ABSTRACT
Humanist beliefs and values, humanist counselling, humanist organizations, and people with humanist views have been at the forefront of the development of non-religious pastoral care. Pastoral care is often required in circumstances where people experience loss. Pastoral care provision should meet the highest ethical standards. It is relatively easy to make this statement, but the realities of practice raise a number of challenges. The International Humanist and Ethical Union has an agreed definition of humanism: Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance that affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to give meaning and shape to their own lives. Humanists base their ethical decisions on a concern for human beings and other sentient animals. Those decisions are based on reason, compassion, and empathy. The aspects of congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathy are largely common to both humanistic psychology and existential counselling.
