| CODE | MRT5840 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Foundations of Spiritual Companionship | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Moral Theology | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit will explore the essentials of spiritual companionship, namely, its history, its theology, its nature (the difference between spiritual companionship and pastoral counselling and psychotherapy), its contents, the role of the director and that of the directee, its psychological aspects and also some psychopathological elements which the director needs to be able to recognize. It will also deal with referral. Study-Unit Aims: - To discuss and distinguish between what is spiritual companionship and what it is not?; - To assess the major characteristics of the practice of spiritual companionship; - To present various models of conducting a professional director-directee relationship in the setting of the ministry of spiritual companionship. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - classify different models of spiritual companionship that emerge throughout history; - illustrate the theology and the basics of spiritual companionship; - sort the issues to be dealt with in spiritual companionship, i.e., director-directee relationship, psychological dynamics at play and how to deal with them; - establish when other helping skills through counselling, psychotherapy and referrals are needed. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - employ the theoretical aspect into case studies; - differentiate between psychological therapy and counselling and spiritual companionship; - explore scenarios which might arise in spiritual companionship settings, and role play these scenarios out. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - COSTA MAURIZIO, Direzione Spirituale e Discernimento, Roma: Edizione ADP, 1996. - BARRY WILLIAM & CONNOLLY WILLIAM, The Practice of Spiritual Direction, New York: The Seabury Press, 1982. - BARRY WILLIAM, Spiritual Direction and the Encounter with God: A Theological Inquiry. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist, 1992. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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