Queensland: Buddhist Chaplaincy Course

This course is for anyone who performs helping work – as a volunteer – inside Buddhist communities or in the Australian or international community. This helping work may involve: caring for children and families; supporting people who are facing life difficulties (relationship problems, unemployment, bereavement etc.); teaching Buddhism to school children; caring for the sick, elderly and dying; providing pastoral care in universities, hospitals, hospices and prisons; teaching basic meditation skills and running meditation practice groups (for example in hospitals and workplaces); supporting community members in times of conflict or natural disaster.


Queensland Sangha Association – Buddhist Chaplaincy Courses

This course was first delivered in April 2011 and again from October 2013 to October 2014. The third delivery finished in March 2016. The fourth and the fifth followed thereafter. In December 2017 plans are being developed to run this course with some improvements for the sixth time. One of the improvements is to include units on mental ailments.

The text book for the course continues to be Buddhist Chaplaincy by Rahubadde Sarath-Chandra.

Completion of the course is a qualification to apply for registration as a Buddhist Chaplain with the Queensland Sangha Association Inc. There are 30 Buddhist Chaplains listed with QSA now.

QUALIFYING COURSE IN BUDDHIST CHAPLAINCY – 2019
Course reference SIB 001- Delivery 7

This course is for anyone who performs helping work – as a volunteer – inside Buddhist communities or in the Australian or international community. This helping work may involve: caring for children and families; supporting people who are facing life difficulties (relationship problems, unemployment, bereavement etc.); teaching Buddhism to school children; caring for the sick, elderly and dying; providing pastoral care in universities, hospitals, hospices and prisons; teaching basic meditation skills and running meditation practice groups (for example in hospitals and workplaces); supporting community members in times of conflict or natural disaster.

Helping others can be very satisfying but also challenging. This course aims to provide some basic tools to guide and support those who are involved in helping work. The topics to be covered in the course include: theory and practice of Buddhism (all traditions), what it means from a Buddhist perspective to help or ‘offer service’ to others, the limits to helping, basic counselling skills (especially listening skills and effective communication), common mental health problems encountered in the community, suicide prevention, and self-care for chaplains.

There are 20 hours of tuition in total in this course. Classes will be held on the following FIVE dates:

• Sunday May 5
• Sunday May 12
• Sunday May 19
• Sunday June 2
• Sunday June 9

All classes will run from 9am to 1pm at the University of Queensland, St Lucia campus. Students are required to attend all of these classes, to participate in the discussion and the skill building exercises, to complete assigned reading, and to complete two written assignments (a short report on a temple visit and a take- home exam).

There are no fees for this course; all tuition and reading material is provided free of charge by the QSA. Students who successfully complete the course may be eligible to apply to the QSA for registration as Buddhist chaplains.

Admission Requirements for the Qualifying Course in Buddhist Chaplaincy

1. completion of high school or equivalent, or a higher qualification. However, students who have a good basic education and life experience in helping work are also welcome to apply.

2. good proficiency in written and spoken English.

For further information about this course – or an application form – please contact Dr Barbara Sullivan by email barbara.sullivan4005@gmail.com.

The information pack for this course for 2019 is in the QSA website www.sanghaqld.org Please see in the list of documents in the Educational Services section of the website under Services.

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