Page 102 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 8
P. 102
Christian Psychology alive
Marieke Willers
The Professionalisation
of Pastoral and Spiritual
Care and Counselling
in South Africa
People in South Africa suffer from spiritual
wounds and stress. The causes are many - the Marieke Willers completed a BSc de-
lack of reconciliation, poverty, HIV/AIDS, un- gree at the University of Stellenbosch,
employment, on-going violence, crime and majoring in Biochemistry and Micro-
transformation in the workplace... Problems biology. She started her career in an
in the family, marriage and relationships are oral cancer research unit of the Me-
compounded by issues such as debt and work- dical Research Council for eight years
related stress. and then joined the Atomic Energy
Corporation, as well as the Council
The overwhelmed society needs trained caregi- for Scientific and Industrial Research
vers to actively become part of a healing process. (CSIR).
There is clearly a need for a unified and consi-
stent approach to pastoral and spiritual health Gradually she moved closer to the
care. Pastoral and spiritual caregivers, although “people business” establishing,
they may be highly trained and competent, are amongst others, a public relations of-
not always recognised as professionals – in spite fice and a bookshop at the church she
of their unique perspective on emotional pro- attended.
blems.
In November 2006 she became in-
Spirituality needs to be integrated into the prac- volved with the administration of
tice of healthcare by realising the value of faith, the Southern African Association
hope and compassion in the healing process. for Pastoral Work (SAAP) and wor-
Pastoral and spiritual caregiving by appropria- ked alongside her brother, Prof Callie
tely qualified practitioners utilises the dimen- Hugo, who was the SAAP chairperson
sions of faith, spirituality and religion to guide at that stage. Professor Callie had a vi-
and facilitate people towards the transformati- sion and a passion for the professiona-
on of their life situations. lization of pastoral care and counsel-
ling in South Africa. He left no stone
Both professional (e.g. ministers, pastors, and unturned to reach this goal, until his
qualified pastoral and spiritual caregivers) and untimely and sudden passing in Oc-
lay pastoral and spiritual caregivers, are uti- tober 2010. Marieke, however, stayed
lised and work within contexts such as youth with SAAP and still contributes in
work, family and marriage counselling, church any possible way to keep her brother’s
congregations, schools, the police service, the dream alive. She enjoys building rela-
defence force, correctional services, crisis call tionships with members of the orga-
centres, emergency services, hospitals and the nisation – Pastoral and Spiritual Care
wider community. and Counselling Practitioners.
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