The Salvation Army, in association with the William and Catherine Booth College, will be offering two courses.

They will be offering 'Pastoral Care in Times of Crisis' and 'Family Dynamics' and they are open to the public.

Both courses will be instructed by Dr. Captain Catherine Skillin, who is the chaplaincy programme co-ordinator and assistant professor of the Christian Ministries of William and Catherine Booth College.

The 'Pastoral Care in Times of Crisis' course will provide a combination of a theological paradigm and a mental health framework for acquiring the knowledge and skills necessary to respond appropriately to people in crisis.

The course material will focus on a holistic pastoral care model as it relates to various kinds of trauma that people experience in crisis situations. The concept of critical incident stress management will be presented and participants will have opportunities to explore the role that crisis intervention plays. Pastoral care in other crisis situations including suicide, grief, post traumatic stress disorder, spiritual crisis, family violence and abuse will be discussed.

The second course, 'Family Dynamics', will utilise the family systems approach in understanding the relational and communication dynamics of a family.

It will look at the nuclear family dynamics as well as multigenerational dynamics and those of a wider societal context. While some implications for family therapy will be briefly presented, this is primarily a theory course. In addition to the focus on individual family dynamics, the application of family systems theory to the church context will be emphasised.

Both courses will begin on April 16 and end on May 1 and cost $360.

For more information contact The Salvation Army Bermuda Division, on Reid Street, Hamilton, or visit its website at www.sab.bm.

Interested parties can also telephone 292-0601, fax 295-3765 or via email to rosemary_phillipscan.salvationarmy.org.