The American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC) is a professional organization of pastoral counselors

Pastoral counseling

Pastoral counseling is a branch of counseling in which psychologically trained ministers, rabbis, priests and other persons provide therapy services...

 from a variety of religious and psychological

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

 traditions.

Membership

The association defines a pastoral counselor as "a minister who practices pastoral counseling at an advanced level which integrates religious resources with insights from the behavioral sciences" and pastoral counseling

Pastoral counseling

Pastoral counseling is a branch of counseling in which psychologically trained ministers, rabbis, priests and other persons provide therapy services...

 as "a process in which a pastoral counselor utilizes insights and principles derived from the disciplines of theology and the behavioral sciences in working with individuals, couples, families, groups and social systems toward the achievement of wholeness and health." The association is nonsectarian

Nonsectarian

Nonsectarian, in its most literal sense, refers to a lack of sectarianism. The term is also more narrowly used to describe secular private educational institutions or other organizations either not affiliated with or not restricted to a particular religious denomination though the organization...

 and includes members from a variety of faith groups.

AAPC certifies different levels of pastoral counselor, accredits

Accreditation

Accreditation is a process in which certification of competency, authority, or credibility is presented.Organizations that issue credentials or certify third parties against official standards are themselves formally accredited by accreditation bodies ; hence they are sometimes known as "accredited...

 pastoral counseling centers, and approves programs to train pastoral counselors. As of 2008, AAPC had a membership of over 3,000 pastoral counselors and 100 pastoral counseling centers.

History

The association was founded in 1963 with the purpose of establishing standards for professional preparation and professional ethics in what was then the relatively new field of pastoral counseling.

Professional standards

In 2004, AAPC joined with five other religious mental health professional organizations (Association of Professional Chaplains, Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, National Association of Catholic Chaplains, National Association of Jewish Chaplains, and Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education) to establish common standards for ethics and professional conduct.