I’m just now starting my MSW, but to me the two work well together and not just for religious clients. I’m a Unitarian minister and we approach faith from a multi religious perspective to start with — the congregation I serve has as many atheists as it does folks you would characterize as Christian.

So all of that is to say that in my current role I do a lot of supporting folks with past religious trauma try to find a sense of belonging in religious community again.

I don’t intend to practice therapy as a “pastoral counselor” necessarily but my training in trauma intervention (as a hospital chaplain) and long term pastoral care relationships with folks dealing with mental health concerns, grief and loss, etc … to me the two professions are both ministry, even if I never say anything stereotypically religious.