Pastoral Care Plan for a Grieving Person

1. Purpose: Learning in the pastoral theological disciplines requires a constant cycle of practice, self-reflection, theory, and practice. Since this class does not include a “practice component,” the major integrative learning project is a research paper. The professor’s recommended paper is to imaginatively create a pastoral care plan for a grieving and/or dying person(s) based on a literary description. That possibility is described below. If a student does not want to take on this project, the instructor welcomes a conversation regarding other options based on the student’s vocational direction and interests.
2. Dialogue: Since this class does not require a practice placement, each learner will create a dialogue based on whatever source is available to her/him. This source may be in your current ministry, a recent formal or informal caregiving encounter, or a more distant caregiving encounter. While the dialogue must be based on actual experience, the learner may fill in specifics through partial memory and creative additions.
a. The dialogue should report at least 15 minutes of conversation.
b. Longer dialogues may shift between critical moments of “quotes” and summary passages.
c. Ideal verbatim reports will include two or more encounters.
d. The learner must be in a caregiver role. The care receiver cannot be a family member. It is better not to have a close friend in the care receiver role.
3. Dialogue Format: The dialogue should be essentially the following.
Caregiver name
Care receiver name(s) (create an alias!)
Site of encounter(s)
Date of encounter(s)
A. Background: Write a paragraph or two that sets the stage for the encounter. How did you come to know the receiver? Summarize the nature of your relationship (if any) prior to this encounter. What do you know about this receiver prior to your conversation? What thoughts and feelings do you have prior to beginning the conversation? Describe the physical situation you are in and what mood that may have set for the conversation. What is your immediate perception before any words are spoken (sights, smells, intuitions, etc.)?
B. Dialogue
Left-hand column: number each speaker’s interaction; include notes regarding non-verbals, interruptions pause.
Second column: Actual dialogue. Summarize less important aspects of the conversation in a longer conversation.
Third, Fourth, and Fifth columns: To be discussed during class and reading
Right-hand column: What’s going on inside of you? Your thoughts, feelings, questions, and experiences at that moment.
Speaker Dialogue Style/Skill Phase Power
Dynamics
CG
thoughts
/ feelings
SEE THE SAMPLE DOCUMENT.
4. Analysis and reflection “due dates” (exercises from Doehring)
10/18 -- Exercises 2 (p 52), 3 (p 71), 4 (p 83)
11/1 -- Exercises 5(p 114), 6 (p 152)
*****Exercises 7 (p 168), 8 (p 186)******
Note 1: While Doehring’s exercises provide the outline for the verbatim analysis, other readings and class information should inform each analysis. Be sure to include either Buhuro's perspective as the required commentary or perspective.
NOTE 2: I COMPLETED THE VERBATIM MAJORITY; I JUST NEED HELP WITH EXERCISES 7 & 8.
BOOKS
1.) The Practice of Pastoral Care- Carrie Doehring (MAIN BOOK)
2.) Spiritual Care in the Age of Black Lives Matter- Danielle J. Buhuro
3.) In Living Color- Emmanuel Y. Lartey