The Contemplative Counselor: A Way of Being

"In The Contemplative Counselor, Rolf Nolasco has brought together three worlds that are rarely conjoined in the counseling profession the clinical practice of counseling, of course, a deep appreciation and integral use of the contemplative traditions in Christianity, and an edgy social commentary on our society. Moreover, he has a sure grasp of the relevant theoretical materials and yet is able to integrate these fields in terms of the intimacy of his own personal experience. Christian counselors and pastors can find in this book a seed-bed of ideas with which to nourish their own further contemplative integration and professional lives. This book is far better than a treatise on what constitutes `Christian counseling.' It is an exhibition of it."---Robert Cummings Neville Professor of Philosophy, Religion, and Theology and Dean Emeritus of the School of Theology, Boston University

"A contemplative way of being lays a foundation for healing in any approach to counseling. Whether you are a student of counseling or a counselor wearied by the pressures of clinical work, Nolasco's examination of the Christian tradition's resources for contemplation offers a way toward the holy human relatedness that motivates most of us who offer care for those who suffer. Descriptions of using contemplation with individuals in troubled relationships and also with survivors of the Rwandan genocide remind us that contemplation's value is personal but also relational and political."---Kathleen J. Greider Professor of Practical Theology, Spiritual Care, and Counseling Claremont Graduate University

Rolf R. Nolasco Jr. is Associate Professor in the Department of Counseling Psychology at Providence Theological Seminary, Calgary, Alberta.