| CODE | MRT5810 | ||||||
| TITLE | Helping Skills in Spiritual Companionship | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Moral Theology | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | In this study-unit, the theoretical and practical skills required of a spiritual director, will be presented, namely, the skills of paying attention, noticing, and staying with the directee’s experience, and familiarizing oneself with some psychological tools in order to become aware of any hidden motivations and inner stirrings underlying the spiritual quest of the directee. Special attention will be given to the inner dynamics underlying psychological obstacles and resistances which might emerge in both the director and the directee in order to safeguard a self-conscious and professional practice on both parts. Study-Unit Aims: - To assess the directee’s progress in the spiritual quest through the use of several helping skills; - To estimate particular pitfalls which might arise from the companionship relationship, and apply necessary skills to remedy them; - To evaluate the progress of the director’s approach with the directee. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - to locate the skills and the know-how to identify and utilize them according to different approaches to spiritual companionship; - to retain a contemplative stance towards the spiritual companionship practice; - to sort out issues that are of a psychological nature from those of a spiritual one. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - to conduct particular skills in specific scenarios; - to demonstrate an ability to discern what kind of skills are needed in different settings; - to operate by a companioning model rather than a mere problem-solving one. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - BARRY WILLIAM A. & CONNOLLY WILLIAM J., The Practice of Spiritual Direction, Harper-San Francisco, New York, 1982. - EGAN G., The Skilled Helper. A Problem Management and Opportunity Development Approach to Helping, Wadsworth Publications Co. - HART T.N., The Art of Christian Listening, Paulist Press, 1980. - SMITH G.T., Spiritual Direction: A Guide to Giving & Receiving Direction. Downers Grove, IVP, 2014. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Jimmy Bonnici |
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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 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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