Andover Newton Catalogue and Courses of Instruction
PSYC 730/830S
The Care and Counseling of Lesbian/ Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer Persons, Spring 2012
The visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender persons throughout church and society has increased significantly during the past few decades. Discussions abound in virtually every religious denomination and tradition which center upon questions of inclusion/exclusion, ordination, scripture, and marriage rights. The inter-faith Welcoming Movement has taken on the role of advocate within many denominations, and evangelist within the non-heterosexual community. Many psychotherapists and clergy work with l/g/b/t/q parishioners and clients on a daily basis, wanting to advocate, support, and heal the damage of homophobia, and meet the needs of l/g/b/t/q persons. The starting point of all ethical care and counseling is “first, do no harm”, yet without knowledge and skills, even well-intended therapists and clergy can be unhelpful and damaging to the well-being of their l/g/b/t/q clients/parishioners. This class will consider the specific psychological and spiritual needs of l/g/b/t/q persons; an historical overview of homophobia/heterosexism, and liberation in church and society; an affirming psychology/theology of sexuality; and the skills/resources needed to minister effectively with this population.
The nature of the material covered in this class is personal as well as professional. All students will be expected to address their own spiritual/sexual journey as it informs their work. Discussions will be respectful, and personal material will be confidential. Limit: 15.
Spring - Monday, 2:00 – 4:50 p.m. *CLOSED*
Key to Course Listings
| Key | Description |
|---|---|
| EL | "EL" following a course description indicates an E-Learning course. |
| F | "F" following a course number indicates a course offered during Fall semester. |
| S | "S" following a course number indicates a course offered during Spring semester. |
| W | "W" following a course number indicates a course offered during Winter Session in January. |
| J | "J" following a course number indicates a course offered during June. |
| Y |
"Y" following a course number indicates a yearlong course. Students must register each semester for year-long courses. |
This listing is subject to change. Continue to check the school's eb site, www.ants.edu, for current information about course listings, times and dates. All courses, including Church and Ministry Department courses, are now offered for 3 credits. Only students following the pre-2001 M.Div. curriculum may elect to take courses for other than 3 credits. Unless otherwise noted, courses are generally limited to 55 students.
Levels of Instruction
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| 500 | Language courses or introductory courses meeting departmental requirements for either the M.Div. or the M.A. degree. |
| 600 | Meet departmental requirements for the M.Div., unless otherwise indicated, or program requirements for the M.A. |
| 700 | For advanced M.Div. and M.A. students with either background in an area or prerequisites completed. These courses meet some departmental upper-level elective requirements for the M.Div. |
| 800 | Primarily for D.Min. and S.T.M. students, although a limited number of seniors with the appropriate background may enroll with the instructor's permission. |
Dual-numbered courses-e.g., [HIST 725/825] - indicate courses that serve more than one level. Students should register for the level appropriate to their program needs.
Example: an M.Div. or M.A. student would register for HIST 725, but an S.T.M. or D.Min. student would register for HIST 825.
