Spiritual Care Australia

How we die can be just as important as how we live our lives. What does dying in a dignified and culturally safe way look like? How can we ensure that the dying person has the information they need, in-language, and are able to express their final wishes in terms of what their final days should look like? Living Well, Dying Well: Culturally Safe Palliative Care will be presented by the dynamic Sonia Di Mezza with Spiritual Care Australia. Join us online for this fabulous presentation.

https://lnkd.in/df9csd6g Join Craig and SCA's PD Engagement Officer Karen Lunney in a conversation about best practice, safety, issues for rural and regional areas, application of concepts in the wider spiritual care arena and the pathways towards aspirational goals.

Wow, we have had a great response with so many people registering before the early bird cut off, we have decided to do it all again! https://lnkd.in/gcckXQqC See you there!

What do people enjoy about the Spiritual Care Australia Conference? #spiritualcare #spiritualcareaustralia #SCA Register at https://lnkd.in/gcckXQqC

Spiritual Care and Social Work: understanding the similarities and differences Karen presented on this subject at the SCA Conference in 2019 and now revisits the theme in 2024. Multidisciplinary work, with skilled and sensitive collaboration, is highly important in health care settings in order to achieve holistic and patient centered care. Social work and pastoral care have had a history that has both merged and radically departed at different times. Essentially these two disciplines working in the same emotional space with patients, need to be clear and competent about practice in order to advance the patient’s therapeutic journey. Karen will explore the where the disciplines merge and differ and the complexities of collaborative work. Register at  https://lnkd.in/dGR7Aa_P Organization Representing: St John of God South Eastern Group (Berwick and Frankston Hospitals and Langmore Centre) Learning Outcome 1: Participants will understand the areas where spiritual care practice and social work intersect and divide. Learning Outcome 2: Participants can recognize both the challenge and benefit that can arise from these intersecting spaces in establishing and managing respectful working relationships among colleagues. Learning Outcome 3: The session will touch on skills and capabilities around different practice situations requiring clear boundaries and good communication. The aim being to improve holistic and patient centered care when spiritual practitioners are working as a member of a multidisciplinary team. About Karen Rolfe Karen has been a social worker for 35 years in various health systems. Her focus of practice involved addressing the impact and recovery of patients with acquired brain injury and chronic medical conditions. In 2016 she transitioned to work as a Pastoral Services Manager for St John of God South East Melbourne group of Hospitals – Berwick and Frankston Hospitals and Langmore Centre. As a Practitioner who has always found interdisciplinary work both challenging and fulfilling, Karen is keen to encourage the inter dialogue and understanding between allied health workers for improved patient care. Obviously, the interaction between social work and pastoral care is of special interest. Cost Members: $30 Foundational Partner Staff $50 Non-Members $70

Engaging in the Struggle - April Editorial For those engaged in Spiritual Care, Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy, you understand the fundamental and beneficial nature of your work. Not always, but often, you are fortunate to witness the transformative nature of spiritual care in people’s lives. However, we are also aware of the struggle facing Spiritual Care in affirming it as a discipline in its own right, with its own identity and approaches. We know we are distinct from therapists, wellbeing officers and social workers, and in the best of worlds, operate as part of multidisciplinary teams. And yet, questions still arise from organisational leaders, from government and from other disciplines about both our relevance and efficacy. Those not convinced by the value of spiritual care offer many arguments, some pointing to anecdotes of unprofessional practices, some questioning the role and place of “spirituality” as a concept in their sector, and some believing that the work of spiritual care can be subsumed within other disciplines. Within this landscape, Spiritual Care Australia continues to strengthen its established role as the peak body for spiritual care practitioners in Australia. We are growing our membership, credentialing more members to be safe and competent in alignment with our capabilities framework, and every month developing meaningful partnerships with industry and education bodies. In a word, we clearly affirm that we are an organised, professional body whose members make a significant difference through their work. I take great confidence in the new partnerships we are enjoying with a number of universities, the relationship with our CPE partners, and the serious consideration being given to what we are doing within our sectors. We know that who we are and what we do hold great value. What is becoming clearer to me in my role, is the need for each of us to tell our story. Share the value of your profession and the impact you are having. For our foundational partners, we need to hear why you value SCA and why spiritual care is a significant dimension of your work. For our education partners, we need you to continue to develop education pathways, and promote the research which undergirds all we do. Please share with me your testimonies, your stories, your ideas about how we can advocate for the work of spiritual care. Who can we ally with? What extra support do you need in your own role? Let us work together to ensure the building up of spiritual care, and safeguard the future of this much needed profession. Best wishes, Richard Richard McMahon SCA Executive Officer

