DMin in Pastoral Trauma Care
Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Pastoral Trauma Care
Program of Study
Emphasis: Wise-Luke Spiritual Integration Counseling System (W-L-SICS)
Specialization: A Spiritual Framework for Integrating Dissociative Identity Disorder Among Survivors of Child Sex Trafficking
The Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) in Pastoral Trauma Care is a professional ministry doctorate designed for experienced Christian clergy, chaplains, and ecclesiastical leaders seeking advanced theological and pastoral preparation for ministry among individuals affected by severe trauma.
The program integrates pastoral theology, theological anthropology, missiology, trauma-informed ministry, supervised theological practicum, and sustained formation in the Wise-Luke Spiritual Integration Counseling System (W-L-SICS). Its purpose is not to prepare mental health clinicians, but to develop clergy capable of providing responsible, theologically grounded pastoral care while maintaining clear boundaries between ecclesiastical ministry and licensed clinical practice.
W-L-SICS was co-founded by Norman Wise, D.Min., M.Div., CSIC, and Thomas Luke, Ph.D., D.Min., Litt.S.D. (h.c.), M.A., CSIC, CCRTC.
Program at a Glance
| Program Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Degree | Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.) |
| Field | Pastoral Trauma Care |
| Academic Coursework | 36 semester credit hours |
| Minimum Program Length | 3 years |
| W-L-SICS Mentorship | 3 continuous years |
| Practicum | Supervised Theological Practicum |
| Culminating Requirement | Doctoral Ministry Project and Oral Defense |
| Primary Orientation | Applied pastoral ministry |
| Scope | Ecclesiastical and pastoral; nonclinical |
I. Purpose and Educational Objectives
The D.Min. in Pastoral Trauma Care prepares experienced ministers to integrate advanced theological scholarship with responsible pastoral practice in contexts involving severe trauma, exploitation, spiritual distress, and dissociation.
The program emphasizes the development of advanced pastoral competency rather than preparation for psychological diagnosis or psychotherapy. Candidates learn to interpret trauma through theological and pastoral frameworks; provide biblically grounded spiritual care; recognize the ethical and professional limits of ecclesiastical ministry; collaborate appropriately with other helping professionals; and apply W-L-SICS within authorized pastoral settings.
The curriculum is intentionally focused on the professional-ministry objectives of the D.Min. Broader study in biblical, historical, systematic, and constructive theology is reserved for the more extensive Ph.D. curriculum in Transformational Theology.
II. Candidate Qualifications
Applicants should demonstrate the ministerial experience, theological preparation, and ecclesiastical standing appropriate to advanced professional doctoral study.
Ecclesiastical Standing
Current Christian ordination or formal ecclesiastical commissioning is required.
Educational Background
Applicants must hold an appropriate master’s degree, such as an M.A., M.Div., Th.M., or equivalent graduate credential, from an institution of higher education accredited by a recognized regional accrediting body and/or the Association of Theological Schools (ATS).
Ministerial Experience
Applicants should ordinarily possess a minimum of five years of demonstrated pastoral leadership, Christian chaplaincy, or comparable ecclesiastical ministry experience.
Prior ministry in Christian crisis response, trauma-related pastoral care, chaplaincy, or ministry among vulnerable populations is desirable but not required.
Academic Preparation
Candidates must demonstrate the ability to undertake doctoral-level theological study, applied pastoral scholarship, critical reflection, and ministry-based research.
Pastoral and Professional Boundaries
Candidates must understand and maintain the distinction between ecclesiastical pastoral care and licensed mental health practice. When psychological assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, or other clinical treatment is indicated, candidates are expected to collaborate with or refer individuals to appropriately licensed professionals.
III. Academic Curriculum — 36 Semester Credits
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| MIS 9501 | Advanced Missiological Care in Contexts of Exploitation | 5 |
| MIS 9503 | Global Trauma Theology and Contextualized Healing | 5 |
| PT 9601 | Crisis Response and Pastoral Care for Severe Trauma | 6 |
| PT 9602 | Dissociation, Soul-Fragmentation, and Theological Anthropology | 6 |
| PT 9603 | Frameworks of the Spiritual Integration Counseling System | 6 |
| PT 9701 | Theological Practicum I: Supervised Spiritual Integration | 5 |
| RES 9800 | Doctoral Ministry Project and Oral Defense | 3 |
| Total | 36 |
The curriculum concentrates on those areas of study necessary for the professional-ministry objectives of the D.Min. Candidates move progressively from theological and missiological foundations through pastoral trauma care, theological anthropology, W-L-SICS formation, supervised ministry application, and the Doctoral Ministry Project.
