TRAUMA AND SPIRITUAL CARE (PR-8235)

This course discusses the impact of trauma on human functioning at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, communal, structural, and historical levels. It introduces the concept of trauma-informed or trauma-responsive pastoral care. Professional chaplains deal with the impact of secondary traumatic stress, vicarious trauma, and burnout and co-create opportunities for harm prevention, creative resistance, and resilience in the face of trauma. The course aims to address 1) intrapersonal impacts of trauma, such as loss of hope, disenfranchised grief, and the inability to feel safe in one’s own body; 2) interpersonal impacts of trauma relevant to building pastoral relationships and how traumatic experiences impact individuals’ ability to trust and form healthy, supportive relationships; 3) the effects of traumatic events on diverse communities in the aftermath of mass tragedies such as school shootings or terrorist attacks; 4) structural forms of trauma, such as the treatment of the undocumented and their separation from their families; 5) impact of historical trauma and the intergenerational transmission of trauma, such as the systematic annihilation of Native American communities; coping and safety among second-generation survivors of the Holocaust, and the legacy of slavery in the U.S. This course is open to students: MDiv, MA/MTS, DMin, and Ph.D./ThD. [Auditors excluded]. Assessments include synchronous-asynchronous discussion, a reflection paper, and a final presentation. The class will meet for 90 minutes synchronously and one hour asynchronously every week [25 max enrollment; Auditors Excluded]