Anton Boisen

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Book Review: “Anton T. Boisen (1876-1965) Cooperative Inquiry: Amid the Complex Entangements of Actual Life, 2nd edition” by Robert Charles Powell

Robert Charles Powell’s book, “Anton T. Boisen (1876-1965) Cooperative Inquiry: Amid the Complex Entangements of Actual Life, 2nd edition” is the 3rd of an eventual 7 book series on Anton Boisen, considered to be the “father” of the clinical pastoral movement, and CPE (clinical pastoral education).

This book shares similarities with the first two of the series. For one, it is a series of essays or articles written by Powell over a range of years, related to the life of Boisen or the movement he founded. Second, although he is a medical doctor, Powell’s specialization as a historian and researcher shines through with thorough sourcing and prodigious endnotes. Unlike many books, ignoring the endnotes would be missing some of the most interest parts of the book.

On the other hand, Cooperative Inquiry differs considerably in that it is less about the life of Anton Boisen and more a look at how his legacy is lived out in the members of the clinical pastoral movement. Powell is critical of a number of trends he has seen in the movement and compares its modern condition disfavorably with the more innovative start, particularly 1925-1930, by Boisen and others— with special notice to Helen Florence Dunbar.

Reading the book, I think it is understandable if one might wonder if Powell is a conservative idealist— one who has made the early writings and practices of Boisen and others essentially canon for the movement. Personally, I don’t believe this to be his perspective. He desires for the movement to evolve and innovate, but to do so with historical critique. I think he is asking questions, somewhat as on outsider to the movement of whether the torchbearers of today’s clinical pastoral movement have allowed the flame lit by Boisen, Dunbar, and others to dim. This curiosity shows itself in eight broad questions:

“Whatever happened to pastoral social work? to religious diagnosis? to preventive pastoral care? to maintenance, or everyday, pastoral care? to the theology of pastoral care – especially the theology of everyday life? Whatever happened to religious rituals and symbolism? to religious research? to the development of a critical tradition within CPE?” (p. 16)

A challenge that I found as a reader, one that I feel many others are likely to share, is the limited explanation of the context of various essays. I believe a bit of a roadmap of sorts would help greatly. The essays cover almost a 40 year period. The first essay was presented in 1975 to the Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE). ACPE was an organization first established in 1967 that sought to join two earlier organizations into one, and in so doing combine two traditions. However, by 1975 there was a growing belief that many of the insights from the tradition of Boisen and Dunbar have been set aside with lip service alone to their importance to the movement. The second essay is written not long after the founding of the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy (CPSP) as an organization seeking to restore this early tradition to prominence. Later essays focus on CPSP and its covenant in examining its success or failure in living up to its own ideals in a changing ministerial landscape. Since the book is published by CPSP Press, it is not unreasonable to think that the majority of readers would be able to interpret the work within the history of the movement, and be familiar with the Covenant of CPSP. However, for outsiders, or those newer to the movement (of whom I might include myself), some additional guidance would be of benefit.

Overall, this book is a fine continuation of Powell’s series on Anton Boisen and his impact on the clinical pastoral movement. I look forward to the publication of the remaining four books.

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Review of “Anton T. Boisen (1876-1965): Breaking an Opening in the Wall Between Religion and Medicine” by Robert C. Powell

BACKGROUND

“ANTON T. BOISEN (1876-1965) :BREAKING AN OPENING IN THE WALL BETWEEN RELIGION AND MEDICINE” by Robert Charles Powell is the 2nd volume of an (ultimately) seven volume set on Anton Boisen and the beginnings of the Clinical Pastoral Movement. The series is all written by Powell and published by CPSP Press and includes as follows:

  • Volume One: Clinical Pastoral Training, Education, and Transformation The First Fifty Years of Learning through Supervised Encounter with “Living Human Documents” (1925-1975)”
  • Volume Two: “Anton T. Boisen (1876-1965): Breaking an Opening in the Wall Between Religion and Medicine”
  • Volume Three: “Anton T. Boisen (1876-1965): Cooperative Inquiry Amid the Complex Entanglements of Actual Life”
  • Volumes Four and Five: Not yet published, but are also on the life and work of Anton T. Boisen.
  • Volumes Six and Seven: Not yet published, but are on the life and work of Helen Flanders Dunbar

Review of Volume One has been done previously, CLICK HERE.

Robert Charles Powell is a psychiatrist as well as a historian. His website is http://www.robertcharlespowell.com/

REVIEW OF VOLUME TWO

For me a good swimming pool has two ends. One end is good for young children, as well as adults who just want to “hang out in the shallows.” The other end is set up for those who want to dive in deep.