IV. Required Three-Year W-L-SICS Mentorship
In addition to academic coursework, every D.Min. candidate must successfully complete three continuous years of supervised mentorship in the Wise-Luke Spiritual Integration Counseling System.
The mentorship provides sustained theological formation, guided case reflection, pastoral application, ethical supervision, and progressive development of competency in applying W-L-SICS within the candidate's authorized ecclesiastical and pastoral ministry.
W-L-SICS was co-founded by Norman Wise, D.Min., M.Div., CSIC, and Thomas Luke, Ph.D., D.Min., Litt.S.D. (h.c.), M.A., CSIC, CCRTC.
The mentorship is theological and pastoral rather than psychological or psychotherapeutic. It neither constitutes clinical training nor confers authorization to diagnose or treat mental health disorders. Candidates are trained to recognize circumstances that exceed the appropriate boundaries of pastoral ministry and to collaborate with or refer individuals to licensed mental health professionals when clinical assessment or treatment is warranted.
V. Three-Year Progression
Year 1 — Foundations
The first year establishes the theological and pastoral foundations of W-L-SICS. Study includes pastoral trauma care, exploitation and trafficking contexts, spiritual assessment, ministerial ethics, professional boundaries, and guided case observation.
Year 2 — Applied Formation
The second year develops advanced understanding of dissociation within theological anthropology and introduces progressively deeper applications of spiritual integration. Candidates engage in supervised pastoral application, case consultation, and appropriate interdisciplinary collaboration.
Year 3 — Integration and Ministry Application
The final year emphasizes advanced W-L-SICS application, supervised Theological Practicum, implementation and evaluation of the Doctoral Ministry Project, and preparation for the oral defense.
VI. Theological Practicum: Spiritual Integration and High-Acuity Trauma
The Theological Practicum is a supervised, ministry-based educational experience devoted to the theological, spiritual, and pastoral application of the program's principles within an ecclesiastical scope of practice.
The designation Theological Practicum is intentional. It distinguishes this component of ministerial formation from practicums in psychology, psychotherapy, professional counseling, or other licensed clinical disciplines.
Completion of the Theological Practicum does not constitute clinical training, confer mental health licensure, or authorize the diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders. Its purpose is to cultivate advanced pastoral competency while reinforcing responsible interdisciplinary referral and collaboration.
Historical Supervisory Record
Supervisor: Norman Wise, D.Min., M.Div., CSIC Supervisory Period: 2020–2022 Academic and Foundational Appointments:
- 2020–2025 | Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Trauma Care
- 2023 | Founder of the Discipline of Pastoral Trauma Care
- 2026–Present | Founding Chair, Department of Pastoral Trauma Care
Institution: Chaplains College School of Graduate Studies (CCSGS) Role: Theological Practicum Supervisor for Thomas Luke, Ph.D., D.Min. Focus: Specialized pastoral counseling and the refinement of the Wise-Luke Spiritual Integration Counseling System (W-L-SICS), co-founded by Norman Wise, D.Min., and Thomas Luke, Ph.D., D.Min.
VII. Pastoral Trauma Care and Clinical Care: Scope Distinction
The program maintains a deliberate distinction between ecclesiastical pastoral care and licensed mental health practice.
| Area | Pastoral Trauma Care (W-L-SICS) | Clinical Care |
|---|---|---|
| Nature | Theological, spiritual, and pastoral | Psychological, psychotherapeutic, and clinical |
| Training Basis | Ministry-based mentorship and Theological Practicum | Professional clinical education and supervised clinical training |
| Scope | Ecclesiastical and pastoral ministry | Clinical assessment, diagnosis, and treatment |
| Authority | Ecclesiastical authorization; does not confer authority to diagnose or treat mental disorders | Practice governed by applicable professional licensure |
| Practitioner Responsibility | Maintain pastoral boundaries and collaborate with or refer to licensed professionals when indicated | Provide services within the practitioner's licensed clinical scope |
This distinction is foundational to the program. Pastoral Trauma Care addresses spiritual formation, theological meaning, discipleship, prayer, biblical reflection, pastoral accompaniment, and spiritual integration. It does not substitute for psychological or psychiatric assessment or treatment.
