"Spirituality is about what you do with your pain- you can either transmit it or transform it"
Richard Rohr
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The GSF Spiritual Care Course
The GSF Spiritual Care on-line training course is aimed at those interested in learning and discussing more about how they might give better spiritual care to those they care for.
It is not about being religious, or about saying the right things - it is about reaching out human to human to accompany people at this their darkest time, and through your presence and stillness, providing a safe place for them to move towards a sense of rest and peacef at their deepest core.
Everyone has an inner life , an essence, a spiritual awareness in whatever way they like to describe it. This course was developed in the context of the UK, with a broadly Christian perspective, but would be relevant to those with a non -religious spiritual awareness, those from other countries and other religious traditions, whilst acknowledging and understanding the cultural differences and perspectives
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The purpose of the course is to enable you to pay attention to the deeper spiritual needs of those you care for, and thus to exercise that care with more compassion. It aims to build resilience, resolution and peaceful awareness in those approaching the end of life, and also to help you look after yourself more effectively – to exercise self-care.
It will help you understand the difference between spirituality and religion and explores spiritual assessment, spiritual tools and the importance of spiritual aspects of Advance Care Planning. It discusses the role of religion, relationships and ritual, and the sources of hope and resilience.
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Rev Mark Thomas leads and introduces the course, along with a colleague from the University of Stafford, Peter, and we include input and interviews from many others who recognise the importance of spiritual care and the inner life of others.
Dr Max Watson, Palliative care Consultant Belfast, talks
about the importance of spiritual care
The importance of being present with people - Mark Thomas discusses the 5 senses of spiritual care, and most importantly presence
Click this image to see the Spiritual Care Course flyer.
Mark Thomas discusses inner life and outer compassion
We have much experience in running the course in many places in the UK, in hospitals, with care homes staff, with faith leaders and chaplains and with others, and have run many one-off workshops affirming the importance of compassionate care and spirituality within all other GSF Programmes in different settings and at GSF Conferences.
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We find whatever background people come from , whether they have a faith or religious practice or do not, that there are important aspects of what we discuss that resonate with everyone, and especially with care-providers caring for people nearing the end of their lives.
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Four filmed modules and workshops The course includes 4 filmed sessions, which can be undertaken individually or as groups and could be covered in about an hour or so each session, depending on how much group interaction is included.
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The very successful interactive workshops t (currently by zoom) encourage reflection, discussion and sharing of experiences with each other, which people find stimulating and helpful, building on the issues raised on the course.
