Studies in pastoral care equip students to offer care and counsel as they assist others in understanding their own stories through a religious or spiritual lens. Courses in this field include: Introduction to Pastoral Care; Human Sexuality in Ministry; Pastoral Care to the Dying and Their Families; Emergency Pastoral Care; Group Leadership; Anger, Guilt and Shame; and Pastoral Care with Family Systems. A unit of Clinical Pastoral Education is required for residential students who chose pastoral care as an emphasis. When pursuing a ministry in pastoral care, students receive the basic foundation for proceeding, upon graduation from ESR, into a one-year residency program that may lead to certification as a chaplain or member of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors.