Counseling and Pastoral Care in African and Other Cross-Cultural Contexts

The coming of Colonization and Christianity to Africa and other indigenous cross-cultural contexts was a ＂＂mixed bag＂＂ of pros and cons. The impact of the advent of the two has had a lasting effect being felt even today. It created issues of bi-culturalism and bi-religiousness in personal and religious identities that counselors and the church need to address when working with people from these contexts. There is the existence of deep cultural trauma (including psychological and spiritual scars) needing healing for those living in most of these post-colonial contexts. The Western counseling approaches and Christian rituals need contextualization. A counselor or pastoral caregiver with an integrative consciousness is required to address the psychological and religious identity conflicts existing in African and other indigenous cross-cultural contexts.

Tapiwa N. Mucherera is Professor of Pastoral Counseling at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is author of Meet Me at the Palaver and Glimmers of Hope. He is editor of Pastoral Care, Health, Healing, and Wholeness in African Contexts: Methodology, Context, and Issues, and has also contributed chapters to several academic books. An ordained United Methodist Church (UMC) pastor, he has served several churches in Zimbabwe, Iowa, Denver, and Kentucky. Mucherera is serving on the Board of Ordained Ministry of the Florida UMC Annual Conference, and serves on the ACPE National Board.