Students will reflect upon the various situations which may potentially give rise to trauma and disruption on a personal, communal and societal level and consider the formulation of a range of potential pastoral responses, drawing upon insights from pastoral theology, psychological and biblical perspectives. Specific case studies will be undertaken in application of principles of care.
Unit code: DP9200T
Unit status: Approved (Minor revision)
Points: 24.0
Unit level: Postgraduate Elective
Unit discipline: Pastoral Theology and Ministry Studies
Delivery Mode: Face to Face
Proposing College: Trinity College Theological School
Show when this unit is running| 1. | Outline situations which potentially give rise to trauma and disruption and their impact on persons affected. |
| 2. | Critique potential responses and implications for those impacted. |
| 3. | Critically evaluate available pastoral responses and external resources. |
| 4. | Evaluate responses to particular cases. |
| 5. | Integrate pastoral, psychological and biblical perspectives in response to particular examples. |
An advanced unit in Field D
Lectures. Case Studies.
Allain-Chapman, J. Resilient Pastors: The Role of Adversity in Healing and Growth. London: SPCK, 2012
Becker, Eve-Marie. Trauma and Traumatization in Individual and Collective Dimensions: Insights from Biblical Studies and Beyond. Edited by Jan Dochhorn and Else Holt. Göttingen: V&R Academic, 2014.
Boase, Elizabeth, and Christopher G. Frechette. Bible through the Lens of Trauma. First edition. Atlanta: SBL Press, 2016.
Carr, David M. Holy Resilience: The Bible’s Traumatic Origins. Yale University Press, 2014.
Cassidy, S. Sharing the darkness: the spirituality of caring. London: DLT, 1998
Conti, Paul, and Tim Fannon. Trauma: The invisible epidemic: How trauma works and how we can heal from it. Rearsby, Leicester: W.F. Howes Ltd, 2022.
Frankl, Victor E. Man’s Search for Meaning, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985
Graham, Elaine L. Transforming Practice: Pastoral Theology in an Age of Uncertainty. London: Mowbray, 1996
Harrower, Scott. God of All Comfort: A Trinitarian Response to the Horrors of This World. Bellingham, WA: Lexham, 2019.
Herman, Judith Lewis. Truth and repair: How trauma survivors envision justice. New York, NY: Basic Books, Hachette Book Group, 2024.
Kegan, Robert. In Over Our Heads: The Mental Demands of Modern Life. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1994
Robert A. Neimeyer (ed), Meaning Reconstruction & the Experience of Loss, Washington: American Psychological Association, 2001
Rambo, Shelly. Spirit and Trauma: A Theology of Remaining. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010.
Sales, Leigh. Any Ordinary Day: Blindsides, Resilience and What Happens After the Worst Day of Your Life. Australia: Penguin Random House Australia, 2018.
Shapiro, Constance Hank. When Part of the Self is Lost: Helping Clients Heal After Sexual and Reproductive Losses. California: Jossey-Bass. 1993
| Type | Description | Word count | Weight (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Book Review | 1000 | 10.0 | |
| Case Study | 1500 | 30.0 | |
| Case Study | 2000 | 30.0 | |
| Essay | 3000 | 30.0 |
Unit approved for the University of Divinity by Prof Albert Haddad on 15 Aug, 2025
Unit record last updated: 2025-08-15 16:47:48 +1000