After You - The Ethics of the Pastoral Counselling Process



                                                                                                                                                   © Monique Tersago

Theme


The twenty-first century is taking a shift in paradigm, caused by the multidisciplinary evidence that emotion is prior to thinking and taking action. New findings in psycholinguistics and educational programmes show how the meaning of life is created through the interactions we have with each other. This has implications for our ethical thinking and talking about the act of pastoral counselling. 'After You' expresses the belief that relational ethics is built upon the recognition of someone else's self- and world-understanding. This understanding belongs to them and there is an obligation to give respect and priority to their perspective in order to enter into an ethical dialogue with them as the first step. Our Leuven interdisciplinary expert seminar 'After You' is seeking to bring together researchers of different fields in order to build up, check and consider the consequences of this shift in paradigm for the creation of a more consistent hermeneutical, theological and dialogical framework.

The academic seminar will allow for scholars from various disciplines to enter into dialogue with one another and exchange expertise on different aspects of the ethics of the pastoral counselling process. The goal of this seminar is to provide the opportunity for high-level interdisciplinary academic and real dialogue.

The expert seminar is organised around 4 topics


  1. Which philosophical concepts lay the foundation of the ethics of  the counselling process?
  2. What is necessary to lift up the ethical quality of the counselling process?
  3. To what extent the ethics of the counselling process is a qualification for the quality of (pastoral) dialogue? 
  4. How can (pastoral) counsellors be educated to do justice to the people they meet?

Attending Experts


The programme will consist of offered papers and ongoing dialogue between the experts round the table. The following scholars have confirmed their participation:

  • Dr Marie-Cécile Bertau (Staff scientist at the Institute for Phonetics and Speech Processing, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany)
  • Prof. Emeritus Vangie Bergum (Em. Prof. Vangie Bergum, Professor Emerita and Former Director of John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre and Professor Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Canada)
  • Prof. Reimund Bieringer (Professor Research Unit Biblical Studies, Faculty of Theology, KU Leuven, Belgium)
  • Prof. Emeritus Roger Burggraeve (Professor Theological Ethics, Faculty of Theology, KU Leuven, Belgium)
  • Prof. Jozef Corveleyn (Professor Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Psychology, KU Leuven, Belgium)
  • Prof. James Day (Professor of Religious, Moral, and Social Development, Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium)
  • Prof. Annemie Dillen (Professor Pastoral Theology, Faculty of Theology, KU Leuven, Belgium)
  • Prof. Carrie Doehring (Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counselling, Iliff School of Theology, Denver University, USA)
  • Prof. Emeritus Kenneth Gergen (Senior Research Professor Department of Psychology, Swarthmore College, USA; Affiliate Professor of Psychology University of Tilburg, Tilburg, Netherlands; Honorary Professor University of Buenos Aires)
  • Prof. Emeritus Mary Gergen (Professor of Psychology and Women’s Studies Penn State University, USA)
  • Prof. Axel Liégeois (Professor of Pastoral Theology, Chair Department of Pastoral Theology, KU Leuven, Belgium)
  • Prof. Lisbeth Lipari (Associate Professor, Department of Communication, Denison University, Granville, Ohio, USA)
  • Prof. Sheila McNamee (Professor of Communication, University of New Hampshire, USA; Visiting Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil)
  • Prof. Darcia Narvaez (Associate Professor Department of Psychology, University of Notre Dame, USA)
  • MA Marina Riemslagh (Research Assistant in Pastoral Theology, KU Leuven, Belgium)
  • Prof. Peter Rober (Professor Family Therapy at the Institute for Family and Sexuality Studies, Medical School of KU Leuven, Belgium).
  • Prof. Johannes A. van der Ven (Prof. Comparative Empirical Science of Religion, Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands).
  • Prof. Annelies van Heijst (Professor Ethics of Care and Charity, University of Tilburg, The Netherlands)

