Description
Book SynopsisWhat is meant by 'spiritual care'? How can we assess and communicate the needs of a child in hospital effectively if we each have conflicting interpretations of 'spiritual'?
This book proposes that we use a language of 'connectedness', which can fully express a child's feelings about, and understanding of, their hospital experience, rather than relying on religious or medical language. In doing so, assessments can be made purely on information given by the child and their emotional and spiritual needs can be communicated between professionals using a shared professional language, regardless of their own faith, religion or secular outlook. The book fully explains the concept of connectedness and outlines a practical assessment tool that uses play and storytelling to connect with the child and gather information about their hospital experience, their relationships with others while in the hospital setting, their feelings about their current state and their needs.
This book will improve communication between medical practitioners, chaplains and other support services, enabling them to provide the best support for children in their care. It will also be of interest to academics in healthcare, theology and psychology.
Trade ReviewThis important book is both practical and inspirational. It offers a framework for empowering children to speak about their spiritual concerns and, what is much more difficult, enabling practitioners to hear what they are saying. The outcomes of this communication are theologically transforming. -- Heather Walton, Professor of Theology and Creative Practice, University of Glasgow
Table of ContentsIntroduction - Thinking Outside the Box: Finding Professional Dimensions for Understanding Meaning. 1. Finding Another Way: Connectedness. 2. Understanding Child Development through Connectedness. 3. How Does a Child Connect? 3.1. Creating the Zone: The Role of Play and the Place of Story. 3.2. Building the Zone: What are the Additional Competences to Connect with a Child when a Healthcare Professional Uses Play and Storytelling? 3.3. Being in the Zone: A Practical Approach to Connect with a Child. 4. What Does the Professional Discover? 5. The Next Steps - Naming the Voices. My Conclusion and My Hope.
