Howard Clinebell

Howard John Clinebell (June 3, 1922^[1] – April 13, 2005) was a minister in the United Methodist Church and a professor in pastoral counseling. He pioneered a counseling approach that combined psychotherapy and religion.^[2]

Howard John Clinebell
Born	3 June 1922 Springfield, Illinois
Died	13 April 2005 Santa Barbara
Education	DePauw University Garrett Theological Seminary Columbia University
Occupation(s)	Methodist minister and professor in pastoral counseling
Spouse	Charlotte H. Clinebell
Parent(s)	Howard J. Clinebell and Clem (Whittenberg) Clinebell

Early life and education

Howard Clinebell was born in Springfield, Illinois, on June 3, 1922, to Howard J. and Clem (Whittenberg) Clinebell. He graduated from DePauw University in Indiana and Garrett Theological Seminary in Illinois, and he received a doctorate from Columbia University.^[2] In addition he studied psychotherapy at the William Alanson White Institute in New York City.

Career

In the mid-1950s Clinebell joined the staff at the First United Methodist Church in Pasadena. He went on to become counselor at Methodist Hospital in Arcadia. In 1959 he joined Claremont School of Theology as a professor of pastoral psychology. Clinebell retired in 1988.^[2]

Clinebell is author or co-author of more than 20 books of which the most influential are "Understanding and Counseling the Alcoholic Through Religion and Psychology" (1956) and "Basic Types of Pastoral Counseling" (1966, revised edition "Basic Types of Pastoral Care and Counseling" 1984). With his book on counseling of alcoholics Clinebell introduced the concept to view alcoholism as a disease rather than a character deficiency in religious circles. Clinebell also wrote an influential book on the spiritual aspects of environmentalism in 1996, "Ecotherapy: Healing Ourselves, Healing the Earth."^[2][3][4]

As one of the fathers of the pastoral counseling movement Clinebell was an early advocate of training in psychotherapy for seminarians aiming to work as counselors. He was a founding member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors,^[2] along with the group Pastoral Counselors for Social Responsibility.^[5][6] He was also the founding director of the Institute for Religion and Wholeness at Claremont and the Clinebell Institute. In addition, he was a licensed marriage, family, and child counselor.^[7]

Besides pastoral counseling, Clinebell addressed topics like personal problems in the context of relationships, the effects of social systems on individual lives, parapsychology, and the relationship of human beings to the environment.^[2][8]

Personal life and death

Clinebell was married to Charlotte Clinebell for almost 60 years, and had three children. He died April 13, 2005, of complications from Parkinson's disease at Vista del Monte Retirement Community in Santa Barbara.^[2]