Graduate Certificate in Transforming Communities with a focus in Spiritual Caregiving Among Vulnerable Populations

Providing support in the mission of God

Why Spiritual Caregiving Among Vulnerable Populations?

The Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Caregiving Among Vulnerable Populations offers chaplains, community ministry practitioners, community development managers, community outreach coordinators, pastoral staff members, and other missional leaders with the following capabilities:

ability to create democratic and generative spaces for theological reflection and understanding through interpersonal dynamics of adult learning
ability to increase the capacity of spiritual caregiving to generate personal and social transformation
ability to develop and implement a customized plan of self-care that fosters an ongoing development and maturation of strong faith in God
ability to provide spiritual care among the elderly by understanding the nuances of spiritual care needs of the elderly in a variety of settings and facilitating transitions during senior lifecycle stages
ability to provide spiritual care among the terminally ill and their families by developing a spiritual care philosophy and practice that will equip them to provide spiritual care to the dying
ability to provide spiritual care among those with mental illness through spiritually-modified psychotherapies in the context of various programs created by faith-based organizations and others that serve this population
ability to provide spiritual care with at-risk youth through appropriate frameworks of spiritual care appropriate to the risk issue

Spiritual care is that care which recognises and responds to the needs of the human spirit when faced with trauma, ill health, or sadness and can include the need for meaning, for self-worth, to express oneself, for faith support, perhaps for rites or prayer or ordinance/sacrament, or simply for a sensitive listener. Some people find meaning, comfort, hope, goodness, and community through their religious practice, beliefs, and/or community of faith. Some people do not. Regardless of whether religious faith is a part of a person's life, spiritual concerns, resources, and needs can still be very important. Spiritual caregiving provides an opportunity for missional Christians to join in the mission of God who is at work in the lives of others. The Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Caregiving Among Vulnerable Populations equips students to provide spiritual, emotional, and relational support to people who are seeking answers to what we call the "big" questions of life by the elderly, those who are terminally ill, those with mental illness, and at-risk youth.