Providing Chaplaincy to Oncology Patients & Their Families – NACC 2023 Webinar series
Many improvements have been made in the Oncology/Hematology field. The word ‘cancer’ still remains a frightening and daunting word and the diagnosis carries a lot of implications for the person as well as their family/caregivers. The pattern of their life is not necessarily linear; there are many ups and downs. There is a process going on inside the person that they cannot control. And for them, cancer becomes a lifelong journey- from the time of diagnosis. Religious coping can be helpful along their journey.
Depression as a Wilderness Experience: Theological resources for depression in the wake of trauma
In the wake of traumatic events, many survivors experience psychological distress, including conditions like depression. These traumas and their psychological aftermath frequently engender disorientation and difficult questions: What is happening? Why is this happening? And what is one to do amid such pain? Depression sufferers and those who accompany them sometimes turn to faith communities for answers, and though some find solace in the theological and practical responses they receive, many Christians are left searching. Coblentz’s book, Dust in the Blood: A Theology of Life with Depression (Liturgical Press), adds to the Christian theological resources available to depression sufferers and those who accompany them. This lecture will introduce one such resource—an understanding of depression as a wilderness experience—and explore its implications for Christian interpretations of and responses to life with depression. (Art: Gesture of Grace by Jan Richardson)