Includes bibliographical references and index.

Contents:

Pastoral care conversations -- Feeling remembered by God -- Stories of suicide survivors -- Stories of marginalized people -- Stories of abuse survivors -- Stories of addicts and their families -- The sandwich generation -- Stories of creating boundaries -- Conclusion: a theology for hopeful caring.

"Pastoral care and counseling help us care for the stories that give the deepest meaning to our lives, to care for the social systems that sustain people and communities, and to care for selves, both the selves who receive pastoral care and the selves who provide that care"-- Provided by publisher.