Using the family ecosystem model to enhance pastoral care and counseling.

Abstract

Argues that with individual, family, and world issues becoming increasingly complicated, those involved in pastoral care can benefit from using a comprehensive ecological approach to understanding and helping those in need. Suggests that the "family ecosystem model" that emphasizes interactions among individuals/families and their multifaceted environments, including their natural, human-constructed, and human-behavioral environments, can be used to incorporate a holistic view of these diverse issues. Explains and illustrates this approach to family concerns often encountered by pastoral caregivers.