Griffith E E, Young J L
Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06519.
Bull Am Acad Psychiatry Law. 1987;15(3):257-65.
The discipline of pastoral counseling has developed to the point at which malpractice claims against pastoral counselors are a reality. The need for forensic psychiatrists to participate in such suits is likely to increase. In this article, we review the recent California case of Nally v. Grace Community Church. Kenneth Nally committed suicide while under the care of clergy. His parents claimed that the pastoral counselors negligently counseled their son and that this counseling led to his death. This case will serve as a point of departure for reviewing the developments and evolution of pastoral counseling as a discipline. Then we shall highlight the difficult problem of whether pastoral counseling ought to be classified as a religious or a secular activity, while pointing out that this dichotomous view does not accurately portray the activities and beliefs of pastoral counselors. Nevertheless, we underline the connection made between the definition of pastoral counseling and the assertion that pastors should be shielded from malpractice claims.
牧师辅导这一学科已发展到这样一个阶段，即针对牧师辅导员的医疗事故索赔已成为现实。法医精神病学家参与此类诉讼的需求可能会增加。在本文中，我们回顾了加利福尼亚州最近的纳利诉恩典社区教会案。肯尼斯·纳利在神职人员的照料下自杀。他的父母声称，牧师辅导员对他们的儿子提供了疏忽的辅导，而这种辅导导致了他的死亡。此案将作为一个出发点，用于回顾牧师辅导作为一门学科的发展和演变。然后我们将突出一个难题，即牧师辅导究竟应被归类为宗教活动还是世俗活动，同时指出这种二分法观点并不能准确描绘牧师辅导员的活动和信仰。尽管如此，我们强调了牧师辅导的定义与主张牧师应免受医疗事故索赔之间的联系。