Sketch of the program


Introduction (Thursday morning 9 am - 10 am, February 11, 2010)
  • MA Marina Riemslagh presents the first results of her research on the ethics of the pastoral counselling process. 'A Scheme to Provide Ethical Communication. Again and Again, Finding Confidence in Oneself, the Relationship and the Other to Co-Construct Ethical (Pastoral) Dialogues'.
Philosophical Foundation of the process of counselling as an ethical event (Thursday morning, 10 am - 1 pm)
  • Prof. Lisbeth Lipari,'The Voice of the Other: Listening, Vocation, Ethics'.
  • Prof. Emeritus Roger Burggraeve, 'Responsible for the Responsibility of the Other. A Levinasian Perspective on Pastoral Conversation as Ethical Event'.
  • Prof. Annelies van Heijst, 'Three Forms of Recognition within Pastoral Counselling'.
The Process of dialogue explored as an ethical event (Thursday afternoon, 2.30 pm - 5.30 pm)
  • Prof. Darcia Narvaez, 'Emotion and moral identity'.
  • Prof. Sheila McNamee, 'Inviting the Unexpected through Differentiating Discourses: Dialogue, Creativity, and Change'.
  • Prof. Peter Rober, 'The Client's "No": The Challenge of Accepting the Otherness of our Client'.
The process of dialogue as an ethical event in process and content (Thursday evening, 8 pm) ENGLISH SPOKEN - FREE FOR A BROADER AUDIENCE
  • Em. Prof. Mary Gergen and Em. Prof. Kenneth Gergen demonstrate what we are talking about: Dialogue as a Relational Process for Ethical Outcomes.
    Prof. Peter Rober, Prof. Sheila McNamee and MA Marina Riemslagh function as a reflecting team.
The pastoral counselling process as an ethical event (Friday morning 9 am - 12 am, February 12)
  • Dr. Marie-Cécile Bertau, ' Voices of Others for Self, Voices of Others in Self. Polyphony as Means and Resource for Constructing and Reconstructing Social Reality'. 
  • Prof. Reimund Bieringer, 'Jesus versus the Physicians: A Narrative-Critical and Social-Ethical Analysis of the Synoptic Stories of the Healing of the Woman with a Hemorrhage (Mt 9:20-22 par Mk 5:24b-34 par Lk 8:43-48)'.
  • Prof. James Day, 'Committed Uncertainty, Sustained Curiosity, and God/s between Us: Dialogically Comparing Psychotherapeutic and Pastoral Counselling Collaborations'.
Education in the pastoral counselling as an ethical event (Friday afternoon 2 pm - 6 pm)
  • Prof. Annemie Dillen 'Doing Justice in Primary Relationships. Towards a Just Way of Dealing with Power Dynamics in Pastoral Dialogue, on the Basis of Ivan Boszormenyi-Nagy'.
  • Prof. Emeritus Vangie Bergum, 'Quickening Practice. The Ethical Space of Action'.
  • Prof. Carrie Doehring, 'The Practice of Relational-Ethical Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach to Religious Knowledge'.
  • Prof. Darcia Narvaez, 'Shaping Emotion and Cognition for Optimal Moral Functioning'.
Fundamental discussion about the ethics of the (pastoral) counselling process (Saturday, February 13, 9.30 am - 1 pm)
  • Prof. Johannes van der Ven, 'Recapitulation of the Conference Discourse on the Ethics in Pastoral Counselling from an Empirical Perspective'.
  • MA Marina Riemslagh, Connecting the Dialogues of this Expert Seminar to the Empirical Results of the Ethics of the Pastoral Counselling Process.

Format


The aim of this seminar is to engage with each other in dialogues that expand and connect the work on ethics in pastoral counselling contexts. We do not envision this seminar as a forum for discussion where ideas are presented and refuted. Instead, we are working diligently to create a dialogic atmosphere where all of us can listen and reflect and inspire each other. In order to provide a context where dialogue can flourish, we have created a format that is designed to encourage interest and curiosity.

Each presenter will speak for 20 minutes, followed by a 20 minute reflection by the remaining experts. During this reflection, the presenter will assume a 'listening position' by sitting with those who are attending the seminar as an audience. At the end of the 20 minute dialogue among the experts, 3 volunteers from the audience will be invited to take a seat in a designated, central area and share their reflections on what they have heard from both the presenter and the dialogue among the experts.

Please keep in mind the following three questions that will guide our reflective dialogue with each other:

  1. What is it about this presentation (and the dialogue about it) that strikes or moves you?
  2. Of all the questions that emerge for you from this presentation (and the dialogue about it), which ones energize you the most?
  3. What ideas would you like to offer the presenter in the spirit of generative elaboration of his or her topic?"

Organisation


The conference is organised by the Faculty of Theology, Research Unit Pastoral Theology, KU Leuven, with the support of the Flemish Scientific Research Foundation (FWO Vlaanderen).

      

Organising Committee


  • Prof. Emeritus Roger Burggraeve, K.U. Leuven, Belgium
  • Prof. Axel Liégeois, KU Leuven, Belgium
  • Prof. Jozef Corveleyn, KU Leuven, Belgium
  • MA Marina Riemslagh (PhD candidate), K.U. Leuven, Belgium

Practical information


For more information please do not hesitate to contact us at the address below:

Interdisciplinary Expert Seminar AFTER YOU

Marina Riemslagh
Faculty of Theology
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
St.-Michielsstraat 6
B-3000 Leuven
Phone: +32-3-889 79 03
E-mail: Marina.Riemslagh@theo.kuleuven.be

How to Get to Leuven?

The conference will take place in the Faculty of Theology, located in the centre of Leuven. Leuven is located 25 km from Brussels and easily accessible. Please note that Leuven (in French: Louvain) is NOT the same town as Louvain-la-Neuve, which is situated in the French-speaking part of Belgium.

When arriving in Belgium by plane at Brussels Airport, information about how to travel to and from the Airport can be found on the Brussels Airport Official Website. The easiest way to travel to Leuven is by train or by taxi.

The railway station at Brussels Airport is located in the basement (level -1) of the terminal building. There are direct train connections from the airport to Leuven every 30 minutes. Timetable information and ticket prices for the whole of Belgium (and international trains) are available in Dutch, English, French and German on the Belgian Railways website.

More information on how to reach the KU Leuven?
http://www.kuleuven.be/transportation/

Registration


In order to register for the Expert Seminar, please use the form on this page.