VIII. Institutional Framework and Ecclesial Identity
The Isaiah 61:1 Restoration Project
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me . . . to bind up the brokenhearted . . . to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.” —Isa 61:1
The Isaiah 61:1 Restoration Project provides an ecclesiastical framework for theological reflection, pastoral formation, and ministry among survivors of severe childhood sexual exploitation and other forms of profound trauma.
Grounded in the biblical language of restoration, the project approaches trauma primarily through theological, pastoral, and missiological categories while recognizing the distinct and complementary role of licensed mental health professionals.
Ecclesiastical Authority
The pastoral dimensions of the program operate under ordained ministerial oversight and within an explicitly Christian theological framework. Its ministerial authority is ecclesiastical rather than clinical.
Clinical Distinction
The program does not prepare students to diagnose or treat mental disorders. Psychological assessment, diagnosis, psychotherapy, and clinical treatment remain within the appropriate scope of qualified and licensed professionals.
Pastoral Focus
The curriculum emphasizes spiritual integration and cura animarum—the historic Christian care of souls—within the boundaries of responsible pastoral ministry.
“He restores my soul; he leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.” —Ps 23:3
IX. Theological Framework: Transformational Theology
Transformational Theology provides the principal theological framework through which the program considers trauma, fragmentation, spiritual formation, and restoration.
The framework draws upon the Hebrew concept shābar (שָׁבַר), “to break,” as a theological image for profound brokenness. Within this framework, fragmentation is approached neither as moral failure nor as evidence of spiritual deficiency. Rather, the pastoral task begins by recognizing the extraordinary survival responses that may emerge in the aftermath of overwhelming trauma.
This theological interpretation does not replace psychological or psychiatric explanations of dissociation. It provides a specifically Christian pastoral lens through which questions of suffering, identity, spiritual formation, redemption, and hope may be explored.
X. The Architecture of Survival
Within Transformational Theology, the Architecture of Survival describes fragmentation as an adaptive response that may enable a severely traumatized person to endure experiences that would otherwise overwhelm conscious awareness.
The term good should therefore be understood in a limited and qualified sense: not that the trauma or resulting suffering was good, but that survival itself remains a good worthy of preservation.
Preservation
Compartmentalization may be understood pastorally as a means through which overwhelming traumatic experience was separated from ordinary conscious functioning, enabling continued survival.
“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.” —Ps 34:18
Within the W-L-SICS theological framework, alternate identities or dissociated self-states may be understood as carrying memories, emotions, fears, or protective functions associated with traumatic experiences.
This interpretation encourages ministers to approach such experiences with compassion rather than judgment.
“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” —Ps 46:1
Functional Continuity
Dissociative processes may permit aspects of ordinary life to continue despite unresolved traumatic material. Pastoral ministry therefore seeks to respect the survival function of fragmentation while accompanying the person toward greater spiritual truth, safety, reconciliation, and unity.
XI. Trauma Secrets, Trust, and Internal Cooperation
W-L-SICS recognizes secrecy and fear as significant obstacles to pastoral engagement with individuals experiencing profound dissociation.
Some dissociated identities or self-states may express fear that disclosure of traumatic memories could overwhelm the primary identity or threaten the safety of the whole person.
Such concerns require particular pastoral caution. Any indication of suicidal ideation, self-harm, or imminent danger requires appropriate safety measures and referral to qualified clinical or emergency professionals.
Secret-Bearing and Pastoral Readiness
Pastoral integration requires patience rather than forced disclosure. Within W-L-SICS, concealed traumatic material is approached only within the individual's capacity for safety, spiritual support, and appropriate interdisciplinary care.
The pastoral objective is not merely the disclosure of traumatic secrets but the cultivation of sufficient trust for truth to be approached responsibly in the presence of Christian hope.
