Empowering Spiritual Carers: Sustaining Soul Care

EMPOWERING SPIRITUAL CARERS

Spiritual Care continues to be a vital part of any organisation that cares for and about people. Chaplains and Spiritual Carers provide invaluable support and care for others, every day. We give of ourselves to provide holistic care for others. The work of Spiritual Carers is very often unrecognised, unsupported and frequently not acknowledged. This conference hopes to empower our amazing Spiritual Carers and sustain Soul Care. 

We hope this conference will create new networks and strengthen existing ones, provide support and nourishment to those who are struggling in their roles, a space to reflect on the things that sustain, energise and keep us going in our work. We hope it will also be a great opportunity to explore new opportunities in the field of Spiritual Care and talk to others working in different areas of chaplaincy and spiritual care see how you might engage in the work of Spiritual Care in the future. It will be an opportunity to raise awareness of the vital work of Chaplains and Spiritual Carers and the work that we do.

If you’re working as a sole practitioner in the field of Chaplaincy/ Spiritual Care then this conference is especially for you. Come along, be refreshed, be empowered and be a part of an experience that will sustain our Soul Care

This is also an opportunity to engage with a range of people from Spiritual Care circles in the one room and have a chance to promote Chaplaincy in its various forms and contexts around Tasmania and be an opportunity to cross network and engage with people interested in Spiritual Care.

If you’re currently involved in Spiritual Care or would like to be, then register now! 

Keynote Sessions

Jim Schirmer

"Jim Schirmer is an Lecturer in the Master of Counselling Program, and has taught into that program in a variety of roles since 2012. He specialises in teaching and supervising ethics and professional practice, counselling theories, family therapy, and practitioner-research, and is active in scholarship of teaching in this area. His background is in the humanities - specifically philosophy, ethics and theology - and maintains an interest in exploring the integration of these intellectual traditions within the theory and practice of psychotherapy. His doctoral research follows this trend in exploring ways to identify and develop virtues, strengths and values in the character of the counsellor which have potential to enhance the outcome of psychotherapy. He brings close to 20 years’ experience in the human services field, specialising in working with adolescents and with refugee survivors of trauma, and maintains close connections to the field of professional practice." - University of Queensland:  Mr Jim Schirmer | UQ Experts accessed 31/01/2025

Keynote 1: "Undercurrents: Unseen Dynamics in Spiritual Care "

What types of things pose a challenge to sustainable spiritual care work? While things such as burnout, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma are well known, other dynamics are less obvious. This presentation explores the undercurrents that many spiritual carers feel when they pursue their vocation in a particular context and discusses how they can be navigated for sustainable practice.

Keynote 2: "Renewable Energy for Spiritual Carers: Beyond Self Care"

While self-care is a necessary aspect of sustainable spiritual and pastoral care, it is rarely sufficient on its own. This presentation will discuss some emerging ideas around sources of energy ‘within’ the work itself and reflect on how intentional cultivation of these might contribute to sustainable practice in this vocation.

Electives

A: Marion Reynolds - The place of Lament in Contemporary Spiritual Care

Lament is a rarely used form of journeying through grief. It is an ancient art of giving voice to emotions and processing the pain of human experience, grounded in our beliefs. This elective will be an interactive opportunity to grow in understanding the of role and form of lament, and to explore how lament can be applied in contemporary spiritual care.


B: Jim Schirmer - Processing Moral Distress in Soul Care

Moral distress is a distinctive challenge for those in helping and caring professions. This workshop will present a model to understand how ‘distressing moral emotions’ emerge in professional practice. The workshop will also discuss how this can be applied to help yourself and others navigate experiences of moral distress.

C: Gus Yearsley - Spiritual Care in Liminal Spaces

In life’s journey, simply going through the next open door is not as easy as it sounds. Sometimes, we get stuck in a hallway full of doors, and the only open door is the one we’ve just come through – and we don’t want to go back. We can feel caught in a corridor of confusion, a hallway of hesitation, a passage of perplexity – you get the point. These transitions can be messy, uncomfortable, draining… But what if they have value, purpose?

D: Eric Cave - Reflections on a career in Spiritual Care & Supervision

Conference Program

WEDNESDAY 28th May

0900 Conference Opens

0930 Keynote 1 – Jim Schirmer: Undercurrents: Unseen Dynamics in Spiritual Care  

1045 Morning Tea

1115 Electives

1230 Lunch

1330 Keynote 2 – Jim Schirmer: Renewable Energy for Spiritual Carers: Beyond Self Care

1445 Conference Q&A and wrap up

1500 Conference Close

Empowering Spiritual Carers: Sustaining Soul Care Conference is about equipping and encouraging Chaplains and Pastoral and Spiritual Carers in their vocation and roles.