Community Clergy Training Program
Thursday, August 3 | 9:00am - 3:00pm | Faith E Church
This training program, provided by the state VHA Office of Rural Health, teaches pastors how to best minister, care, and support soldiers who recently came home from a deployment, soldiers and their families that currently serve in the armed forces, and/or those veterans that we so love and appreciate.
A lite breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Those interested in registering can contact Pastor Joe Windham via email at Joewindham@gmail.com or by cell - 406.839.5855.
A lite breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Those interested in registering can contact Pastor Joe Windham via email at Joewindham@gmail.com or by cell - 406.839.5855.
Community Clergy Training Program Overview:
Helping Veterans Access Care and Resources
Veterans living in rural areas may have limited access to health care and other resources. When seeking help they are likely to contact a trusted resource, such as a member of the clergy from a local house of worship. Many active duty service members and Veterans feel that seeking help in rural faith communities will have less negative impact on their reputation within the community and on their military career.
Clergy provide anonymity and confidentiality and there is less of a stigma associated with seeking counseling from the faith community for issues such as posttraumatic stress, depression, or difficulty transitioning from military to civilian life.
Clergy members often have limited knowledge about the unique health issues and readjustment difficulties common to returning warriors.
The Community Clergy Training Program (CCTP) Educates and informs clergy about:
Community Clergy Training Program - Modules
MODULE 1: On Military Culture and The Wounds of War
This session provides an overview of military culture with an emphasis on its
conflict with civilian culture. It describes specific sources of conflict and suggests an
approach for pastoral care with these conflicts. Additionally, this session describes
common wounds of war and the life impact of those wounds on warriors and their
families after they return home and suggests a pastoral care approach to helping.
MODULE 2: Pastoral Care with Veterans and Their Families
This session involves a discussion of the fundamentals of Pastoral Care with
attention given to the definition of “Spirituality” in relation to the development of
meaning and purpose in life. Special emphasis is placed upon the significance of
listening to the unique story of each Veteran. The Veteran’s Past, Present, and
Future story is explored to facilitate better understanding of the Veteran’s spiritual
distress and spiritual care needs. The session concludes with a discussion of the
roles of clergy in the care of Service Members, Veterans and their families, including
pastoral responses and resources.
MODULE 3: Mental Health Services and Referrals
This session is designed to provide community clergy with an overview of mental
health services available in many rural communities. The overview uses VA services
as a model but can be applied to other mental health settings, as well. In addition, it
will review key advantages and disadvantages for referral options. Using
downloadable handouts, this session provides detailed steps for making referrals to
the VA, community mental health agencies, licensed providers through medical
insurance, Medicare and chaplains of military units.
MODULE 4: Building Community Partnerships
Local communities are often the most important and most neglected resources for
reintegration of our returning service members. This session looks at the
responsibility and roles that communities have historically played in reintegration
and how we can form community partnerships today. Particular attention will be
given to practical lessons learned from the pilot project, “VA/Clergy Partnership for
Rural Veterans,” that builds community partnerships between faith communities,
local mental health providers, and others to help our Veterans and their families
come “all the way home.”
Helping Veterans Access Care and Resources
Veterans living in rural areas may have limited access to health care and other resources. When seeking help they are likely to contact a trusted resource, such as a member of the clergy from a local house of worship. Many active duty service members and Veterans feel that seeking help in rural faith communities will have less negative impact on their reputation within the community and on their military career.
Clergy provide anonymity and confidentiality and there is less of a stigma associated with seeking counseling from the faith community for issues such as posttraumatic stress, depression, or difficulty transitioning from military to civilian life.
Clergy members often have limited knowledge about the unique health issues and readjustment difficulties common to returning warriors.
The Community Clergy Training Program (CCTP) Educates and informs clergy about:
- Military culture and civilian culture clashes
- Common combat and military service-related health concerns
- The challenges of readjusting to civilian life
- Pastoral care for Veterans and their families
- Working with VA and community health care professionals
- Building a network of community support for military members, Veterans and their families
Community Clergy Training Program - Modules
MODULE 1: On Military Culture and The Wounds of War
This session provides an overview of military culture with an emphasis on its
conflict with civilian culture. It describes specific sources of conflict and suggests an
approach for pastoral care with these conflicts. Additionally, this session describes
common wounds of war and the life impact of those wounds on warriors and their
families after they return home and suggests a pastoral care approach to helping.
MODULE 2: Pastoral Care with Veterans and Their Families
This session involves a discussion of the fundamentals of Pastoral Care with
attention given to the definition of “Spirituality” in relation to the development of
meaning and purpose in life. Special emphasis is placed upon the significance of
listening to the unique story of each Veteran. The Veteran’s Past, Present, and
Future story is explored to facilitate better understanding of the Veteran’s spiritual
distress and spiritual care needs. The session concludes with a discussion of the
roles of clergy in the care of Service Members, Veterans and their families, including
pastoral responses and resources.
MODULE 3: Mental Health Services and Referrals
This session is designed to provide community clergy with an overview of mental
health services available in many rural communities. The overview uses VA services
as a model but can be applied to other mental health settings, as well. In addition, it
will review key advantages and disadvantages for referral options. Using
downloadable handouts, this session provides detailed steps for making referrals to
the VA, community mental health agencies, licensed providers through medical
insurance, Medicare and chaplains of military units.
MODULE 4: Building Community Partnerships
Local communities are often the most important and most neglected resources for
reintegration of our returning service members. This session looks at the
responsibility and roles that communities have historically played in reintegration
and how we can form community partnerships today. Particular attention will be
given to practical lessons learned from the pilot project, “VA/Clergy Partnership for
Rural Veterans,” that builds community partnerships between faith communities,
local mental health providers, and others to help our Veterans and their families
come “all the way home.”