The book “Anton T. Boisen (1876-1965): Breaking an Opening in the Wall between Religion and Medicine” is a second volume of what will ultimately be a seven volume set by Robert Charles Powell on Anton Boisen and the early days of the Clinical Pastoral Movement.

Powell describes Boisen as “The founder of a clinically trained, educated, and transformed chaplaincy.” (Part III of book). Boisen was a complicated person whose writings and insights were deeply connected with his life and relationships. As the title of this volume suggests, This book focuses on aspects of Boisen’s life that inform his interest in bridging the gap between Religion (and Theology) and Medicine (and Psychiatry/Psychology).

The swimming pool mentioned above is an appropriate analogy for this book. If one simply wishes to know about aspects of Anton Boisen’s life, the book is relatively short and an easy read. However, if one wishes to dive in deeper, the book has considerable endnotes that in many areas become articles in themselves. The book was meticulously researched, utlizing numerous unpublished works (including personal letters) as well as early versions of works that were later published by Boisen. As such, the book is good for one with a general interest in Boisen and the Clinical Pastoral Movement, as well as serious researchers.

The book, much like Volume One, shows its complex origins, being originally a booklet, but then with multiple iterations of additions, as well as a couple of additional short articles.

Those in clinical chaplaincy, clinical pastoral education/training, and clinical pastoral counseling should understand the roots of their movement. This book is strongly recommended for them, and I look forward to seeing the rest of the seven-volume set being published in the near future.

<Review by Robert H. Munson, Bukal Life Care>

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CPSP and ACPE Language and Philosophy

The following is a brief message from Dr. Sim Dang-Awan Jr., the President of the Board of Trustees of CPSP-Philippines, Inc..
I was often asked this question: “What  is the difference of ;the Association of  Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) and the  Clinical Pastoral  Supervision and Psychotherapy  (CPSP) to which you are attached”  to answer  this question, once in for all, may  I refer you to the article of no less than the founder of  CPSP -USA, Dr  Raymond J. Lawrence titled  “Watch Your Language.”
In that article, Dr Lawrence said that “Pastoral clinicians should not  refer to their trainees  as students,  nor to their clinical seminars as classes, nor to their clinical  cases as verbatims nor to their clinical training program as an educational program nor refer to themselves as teachers and  professors, but rather as training Supervisors. Clinical Pastoral Education  (CPE) should more  properly  be called  Clinical Pastoral Training (CPT) For political and market purposes we should perhaps refer to CPE/CPT or CPT aka CPE.”
“So why all the fuss? The answer is that we in CPSP are more indebted to the Anton Boisen  tradition than to the Richard Cabot tradition. Boisen conceived of his work to be clinical training… Clinical training  from the Boisenite tradition followed the new medical model of clinical supervision that followed academic  education.  The famous Flexner Report  and the radical change  in medical education  and training a century ago  actually created and shaped  the Boisen revolution.  . Such terms befits more an advanced professional
When Physicians are trained they first do an educational venture  and acquire  an M.D.. degree. Once they have acquired a doctor degree, they are no longer called  “medical students”. They enter  clinical training and do internships, residences and fellowships. Religious  leaders undertaking clinical training  should follow similar  nomenclature.”
To paraphrase  Dr Lawrence he said that  it seems undignified to call  a senior pastor or lay leader a student., What is more dignified and proper label is to call  that person, a trainee,, intern, or a resident. The distinctions might not be  absolute, but  they are very critical distinctions  to people who needed to be affirmed.
Many thanks to Doc Sim for sharing this.  Three more points are worth adding.
1.  The differences between the philosophies of ACPE and CPSP are best understood in
in the CPE movement as a historical process. A recommended reading for this is Raymond Lawrence’s book “Recovery of Soul:  A History and Memoir of the Clinical Pastoral Movement.
Recovery of Soul: - A History and Memoir of the Clinical Pastoral ...2.  One way that language and history has had an effect on the divergence of the CPE movement is in terms of philosophy of learning and supervision.  ACPE has traditionally embraced a more Educative focus in line with Cabot’s vision. CPSP has traditionally embraced a more therapeutic focus, in line with Boisen’s vision. For the latter, emphasis is placed on self-understanding and “recovery of the soul” for the trainee, with less emphasis on skills learning. Normally, this would also relate to two philosophies of supervision— patient focus (in line with educative emphasis), and supervisee focus (in line with therapeutic emphasis).
3.  While this post emphasizes differences, there is a great deal of overlap. Both ACPE and CPSP seek to educate and to provide therapy. Both may supervise with a mixture of patient-focus and supervisee-focus (and perhaps relationship-focus). Differences should be considered as ranges on a spectrum, rather than locations on opposite sides of a ravine. As such, at CPSP-Philippines we value the uniqueness of our tradition, but do not believe in denigrating others.