WELCOME TO ENGAGEMENTS TO PROFESSIONAL CHAPLAINCY PRACTICE

WELCOME TO ENGAGEMENTS TO PROFESSIONAL CHAPLAINCY PRACTICE

Having been trained, nurtured and equipped at the Professional Institute of Chaplaincy practice to the level of competence you have attained today, severally and corporately, you are hereby given a provision to practice chaplaincy. Welcome to;

a.     Active participation in professional chaplaincy practice.

b.     Engage or begin to engage in professional chaplaincy practice.

c.      Attempt professional chaplaincy.

d.     Commence the provision as pastoral chaplaincy care and service delivery.

e.     Engage in professional chaplaincy for profit in the following fields of endeavour.

Types of chaplaincy services that can be rendered at the present level of competence.

Types of counseling you should be able to engage in at your level as competence as you are graduating.

Counseling:

1.     Children counseling called (pediatric counseling):

Chaplains involve children counseling is called pediatric chaplains or counselors.

2.     Adolescent/Teens counseling:

Chaplains who are favourably dispose with passion to adolescents/Teens and understand the usual problems they face in life at their age will be of assistant to them in providing counseling with the chaplains offering such services known to called Teen/Adolescent Chaplain or Counselor.

They should be prepared to make themselves available for profitable intervention and counseling and as well be able to profitably handle the Teen/Adolescent counseling.

3.     Youth counseling:

Chaplains who are favourably disposed to the youth and are interested in helping them solve the usual problems they are prone to in life should be able to profitably provide counseling to the youths. Chaplains that render such services are called youth counselors or youth chaplains. Remember such chaplains and counselor must be able to identify with the youths at their levels and also come to be favourably accepted by them.

NB: I need to bring to your notice here that the first three types of counseling requires that chaplains or counselors give themselves to the study of good and bad parenting, parenting styles, peer group pressure and the effects on children, adolescents and youths in our various communities and societies. The effects of broken homes, step fatherism or motherism must also be studied by counselors or chaplains offering counseling and care service to people in these three categories detailed above.

Remember knowledge is said to be power. The more you know about the usual problem of people of these age the better you are or the more qualified you are to offer chaplaincy services, interventions, care and counseling, amongst them.

4.     Adults counseling:

Chaplains who are favourablly disposed to helping adult finds solutions to their usual problems of adulthood should be able to provide intervention and counseling services to these set of people. Chaplains offering services among adults may be called adult chaplains or counselors. These adults are people who have graduated from youth to adulthood whether married or unmarried. Problems people in this category are unique, special and diverse requiring knowledgeable handling of skillful professional chaplains.

5.     Couples counseling:

Chaplains who are interested in relationship issues and are favourablly disposed to helping them should be able to help couples in solving common problems confronting couples in this age. There must be thorough understanding of what are and kinds of couples you are trying to help at any point in time. Chaplains who offer services to couples may be called couple counselors or chaplains.

6.     Pre-Marital counseling:

Chaplains who are interested in helping people who are thinking or considering going into marriage relationship should be able to operate profitably amongst the set of people. The aspect that can easily make chaplains known is match – making or helping to find husband or wife for those who desire such services, this is an area that can easily profit counselors if done well within the law of the land.

7.     Marriage or marital counseling:

Chaplains who have passion for married couple/people and are interested in helping find solutions to the common problems of married people should be able to render profitably counseling or chaplaincy services to couples or partners. Chaplains offering such services may be called marriage counselors or marriage chaplains, there must be good understanding of what marriage is on the part of the chaplains. Unmarried chaplain should not venture into providing this service as there will be no form of experience where such chaplain can draw from.

8.     Family counseling:

Chaplains who are favourablly disposed to helping families by providing solutions to common problems of families in our age should profitably render the service needed amongst families or to families such chaplain and counselor offering such services may be called family counselors or family chaplains.

9.     Career Counseling:

Chaplains who have passion for career development of the people of our age, should profitably be able to offer career counseling at this level of competence. However the chaplain must have the understanding of what careers are, how they can be developed and subjects to do in school. Such chaplains and counselor offering such services may be called career counselor or chaplain.

