C8145C Understanding and Working with Grief and Trauma

At the end of this unit students will be able to:

1. Articulate Biblical perspectives on the nature of human relationships, family dynamics, and how suffering impacts the person.
2. Critically evaluate culturally appropriate theories of pastoral counselling and interventions.
3. Outline in broad terms how to approach grief, loss, and trauma issues in pastoral care and counselling and differentiate between them.
4. Appreciate and define the importance of research and pastoral counselling theory for effective and responsible pastoral care and counselling.
5. Address both the reactions of people facing issues related to the terminally ill, and various other significant losses, and appropriate and inappropriate forms of support, assistance and Pastoral Care and discriminate between them.

1. Introduction to Trauma
2. Coping with Trauma 1
3. Coping with Trauma 2
4. Sexual Abuse and Trauma
5. Coping with Sexual Abuse and Trauma
6. Grief and Loss
7. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
8. Domestic Violence and Trauma
9. Grief in Chaplains
10. Post-Disaster Trauma

1. Online Forums (10%)
   Word Limit: 600 total
   Due: Week 3, 5, 7, 9, 11
2. Critical Response (40%)
   Word Limit: 2400
   Due: Week 8
3. Major Analysis (50%)
   Word Limit: 3000
   Due: Week 12

• Cloud, H., and Townsend, J. (2009). Safe people: How to find relationships that are good for you, and avoid those that aren’t. Zondervan.
• Rothschild, B. (2000). The body remembers: The psychophysiology of trauma and trauma treatment. W. W. Norton & Company.