Page 110 - EMCAPP-Journal No. 8

Christian Psychology alive
6. The last theme that I would like to discuss
for the purposes of this case report is the
discussion of the overriding theme of loss,
trauma and grief. This theme was the most
dominant of them all, and infiltrated quite
a number of the conversations held. Many
of the questions the learners posed were in-
dicative of great pain and tumult e.g. ‘how
can I help my mom to deal with the loss
of my dad?’, ‘what must I do if my friend
is being targeted for sex while she is home
alone? (parents only home late hours of
the night)’, ‘what must I do if I cannot stop
getting the images of what I saw and what
happened out of my mind?’. The school has
always been devoted to and active in their
assistance of all learners who are experien-
cing some form of trauma. Social workers,
pastors, counsellors, and a number of other
professionals are involved on this level. The-
re is also the continual organisation of semi-
nars and workshops to be held at the school
that address this type of pain. I was, howe-
ver, profoundly touched by the bravery and
maturity with which these adolescents have
faced these traumas. For many of them,
they testify of God’s grace and healing po-
wer. Determined strength is often birthed
through painful turmoil.
In conclusion, the last session of this conference
was one in which we invited the learners to give
feedback. They were asked to share what had
been meaningful for them, what they would
never forget, and what had challenged them.
The best way in which to demonstrate the si-
gnificance of what took place during this con-
ference is to list some of the many answers that
the learners gave:
• “I learned that my identity is in Christ, and
not in what others tell me I am, or ask me
to be”
• “I did not know that depression and anxiety
could be caused by all those things that you
spoke about” (physiological aetiology)
• “I was reminded today that even when I
make a mistake, God forgives me and He
loves me very, very much”
• “I understand more about God’s grace”
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• “I know now that I am not alone in this,
because I heard from the other students
about how they dealt with what I am going
through right now”
• “I did not know that you can get that many
STDs, and I had not thought much about
sex in the way you explained” (pastoral and
sexual education expert explanation on the
biblical model of sex)
• “You have helped me to understand that it
is ok to mourn for my father, and what grief
is”
• “I don’t want my emotions to be an excuse
for how I treat others, like…… If I am real-
ly tired and irritable and then I shout at my
mother for no reason”
• “I didn’t think I was a bully. But now I see
that I am. And I am sorry for anyone that I
have hurt who is sitting in this room today”
(learners responded by giving an encoura-
ging and accepting round of applause)
• “I think I can see now that fear controls my
life”
It is clear from the feedback received that the
learners were significantly impacted by the con-
tent of this conference. As discussed at the be-
ginning of this article, the intention of this in-
itiative was to integrate education, psychology,
and Christianity in a manner that was relevant
and applicable for the learners at the school.
One of the factors that contributed most to this
success was the inclusion of professionals from
all three fields. These speakers worked in tan-
dem with one another by respecting and com-
plementing one another’s areas of expertise.
The professionals had one uniting commonality
which aided their cohesion, and that was their
faith in the Lord. This provided the basis and
foundation from which their academic know-
ledge was formulated and presented to the lear-
ners. Allowing the learners to be active parti-
cipants in this conference through asking and
answering questions aided our understanding
of the challenges they are facing, as well as how
best to assist them through these things. Finally,
it would appear, from the feedback statements
mentioned above, that the learners’ experience
of the conference was indeed one in which they
felt educated and informed from a psychologi-