves to unexpected ways of healing within their midst.”

Empathic Communities

“In this book Johanna Selles links two often detached ideas--empathy and justice--by showing how empathy serves the purpose of justice in the helping professions. Scholarly and well-grounded in the literature, Selles has nevertheless presented her argument in a fresh and clear writing style, making it accessible for the students and teachers who are its audience. Selles shows how complex and varied the treatment of 'empathy' is--and therefore how difficult it is to teach.”

The End of Hope--The Beginning

Counseling, Grief & Mental Health

“"Pamela R. McCarroll’s creative analysis of the highly complex notion of hope invites spiritual care providers and others to wade into the conversation. McCarroll takes seriously the crisis of hope that occurs when we encounter tragedy, grief, and other endings. She shows how hope takes new and unexpected forms: the refusal to give up, the despondency in letting go, the insistence to keep on living, the courage to be vulnerable and angry, and more. The often surprising resilience of the human spirit comes alive in these pages. Each person will recognize her or himself at points in these narratives of hope." —Tracy J. Trothen Queen’s University “Pamela R. McCarroll’s central metaphor, 'waiting at the foot of the cross,' jumps off the page and comes to life—that is exactly what chaplains, supervisors, and ministers do when they engage in care with sufferers. Her theological case studies represent one of the best examples in print of an inductive method—the one that chaplains, supervisors, students, and parish ministers actually use in practice. While we have many good books demonstrating the theory of pastoral care and using examples and vignettes in an illustrative manner, we have few that so directly demonstrate pastoral theological method while teaching students method and content of theology that will serve them in their pastoral care-oriented work.””