Working with people in a specialist professional spiritual care role is a unique, rewarding and life affirming vocation, and the mental health space affords the opportunity to connect with people in deeply profound ways. People wishing to specialise in this area are welcome to contact SHA MH Leader Jenny Greenham at mentalhealth@spiritualhealth.org.au for more information.
Understanding how spirituality contributes to health and wellbeing more broadly and the ways you can support a person from the perspective of another health care discipline may involve a short course. For people who already work in mental healthcare and are curious about how spirituality fits into person-centred care, there are several options to support your enquiry. The following online courses will enhance your skills and enable you to offer spiritual care in generalist sense.
Provider: Royal College of Psychiatrists, The Spirituality Psychiatry Special Interest Group (SPSIG) UK.
Format: 4 e-Learning modules
Content: The what, why and how to take a spiritual history, assessment, and referral.
Cost: Free
Read more about Exploring spirituality with people who use mental health services.
The SPSIG have created an informative video titled Spirituality in Psychiatry for Today’s World (18 minutes).
Provider: edX
Trainers: Mary Pearce and Kenneth Pargament
Format: 8 online modules
Content: 16 competencies that are arranged around the categories of attitude, knowledge, and skills.
Cost: Approx. $120.00 AUD.
This training is USA based, very comprehensive and attracts OPD points.
Read more about Spiritual Competency Training in Mental Health.
Based on ‘Spiritual and Religious Competencies in Clinical Practice, guidelines for Psychotherapists and Mental Health Professionals’ - Vieten C, Scammell, S. 2015.
Provider: Spiritual Competency Academy
Trainers: David Lukoff & Cassandra Vieten
Format: online modules
Content: Spirituality 101 for mental health professionals and Spiritual Practices for mental health professionals
Cost: between $55.00 - $145.00 AUD
This training is USA based and attracts OPD points.