that is intentionally seeking to "walk with you along your path". Its focus is on emotional support and spiritual care.
In difficult and demanding times such as a critical illness or other traumas in life, we may experience high stress, reducing our ability to cope. At these times the help of others may be very valuable. Family members and friends are often a very important support, but sometimes the presence of a person who is more emotionally detached from the situation can be very helpful.
to which the offering of pastoral / spiritual care can be of support. Religious traditions are a source of comfort and direction in life for many. It is our spirituality that is at the core of self identity and sense of purpose in life.
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Spiritual care can be a dimension of any discipline, when a practitioner provides wholistic care, that includes the spiritual dimension |
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Pastoral care is a person-centred, holistic approach to care that complements the care offered by other helping disciplines while paying particular attention to spiritual care. The focus of pastoral care is upon the healing, guiding, supporting, reconciling, nurturing, liberating, and empowering of people in whatever situation they find themselves*.
*Pastoral care definition from Bruce Rumbold, La Trobe University School of Public Health |
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Pastoral / spiritual care is the only caring modality in which personal connection is the prime goal of interaction.
Because the nature of friendship is the mutual self disclosure of each person, pastoral care includes the skill by the carer of appropriately revealing him or herself as a person in the pastoral conversation. The value of this offer of friendship becomes important when the other person is interested to receive it.
An effective pastoral carer is an expert 'non expert'. The conversations she or he initiates are between two or more free and equal persons where there is no necessary assumption of 'expertise' as there is with a counsellor or therapist.
Pastoral care requires high levels of interpersonal skill focused in the free and equal relationship of friendship in which the carers intentions are formed in the interest of the patient or person, undergirded by a general motive of love and concern.
The provision of pastoral care is becoming profession in its own right within institutions, incorporating the provision of pastoral care by religious communities. Because the nature of friendship is the mutual self disclosure of each person, pastoral care includes the skill by the carer of appropriately revealing him or herself as a person in the pastoral conversation. The value of this offer of friendship becomes important when the other person is interested to receive it.
Chaplaincy and pastoral care in Australia have traditionally been the work of religious communities caring for their own members in providing care.
Institutions such as hospitals need to ensure that there is adequate provision of emotional and spiritual support. Over the years in Australia this has been addressed primarily from a Christian perspective with representatives of various churches and the provision of chaplains. With the increasing diversity of cultures and religious orientation there is a need to approach pastoral care addressing the multi-faith diversity.
While here can be difficulties in mutual understanding when encountering people of differing faith traditions, training programs now provide help.
Within a Pastoral Care Unit there is a team of visitors made up of people who may have titles such as chaplains, church visitors or pastoral carers.
No matter what your beliefs or religious persuasion may be, the designated pastoral carer (whatever their title) who may be visiting you in hospital or other institution, will be respecting your values.
If you want see someone from your faith tradition, the pastoral care unit will seek to ensure that an appropriate carer or chaplain is asked to visit you.
David says, "It is gaining a unique place within our secular society alongside other caring modalities such as social work, community work, and general counselling, specifically to help meet the religious, spiritual, emotional and pastoral needs of the general community."
A pastoral or spiritual carer offers 
