2. Practising Psychospiritual Care in Context

This is the second module (CPD7061) of the three modules that make up the PGCert in Psychospiritual Care.

Module aims

This module aims to support the practitioner to develop their understanding and practice of psychospiritual care through critical reflection on the application of a variety of approaches including relevant therapeutic modalities. The student will critically examine the effects of these approaches in relation to the spiritual and psychological experiences of patients and service users in a variety of contexts of health and social care.

The student will be encouraged particularly to critically analyse the effects of psychospiritual approaches in the light of the lived experience of patients and service users – including experiences of trauma and abuse. The module aims to develop critical insight into the importance of coproduction in psychospiritual care and to encourage critical reflection on the application of effective self care and personal spiritual development.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:

• Demonstrate critical insight into the relationship between psychological experiences and spiritual care in different health and social care contexts;
• Critically analyse relevant research to support the application of psychotherapeutic and trauma-informed approaches to psychospiritual care;
• Critically evaluate the concept and practice of coproduction in psychospiritual care;
• Critically reflect on their practice and how to safely and effectively develop psychologically informed spiritual care in their own role and context.

Topics covered

• Overview of psychotherapeutic modalities and their applicability to spiritual care
• Trauma-informed care, abuse and its effects (including spiritual and religious abuse), the complexities of interpersonal care and care of self
• Varieties of psychological experience (such as depression and anxiety, psychosis, suicide and self-harm, personality “disorders”, voices, dissociation and detachment …) and their impact on psychospiritual care
• Understanding the contexts of spiritual care (such as acute care, palliative care, death/dying/bereavement, mental health including psychiatry, psychology, counselling and psychotherapy, neurodiversity, children and young people …)
• Lived experience, coproduction, professional boundaries, self care and personal spiritual development
• The significance of social, family and faith networks in spiritual development and spiritual care

Assessment

The assessment strategy for this module is designed to assess the learners’ understanding of psychotherapeutic modalities and the appropriate integration of aspects of these to the practice of psychospiritual care in various health and social care contexts, recognising that diverse psychological experiences or conditions and past or present trauma may be present in any of these contexts. It will also require them to integrate an understanding of the interpersonal nature of psychospiritual care, taking account of both coproduction and self-care.

The assessment will take the form of a presentation (individual) lasting up to 25 mins with an additional 10 minutes for Q&A from peers and tutors. The presentation may (but is not required to) include the use of slides, a poster and/or other resources. The student will present their developing personal approach to psychospiritual care and their critical reflections on where the psychotherapeutic modalities they have studied in the module fit into the practice of spiritual care in their own context. The presentation should refer to relevant research and comparison to other health and social care contexts where appropriate. The student should demonstrate how they have taken account of diverse psychological experiences, trauma-informed practice, self-care and coproduction in the development of their approach.

Opportunities for formative assessment and feedback

Students will each be given the opportunity to lead a 5-minute reflective period (a “thought for the day” at the beginning of a teaching session) on a topic of their choice relating to the content of the module. This will provide an opportunity to experience presenting to the group their own thoughts on potentially sensitive topics.

In the second half of the semester, students will be given the opportunity to present their thoughts and a brief outline of their planned presentation to a small group of peers for feedback and discussion.

Feedback on ideas/reflections is also available from both peers and tutors through group discussion throughout the module.

The group and one-to-one tutorials also present an opportunity to discuss feedback already received and its impact on future planning.