Spiritual and Pastoral Care Education Programs
Developed for Congregations and Institutions
Program 1 - Foundations of Spiritual Companionship
This is a 60 hour program developed by the Misener's to equip professional, paraprofessional and volunteer caregivers to provide spiritual companionship. Education is structured in three levels of education, each of which builds on the other.
Level One - Basic Course - 20 hours
Theme One: Contemplative Listening (10 hours) Includes topics such as: qualities of effective companions, active listening skills, caregiver boundaries and self-care
Theme Two: Companioning Those Who Suffer (10 hours) Includes topics such as: the companion as wounded healer, caring that empowers, chronic illness, and the spirituality of suffering
Level Two - Advanced Course - 20 hours
Theme Three: Companioning Those Who Grieve (10 hours) Includes topics such as: learning from our own experience of loss, children and grief, and grief work
Theme Four: Companioning Frail Elderly (10 hours) Includes topics such as: understanding the aging process, companioning those with dementia, and a spirituality of aging
Level Three - Clinical Course - 20 hours Participants present verbatim accounts of spiritual companionship conversations and group supervision is used to increase confidence and effectiveness in spiritual assessment and empowerment.
Program 2 - Empowering Compassion Ministries
A 3-part, 10-12 month partnership between the Miseners and one to three congregations or institutions. The program consists of:
  1. A 3 month period during which there is consultation with leadership, gifts for ministry identification, preparation and commissioning of the teleministry team.
  2. A 3 to 5 month period of integration of learning to date and preparation for part 3. During this period the Miseners are available for coaching, selecting and equipping a lay leadership team.
  3. A 4 month period during which the lay pastoral care visitation team complete the "Basic" and "Advanced" Foundations program described above and are commissioned for ministry. Consulting and coaching is provided for the lay leadership team during this phase.
Program 3 - Clinical Pastoral Education
A 400 hour, multi-faith, nationally accredited and academically recognized, clinically based education program that equips caregivers to become Specialists in spiritual and pastoral care. For further information about Clinical Pastoral Education, see the website of the Canadian Association for Pastoral Practice and Education.
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