New York Theological Seminary

The Pastoral Care Specialist Program at New York Theological Seminary has been designed to offer clergy and designated pastoral care givers a basic body of knowledge necessary to address congregational pastoral care needs. The courses included in the program seek to address issues of pastoral identity and formation, pastoral care theology, current theoretical and practical understanding of the complexity of human development and behavior, and the basic skills necessary to address particular situations as well as the importance of professional referrals.

The program is not intended to prepare students for long-term counseling or pastoral psychotherapy. Rather, it provides the basic training for those who would like to pursue further counseling training in appropriate accredited institutions. This program is an excellent opportunity for people who are willing to work in a supportive caring role within the life of the congregation and who may be contemplating pastoral counseling or chaplaincy as an expression of their call to ministry.

The New York Theological Seminary is in the application process for Institutional Membership with the American Association of Pastoral Counselors. Our program will uphold the training standards of the Association as well as their Code of Ethics. New York Theological Seminarians may apply to the American Association of Pastoral Counselors to become a Pastoral Care Specialist member in this organization.

The minimum requirements for Pastoral Care Specialist membership in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors are:

• Educational degrees as required by applicant's religious body;
• Active relationship to a local religious community; and
• Completion of 50 hours of specialized training.

The fifty (50) hours include courses and the MCU261 Small Group Consultation.

For more information on the Pastoral Care Specialist Program, please contact:


Director of Supervised Ministry
New York Theological Seminary
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 500
New York, NY 10115
(212) 870-1211