XII. The Path to New Life
The Architecture of Survival explains why fragmentation may have served a protective purpose. The Path to New Life addresses the program's theological conviction that survival is not the final horizon of Christian formation.
Transformational Theology therefore moves from preservation toward spiritual growth, reconciliation, and increasingly coherent identity in Christ.
Spiritual Formation
Trauma may leave aspects of a person's interior life shaped by fear, shame, secrecy, and experiences preceding later Christian formation. Pastoral care seeks to extend the message of grace and Christian identity into these wounded dimensions of experience.
“A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you.” —Ezek 36:26
Growth Toward Unity
Christian maturity is understood as movement toward increasing truth, communion, reconciliation, and wholeness before God.
“. . . until all of us come to the unity of the faith . . . to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.” —Eph 4:13
Truth in Love
The pastoral process invites what has remained hidden in fear to encounter truth within an atmosphere of compassion, dignity, and spiritual safety.
“But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” —Eph 4:15
XIII. The Transformational Shift
| Dimension | Survival | Spiritual Integration |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Orientation | Preservation and protection | Restoration, formation, and increasing unity |
| Internal Process | Compartmentalization and concealment | Truth, reconciliation, and spiritual illumination |
| Experience of Grace | May be experienced unevenly across dissociated self-states | Grace is intentionally proclaimed throughout the person's interior experience |
| Pastoral Image | The crushed and brokenhearted | The new heart and growing maturity |
| Spiritual Direction | Survival within unresolved trauma | Growth toward coherent Christian identity |
The movement from survival to spiritual integration does not deny the protective role fragmentation may once have served. Rather, it honors survival while seeking a future increasingly characterized by truth, spiritual maturity, reconciliation, and hope.
XIV. The Wise-Luke Spiritual Integration Counseling System
The Wise-Luke Spiritual Integration Counseling System (W-L-SICS) is a clergy-led, age-responsive pastoral framework intended to accompany individuals experiencing severe trauma and dissociation within a Christian ecclesiastical context.
Its central purpose is spiritual rather than clinical: to bring the message of Jesus Christ, biblical truth, Christian identity, discipleship, prayer, reconciliation, and pastoral care into areas of the person's interior experience shaped by trauma and concealment.
“For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” —2 Cor 4:6
XV. The Five Pillars of W-L-SICS
1. Binding — Priestly Care
Binding represents compassionate pastoral care for wounded and distressed dimensions of the person's experience.
“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted.” —Isa 61:1
2. Proclaiming — Prophetic Truth
Proclaiming addresses secrecy, fear, shame, and trauma-related beliefs through the pastoral proclamation of biblical truth.
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” —Jn 8:32
3. Evangelizing — Missiological Witness
Evangelizing extends the Christian proclamation of Jesus Christ throughout the person's lived and internal experience.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” —Matt 28:19
4. Regenerating — Soteriological Formation
Regenerating emphasizes the Christian doctrine of new birth and the application of the gospel to aspects of experience that remain dominated by trauma, fear, or spiritual alienation.
“Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” —Jn 3:3
5. Unifying — Ecclesiological Integration
Unifying represents movement toward greater internal reconciliation, spiritual coherence, and a unified identity oriented toward Christ.
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.” —Eph 4:4
XVI. Age-Responsive Discipleship
W-L-SICS recognizes that dissociated self-states may present with differing developmental characteristics, perceptions, memories, protective functions, and spiritual understandings. Pastoral communication should therefore be developmentally appropriate while preserving the dignity of the whole person.
Child-Identified Self-States
Pastoral engagement emphasizes safety, divine love, appropriate trust, and the fatherly care of God.
“Take care that you do not despise one of these little ones.” —Matt 18:10
Gender-Differentiated Self-States
Pastoral reflection may address questions of identity and embodiment through the Christian doctrine of the imago Dei while avoiding coercive or clinically inappropriate interventions.
“So God created humankind in his image . . . male and female he created them.” —Gen 1:27
Adult-Identified Self-States
Pastoral engagement may invite protective self-states to reconsider burdens of vigilance and control within the context of trust in God, spiritual formation, and responsible care.
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.” —Rom 12:1
XVII. Doctoral Ministry Project
The Doctoral Ministry Project serves as the culminating scholarly and professional component of the D.Min. program. It requires candidates to demonstrate the integration of doctoral-level theological scholarship, reflective ministry practice, and the responsible application of W-L-SICS within an appropriate ecclesiastical setting.
