Pastoral care project produces new learning tools
A Federal Government funded two-year project on pastoral care, counselling and support has led to the production of a DVD by a palliative care research group at UniSA’s Centre for Regional Engagement.
Associate Dean of Teaching and Learning, Associate Professor Mary Oliver heads the project in a partnership between UniSA and Murray Mallee Community Health Service.
Prof Oliver is supported by lecturer Joy Penman and research assistant Cynthia Ofner in developing resources to up-skill health professionals in pastoral care, counselling and support. The educational materials consist of a resource manual and an accompanying DVD.
"Education and training are essential for health professionals to provide high quality care in the area of pastoral care," Prof Oliver said.
The DVD tells the story of a young engineer, known by the pseudonym of Peter Jones, dealing with brain cancer. The holistic care provided by family, health professionals and non-professionals is highlighted in the story, resulting in a positive health outcome for the patient and his family.
Within the story is a special learning environment, which consists of reflective exercises, a library and a repository of expert cases for the user to interact in making critical judgments and learning from these in a safe environment.
Health professionals and professional actors were employed for developing this learning environment.