This seven-week pastoral care course is designed to help those wishing to develop their skills for visiting those in their community who are lonely, housebound, sick or bereaved.
Each session will be for 90 minutes and begin on Wednesday 19th October and finish on Wednesday 30th November.
19th October
Session 1: Theological context of pastoral ministry and experience and spirituality
Introduction to the course and overview of visiting.
The experience of being disabled, homebound or ill at home.
Overview of wholeness and healing in relation to faith. How spirituality and pastoral needs interrelate.
26th October
Session 2: Visiting and reflective practice
Reflective practice enables us to make connections with what we know from areas of knowledge and experience. Introduction to tools that can be used to help pastoral care visitors understand what is happening at a deeper level.
2nd November
Session 3: Listening skills
How to listen effectively.
9th November
Session 4: Visiting and handling difficult questions
How to approach a visit – aim and purpose.
Our limitations and how to reflect on the visit.
Prayer and ministry, projection and confidentiality; managing beginnings and endings, sharing ‘the journey’; setting boundaries and dealing with expectations.
16th November
Session 5: Communication difficulties
Communicating with those who are unable to engage in conversation for different reasons eg. Deafness, learning disability, stroke, dementia.
23rd November
Session 6: End-of-life issues and loss and bereavement
Examining the process of grief, in its widest context, and consequent pastoral needs.
30th November
Session 7: The role and needs of the pastoral care visitor
Supervision and support.
It is important that you attend each session as each session builds upon the previous week.
If you would like more details, please contact Canon Nick Fennemore on 07919 547508 or by email: canonfennemore@btinternet.com