Spiritual care

Why study spiritual care?

There is growing interest in healthcare circles in spiritual care's contribution to promoting health and providing support in illness. Much new evidence over the past decade arises from work carried out by nurses, medical practitioners, psychologists and social workers, supplementing contributions from the traditional spiritual care discipline of pastoral care. Spiritual care practice guidelines are now being developed for various disciplines and settings, including acute care, aged care, mental health, palliative care, rehabilitation, and supportive cancer care. There is a small but steady increase in the number of specialist spiritual care positions available across these settings.

This major is the first postgraduate spiritual care training program in a health sciences context in Australia. It is designed for healthcare professionals who wish to develop their expertise in spiritual care for their own continuing practice, or who plan to transfer into the field.

As a La Trobe graduate, you may be eligible for our 10%Alumni Advantagewhen you apply for a full-fee postgraduate coursework program.