An exploration of the differences and similarities between counselling and confession, as experienced by counsellors who are, or have been, Catholic Priests

This research sought to examine the question, "what are the similarities and differences between counselling and Confession?", by exploring the experiences of five Catholic priests, who are also qualified counsellors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants, who ea...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Devassia, Jinson (Author) ; Gubi, Peter Madsen 1963- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Taylor & Francis 2022
In: Mental health, religion & culture
Year: 2022, Volume: 25, Issue: 3, Pages: 263-275
Further subjects:B Confession
B similarities
B Differences
B Counselling
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:This research sought to examine the question, "what are the similarities and differences between counselling and Confession?", by exploring the experiences of five Catholic priests, who are also qualified counsellors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five participants, who each have a minimum of five years of experience in both counselling and the Catholic priesthood. The data was analysed using Thematic Analysis. The research found that there are some similarities between the sacrament of Confession and the practice of counselling. These are that both practices involve being empathetic, unconditional, non-judgemental, keeping confidence, and careful listening. There are also clear differences between the two practices, the main differences being their intention and faith context. Both counselling and Confession deal with similar "human" struggles, are understood using different languages (theology and psychology), have a different intention, but contribute much comfort to many who are seeking peace.
ISSN:1469-9737
Contains:Enthalten in: Mental health, religion & culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2021.1999399