Types of care that can be provided in chaplaincy practice at this level of competence:

1.     Pastoral care:

Pastoral care which was one of the foremost care provided in chaplaincy practice should profitably be provided at your present level of competence including the following activities.

i.                    Identifying with clients like a good shepherd.

ii.                  Standing with clients in their situations.

iii.                Have concern for clients without condemnation.

iv.               Praying with the clients or standing in the gap for clients in prayer.

v.                 Conducting deliverance or exorcism for clients where necessary.

vi.               Teaching clients how to meditately and patiently wait upon the Lord.

NB. Pastoral care must be understood by care givers and providers that chaplaincy emanated from pastoral care.

2.     Spiritual care:

Chaplains in providing the needed care for people in chaplaincy practice should profitably be able to care for the clients and the soul of human beings for as long as they remain human beings and in scope and nature.

Chaplains must know that there are problems called spiritual problem that seek to destabilize people spiritually, this making them vulnerable in the physical realm. There are also problems that defies, medical care and medication, such problems require spiritual attention e.g. demonosis originating from demonic and Satanic attacks or afflictions.

3.     Emotional care:

There are numerous problems of people and clients which are purely emotional and feelings oriented chaplains must be able to differentiate problem promoters and should profitably attend to people with emotional problems with the intention of helping to meet their emotional needs.

4.     Mental health Care:

Chaplain as problem solver should profitably be able to provide needed solutions to problems released unto our world and are in the form of mental health problems, the needed relief and succor for Clients held down by mental health problem. Although mental health problem do not signify that the particular client is suffering from insanity but mental health problems are disastrous and sometimes lead to loss of lives.

Chaplains even at the present level of competence are encouraged to be able to identify common mental health which include:

i.                    depression,

ii.                  stress,

iii.                insomnia,

iv.               confusion,

v.                 negative thinking leading to suicide or suicidal thought and attempt most of the time.

5.     Health care:

Chaplains who have the interest and passion to provide profitable health care services to patients in the hospital settings should be able to attempt such at the present level of competence provided they care to know what is done in hospital as chaplaincy practice to in-patient, out-patients and their relations.

Chaplaincy practice in the hospital setting is not synonymous with Hospital visitation, hospital evangelism, hospital ministry but having permanent or temporary place in the hospital as staff chaplain to enable the chaplain plan and execute chaplaincy work in such hospital.

Establishments, Work and Operations that can make professional chaplains known to the public:

1.     Psycho-social counseling center:

Where psycho-social counseling intervention and therapeutic treatments can be offered by chaplains and other professionals as interdisciplinary ventures.

2.     Professional counseling center: were chaplains can offer professional counseling and interventions to the people.

3.     Professional Chaplaincy center: where chaplaincy services are offered and declared to be generally of the people.

4.     Rehabilitation center: where people who have been addicted, beaten, battered, traumatized, stigmatized are offered assistance or help to restore them to normalcy or the state and condition before their tragedies or traumatic experiences.

Chaplains are expected to know those who should be offered rehabilitation and recovery programmes such as;

i.                    trafficked girls,

ii.                  abused children,

iii.                alcoholics,

iv.               victims of rape,

v.                 internally displaced people,

vi.               victims of terror,

vii.             People who have come to the understanding that they have bedeviled with bad habits and behaviours, wanting positive change in their lives.

5.     Orphanages: where abandoned babies can be cared for.

6.     Day care Centre: for both children and older adults can access Professional chaplaincy care services.

7.     Care giving: services from house to house by the care givers as such services are demanded for those who needed care in their homes.

With such operations and establishments, professional chaplains have the opportunities of projecting their works professionally and make themselves known to the general public. Advertisements of what chaplains have to offer locally and nationally and otherwise will make them known to people as well as in the government. Fliers and complimentary card can be printed and given to people.

Chap. Prof. Mike David JP, AP,CPC

Certified Chaplaincy Educator