This course is designed for elders, pastoral care teams, small group leaders and anyone else involved in delivering pastoral care in congregations. The course is not intended to make people experts in mental health. It will raise awareness of the issues and help people involved in pastoral care know what support they can provide alongside the expert help that is required. Further resources are found on the mental health resources page.
 
It is suggested that either the pastoral care material from the ‘Prepared to Lead’ course for elders or the basic pastoral care course for pastoral care teams and small group leaders is run first before this course. For participants who are already trained and relatively experienced in providing pastoral care, this course could be run on its own.
 
The course is designed to be delivered in a two hour session. It is designed to be delivered by the minister, pastoral care coordinator or other appropriate person and is in the form of short talks, group discussions and scenarios. Trainer's notes and a PowerPoint are included (the PowerPoint acts as a handout when printed three slides per page).
 
The course is available free of charge to trainers within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland in electronic format (Word document and PowerPoint) on request from Pamela Patton in the Council for Congregational Life and Witness. Email: ppatton@presbyterianireland.org