In recognition of October 22-28 as Pastoral Care Week, this is the second in a three-part series focusing on the ministry of CBF-endorsed chaplains and pastoral counselors.

 

Keith Parker. Photo courtesy Keith Parker

ATLANTA – Keith Parker, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-endorsed pastoral counselor uses dreams to help unlock deep-seated emotional problems, treating patients in a holistic way.

 

"The unconscious expresses itself through dreams," Parker said. "It's a tool that helps us treat depression and other emotional problems. Instead of identifying symptoms and just treating them, it helps us to get to the roots of the causes – there are usually multiple ones – and treat them."

 

Parker is a pastoral counselor in private practice with Connestee Counseling in Brevard, N.C. He works at the Brevard Cancer Center, and devotes part of his time training counselors, doctors and other health care givers.

 

"When we have continuing education classes at the hospital, part of my role is to make sure that they understand how to conduct person-centered care and not patient-centered care," Parker said. "Rather than dealing with cancer technically and throwing statistics at patients, we encourage them to find out about their support system, to find out if the family is helpful, because you can't always assume that is the case."

 

Parker has worked with many different religious groups and spent 23 years working in Europe. He was a Jungian analyst and pastoral counselor in Switzerland from 1986 to 1993, where he trained the first chaplains as CPE supervisors in the country.

 

"I feel very strongly about chaplaincy in the medical field, both at the hospital setting and in private practice," Parker said. "It's very clear that the entire spiritual dimension is crucial in both physical health and mental health problems.