AAPC Northwest Newsletter Archive

In this Edition

Plan now for next year’s conference – it will be April 14 – 17, at Fort Worth, Texas. The plenary speakers are Dr. John Gottman and Dr. Ann Ulanov. And while we are thinking of future dates – don’t forget our own Fall conference at Alton Collins, Oct.22-23.

As I write these ponderings I am wondering where all of you are – what you are doing, how you are meeting the challenges of life today. I am still trying to recover from the various decisions that were handed down by the recent General Conference of the United Methodist Church of which I am still proud to be a part, but am also embarrassed to be a part of and disappointed with aspects of it. Thanks be to God that our training has shown us how to live with ambivalence. What are the challenges that your faith group presents you with? Are you looking forward to the summer – do you have anything exciting planned? For the last few years Joan and I have taken our vacations visiting our elderly parents in England, and so this year as well as doing that again we are also taking a seven days cruise around the Western Caribbean.
I hope and pray that your summer will be a time of refreshment and encouragement for you, your family and your clients. And I really do hope to see you in the Fall and listen to your responses to the questions that I have just asked.

AAPC Formation Committee Meets in San Francisco
Anthony Terndrup, Ph.D.
AAPC NW Formation Committee Chair
The Pastoral Counseling Center
Corvallis, OR

I think description of the formation process emerged from an early conversation. Formation was described as (a) holistic, including theological and clinical education and drawing on faith tradition; (b) counter-cultural, carrying authority and authenticity not defined by conventional norms of licensure; (c) vocational, involving discernment and response to call; and (d) accountable, in relation to one another and one’s faith community. Formation was seen to be happening in training centers, mentoring relationships, supervision, and daily living.

The representatives from the Northeast Region shared copies of their pamphlet that describes the formation process and identifies existing formation opportunities available in their area of the country. Such a publication could be reproduced locally in the Northwest Region to inform pastors and counselors who are interested in becoming pastoral counselors and joining the Association.

Task Force on Recruitment, Retention, and Revitalization of Membership
John Carr, Ph.D., Ch.Psych
Pastoral Psychotherapy & Education
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The Task Force has been formed, with Janet Foy of Eastern Region as Chair, and representatives from several of the regions. Recruitment of representatives from the other regions is ongoing. After an initial conference call, the Task Force had its first face-to-face meeting in San Francisco, just prior to the beginning of the Association Annual Conference at the end of April. Keith Hackett asked me to represent the NorthWest Region on this Task Force, and I am happy to do that.

At this stage, the Task Force is still brainstorming about how it will carry out its responsibilities for AAPC. The brainstorming process will continue via an e-group that we have set up for the members of the Task Force. At this stage, we anticipate that there will be some activity related to the work of the 3R Task Force at the Fall meetings of the Regions, but are uncertain of the exact form those activities will take.

At least two realities form the backdrop for the work of the 3R Task Force.

1. The Association is at an age when many of our Fellows and Diplomates are retiring. Not only are we losing their experience and wisdom, and their memories of the AAPC story, we are also losing their substantial financial contributions (read “annual membership dues”) to our Association and Regional budgets.

2. While the Association office receives 2000 requests annually for membership application materials, only 2% of those inquirers end up applying for membership.

While, in the past, we have assumed that our members have a passion for pastoral counseling, we can no longer assume that, and need to be intentional about encouraging that passion in our members. AAPC cannot survive without a critical mass of membership, on the one hand, and we cannot recruit and retain members without a passion for the quality and specialness of the work we do.

Note that it is not the job of the 3R Task Force to do the Recruiting, Retention, and Revitalization. Rather, the 3R Task Force’s responsibility is to resource and facilitate these aspects of the life of the regions of AAPC. So I encourage all of us to be thinking about these matters in the next few months.

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