By Hayford Obeng-Akrofi
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The Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is relatively an unknown discipline in Ghana. Recently, I was privileged to attend the commencement of its 16th session at Koforidua in the Eastern Region and came to the conclusion that “it is a must in all spheres of life.”
The CPE in Ghana is under the auspices of the Koforidua Diocese of the Catholic Church with Rev. Fr. Alex Bobby Benson, as the Director.
The programme, according to Fr. Benson is “an internationally accepted method of learning Pastoral Care and Counselling through supervised experience of pastoral work in hospitals, schools, the security services like prisons, police and the army, social and welfare institutions.”
It is for both the clergy and the laity irrespective of gender, religious or ethnic background, and prepares students for Chaplaincy work.
Participants must be conversant with the theology of their religion.
According to Bobby Benson, after working for 12 years as a Parish Priest, he came across the programme and felt that it was needed in Ghana.
With the permission of Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle then Bishop of Koforidua, went to Ireland to acquire knowledge and skills in CPE, and later to the United States of America (USA) for further training.
The first programme, was started at the St. Dominic’s Hospital at Akwatia in 1999 with three students; a Reverend Sister and two laymen who on completion, were employed as Chaplains at Eikwe Catholic and St. Dominic Hospitals.
In Ghana, people need to be heard, comforted and helped to make right decisions, thus, “the essence of CPE to train people who will bring together the most essential elements needed for ministering to the Theological, Spiritual and Psychological needs of those who are wounded and in need of emotional support, the dying person, the sick and his or her caregivers.”
The programme responds to immediate needs of people and the content is tailored to prepare students to be adequately prepared to meet the needs of every situation.
For example, the programme according to the Director, brings students face to face to the reality of HIV/AIDs among other activities through the “Matthew Chapter 25 Project,” a Non-Governmental Organisation he has formed to offer counselling, care and support to victims of the disease.
The CPE is run in units of 12 weeks and one needs four units to qualify as a Chaplain. Currently, 36 people in Ghana have gone though the CPE programme but only four have done all four units to qualify as Chaplains.
The CPE cuts across ethnic and religious boundaries and is for both sexes, is evidenced by the interactions I had with two male participants of the programme, a Catechist in the Catholic Church and a Moslem, both Ghanaians, and a 20 year-old German Buddhist lady.
Mr. Michael Martey Padi, a Catechist who has already finished with two units and was on the third, said CPE, has come to answer his dream in life to help give care and support to the vulnerable in the society.
His initial desire was to enter into the Seminary to become a Catholic Priest, and when that fizzled out because of disagreement with his family over the issue, CPE has come to his rescue.
His whole life has been transformed because interacting with his course mates daily in discussions on case studies has improved his human relations, deepened his theology and also helped him to understand clinical issues. He recommends the programme for all social workers.
Mr. Razak Mohammed is a Moslem. His concept about chaplaincy work was one of a Parish Priest somewhere in the Church praying all the time for the sick and doing other priestly duties.
Doing his National Service at the “Matthew 25 House,” where he has had the opportunity to interact with People Living with HIV/AIDS.
Today, his confidence has been strengthened. His perception about different religions has completely changed. In a more practical way, he has come to realise that people with different religious background are one.
Miss Pilar Wopker is a 20 year-old German Buddhist who is on a six-month visit to the country and has seized the opportunity to take part in the programme because of an experience she had back home.
She wanted to do medicine and specialize in gynaecology. She had the opportunity to work at the hospital after graduating from High School and came “face to face with death.”
She saw a certain woman bleeding to death and she became so afraid that she got traumatised and became afraid of death.
She has come to accept death as part of life and now knows how to handle the sick in a professional manner.
Miss. Pilar realises that when people are in crises they are very vulnerable and afraid. In such a situation, there should be someone there to assist them. “People who are in need have to get someone to assist them through their predicament” she said. CPE does not necessarily have to be for the highly educated people only.
People at the grassroots must be taught the basic principle of care and support, counselling, offering comfort and giving advice to people in crisis, says Miss Pilar.
She is not comfortable with the way sometimes “bad news” as in the case of terminal diseases or death are broken to the infected and affected. She recommends that CPE be incorporated in the syllabi of Medical Schools.
Being a Buddhist too, the programme has helped shape her perception about Moslems especially. She has now come to realise that they are not as inhuman as portrayed in the media through her interactions with her Moslem course mate.
The CPE is staffed by the Director and a host of resource persons from the behavioural sciences.
Among the topics treated in the CPE are Pre/Post HIV/AIDS Counselling and general information. Book Review, Laboratory Exposition, Will Preparation, First Aid, Medical Ethics, Aromatherapy Articles and Book reading.
CPE according to Fr. Benson, has so far succeeded largely due to MISSIO, a charitable organisation in Germany which has supported the programme with subsidy for students fees, a bus and purchased a residential accommodation for students.
It is the hope of Rev. Fr. Benson that people will come to appreciate the importance of CPE and sponsor students from their institutions and organisations for the course so that they could return as Chaplains to help manage crises in the respective areas.
The next CPE Course will take place on Monday, September 24, 2007. Interested persons should write to
The Director
CPE
P. O. Box 2807
Koforidua.
(Only seven students for a unit).
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