American Association of Pastoral Counselors

The American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC) is a professional organization of pastoral counselors from a variety of religious and psychological 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 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 and includes members from a variety of faith groups.

AAPC certifies different levels of pastoral counselor, accredits 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.