Engaging in the Struggle - April Editorial For those engaged in Spiritual Care, Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy, you understand the fundamental and beneficial nature of your work. Not always, but often, you are fortunate to witness the transformative nature of spiritual care in people’s lives. However, we are also aware of the struggle facing Spiritual Care in affirming it as a discipline in its own right, with its own identity and approaches. We know we are distinct from therapists, wellbeing officers and social workers, and in the best of worlds, operate as part of multidisciplinary teams. And yet, questions still arise from organisational leaders, from government and from other disciplines about both our relevance and efficacy. Those not convinced by the value of spiritual care offer many arguments, some pointing to anecdotes of unprofessional practices, some questioning the role and place of “spirituality” as a concept in their sector, and some believing that the work of spiritual care can be subsumed within other disciplines. Within this landscape, Spiritual Care Australia continues to strengthen its established role as the peak body for spiritual care practitioners in Australia. We are growing our membership, credentialing more members to be safe and competent in alignment with our capabilities framework, and every month developing meaningful partnerships with industry and education bodies. In a word, we clearly affirm that we are an organised, professional body whose members make a significant difference through their work. I take great confidence in the new partnerships we are enjoying with a number of universities, the relationship with our CPE partners, and the serious consideration being given to what we are doing within our sectors. We know that who we are and what we do hold great value. What is becoming clearer to me in my role, is the need for each of us to tell our story. Share the value of your profession and the impact you are having. For our foundational partners, we need to hear why you value SCA and why spiritual care is a significant dimension of your work. For our education partners, we need you to continue to develop education pathways, and promote the research which undergirds all we do. Please share with me your testimonies, your stories, your ideas about how we can advocate for the work of spiritual care. Who can we ally with? What extra support do you need in your own role? Let us work together to ensure the building up of spiritual care, and safeguard the future of this much needed profession. Best wishes, Richard Richard McMahon SCA Executive Officer

Our Patterns of Creative Spiritual Care conference is the premiere event highlighting and supporting the work of pastoral care, spiritual care and chaplaincy in Australia. Spiritual care highly values the importance of person-centered care. Our 2024 Conference theme: “Patterns of Creative Spiritual Care – Enriching the Journey to Hope” recognises the richness of creativity when attending to the person at the heart of our care. The use of sound and music, aromas, art and imagery, drama and role, embodiment and movement, language and story are all mediums through which we seek to engage with the other. Effective spiritual care helps people to both experience and make meaning of their hopes and fears, and the role of the creative arts supports this process as people are enabled to find their voice and find expression, when experiencing suffering, grief, loss and trauma. It’s co-creation – the spiritual care practitioner engaging with the other, inviting meaning-making through the arts. Creativity, especially the creative arts, can be part of the expression of the compassionate, attentive presence required for effective spiritual care. It enables a connection in ways to enhance engagement with the self and others, to enable us to express our spirituality and meet spiritual needs. Our conference will explore patterns of creative spiritual care, provide experiences of creative approaches, and examine the research supporting these methods. All these creative efforts assist in enriching the journey to hope. In addition to the creative dimension, our conference will also be detailing the latest research in spiritual care, and provide updates and engagement around developing education pathways, in relation to our SCA Capabilities Framework. Spiritual Care Australia is delighted to offer this key event, from 24th to 26th June 2024, kindly supported by our sponsors, including venue host Australian Catholic University. https://lnkd.in/gcckXQqC

SCA would like to honour Hannah Gabrielle Friebel, who peacefully passed away on the morning of Monday, April 8, 2024 at the age of 27 years. From her father John's public message on Facebook: "She lived a full, rich life with grace, passion, and a loving spirit. Her contagious smile and laughter would light up any room. She fought a brave battle head-on for almost a decade with bipolar disorder and associated mental health challenges. These past 6 months we saw her beautiful spirit and smile fade, sadly resulting in Hannah taking her own life. Hannah has been an advocate for mental health and has directed her energy towards improving the mental health experiences of others. We encourage anyone struggling to reach out, seek help, support, regain their smile and experience all the good that life has to offer. Lifeline Australia: phone 13 11 14 In time her family hope to establish a perpetual memorial #ForHannah that supports her wish to protect and bring wholeness to others." (Please be aware there are scam pages suggesting logging in for a funeral replay on Facebook. Support her family by reporting these pages) "Hannah's passing is a blow to the heart. All of us at SCA grieve with her family and loved ones. Hannah was a light in the darkness, enriching all in the spiritual care community. We are grateful for all she taught us. She will be deeply missed." Dr Karen Pack, President, Spiritual Care Australia "This is incredibly heart-breaking. Hannah was such a vibrant presence at our conference and on our conference committee last year, and such a sincere, gifted and compassionate person." Richard McMahon, Executive Officer, Spiritual Care Australia "Hannah has contributed so much to Spiritual Care as a profession on a national level as well as in one on one with people who are struggling. I always appreciated her creativity, ability to be present through her art and dance, and her ability to question the status quo with the aim of advocating for others. I'll miss her voice at the table" Karen Lunney, Professional Development Engagement Officer, SCA Rest in Peace Hannah.