The project should address a significant problem, question, practice, or ministry need relevant to pastoral trauma care and should produce findings or resources capable of contributing meaningfully to Christian ministry.
Doctoral Ministry Project Standards
The Doctoral Ministry Project normally requires:
- 30,000–40,000 words
- 75 or more scholarly citations, documented according to the current edition of The Chicago Manual of Style (current ed.)
- Appropriate use of illustrations, tables, figures, or technical graphics when they materially contribute to the project
- Demonstrated integration of theological scholarship, pastoral practice, and W-L-SICS
- Practical application within an appropriate ecclesiastical, chaplaincy, or pastoral ministry context
- Successful completion of an oral defense
These requirements reflect the applied scholarly character of a professional ministry doctorate rather than the more extensive original-research expectations associated with the Ph.D.
XVIII. Publication and Curricular Integration
The principal purpose of the Doctoral Ministry Project is to strengthen pastoral ministry through rigorous theological reflection and responsible application. Publication is therefore encouraged as an extension of successful doctoral work but is not a condition of the degree.
Candidates are encouraged to develop their projects into professional or scholarly resources suitable for broader ministry use. Appropriate outcomes may include pastoral curricula, ministry-training materials, theological resources, conference presentations, professional publications, or scholarly articles.
Practical application of the project's findings within an appropriate ecclesiastical, chaplaincy, or pastoral setting is required.
Where appropriate, candidates may also develop project-related scholarship for submission to peer-reviewed academic or professional journals; however, journal publication is encouraged rather than required.
XIX. D.Min.–Ph.D. Distinction
| Category | D.Min. in Pastoral Trauma Care | Ph.D. in Transformational Theology |
|---|---|---|
| Degree Type | Professional ministry doctorate | Research doctorate |
| Primary Orientation | Applied pastoral ministry | Advanced theological scholarship and research |
| Credits | 36 semester credits | 90 semester credits |
| W-L-SICS Formation | Required three-year mentorship | Advanced formation within the research doctorate |
| Culminating Work | Doctoral Ministry Project | Doctoral Dissertation |
| Primary Goal | Advanced pastoral competency | Original scholarly contribution |
The D.Min. and Ph.D. represent related but distinct doctoral pathways. The D.Min. in Pastoral Trauma Care emphasizes the application of advanced theological knowledge to pastoral ministry, whereas the Ph.D. in Transformational Theology emphasizes sustained research and original scholarly contribution.
XX. A Shepherd’s Closing Reflection
Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.” —Luke 18:27
The shepherd must never confuse faithful presence with divine power. We may listen, pray, proclaim the truth of Scripture, and walk compassionately beside those whose interior lives have been profoundly wounded, but the deepest work of spiritual restoration belongs to God.
What developed amid overwhelming childhood trauma may once have served the vital purpose of surviving circumstances that could neither be understood nor escaped. The hidden and wounded dimensions of such a life should therefore be approached not with condemnation or coercion, but with patience, dignity, compassion, and pastoral wisdom.
Our calling is to cultivate a sacred environment in which the wounded may encounter the truth, grace, and hope of Jesus Christ. We may carry the lamp, but we are not the Light. We may tend the wounds, but we are not the Healer. We may accompany the journey, but we cannot accomplish what belongs to God alone.
The Divine Physician knows every chamber of the human heart, every memory concealed by suffering, and every sorrow for which words have never been found. Christian ministry therefore rests not upon the presumption that the shepherd possesses the power to restore the soul, but upon the conviction that the shepherd faithfully accompanies another into the presence of the One who does.
The ultimate hope of spiritual restoration rests neither in the wisdom of the counselor nor in the skill of the chaplain or minister, but in the redemptive grace of Jesus Christ. Where human ability reaches its limits, divine grace remains. No wound lies beyond His compassion, no darkness exceeds His light, and no life lies beyond the reach of His redeeming love.
- Pastor Norman Wise, D.Min.
- 2026 | Founding Chair | Department of Pastoral Trauma Care
- 2020-2025 | Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Trauma Care
- Chaplains College School of Graduate Studies
- [email protected]
