Children experience varying degrees of violence at a tender age compelling the need for pastoral care, an antique model of emotional and spiritual support. Pastoral care is regarded as individual and communal patience in which people trained in pastoral care offer support to people suffering from anxiety, pain, loss, and other traumatic circumstances. Neuroscience submits that most learning occurs in the early years making it imperative that during this period a conducive environment is created for maximal cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual development of the child. This can be achieved through non-biased pastoral care support for the victims and perpetrators to ensure repentance, forgiveness, and sustainable transformation thereby creating a non-violent society. While pastoral care has its roots in Christianity, ways of integrating it with other religions are essential in a multi-cultural and multi-traditional society. This chapter explored the challenges and benefits of pastoral care.
TopIntroduction
This chapter is founded on the belief that children’s internalised experiences from a tender age have a detrimental effect on their development later in life. Neuroscience informs us that during pregnancy the baby in the mother’s womb can slightly hear upheaval noise in the exterior environment besides hearing the mother’s heartbeat and breathing rhythm (Bhamani, 2017; Kleindorfer & Robertson, 2013; Partanen, et al., 2013). From birth, children communicate loud and clearly through crying, bubbling, chuckles, gestures and facial expressions which form the attachment but often they are misunderstood, silenced or given a deaf ear by those meant to nurture them. This mother-baby attachment is a biological instinct that is crucial in shaping the nature of the attachment and later relationships (Ainsworth et al., 1978; Bowlby, 1988; Thompson, 2000). The onus remains on the caregiver to passionately listen to the silent voice of the child in early childhood as it promotes the psychological development of the child.
De Boeck and Honwana (2005) believe that children’s voices are worth listening to as it is essential for their continued existence and development, besides being a social justice and adhering to the rights of children. The chapter discusses the realities in terms of a myriad of adversity issues children face such as poverty, orphanhood and chronic illnesses. Worldwide, children are subjected to abuse, toxic stress, neglect and marginalisation which need urgent attention if we are to have a stable future nation. Alleviation of the predicament children face in their homes and the urge to uphold the right to peace enshrined in the Rights of the Child compel the adoption of pastoral care and counselling in the early childhood settings where children spend most of their time. Hence, the aim of this chapter is to focus on pastoral care, pastoral counselling, and psychological therapy, processes of healing in circumstances such as bereavement, abandonment, abuse, and trauma that the youngest generation face today. Case studies have been used to exemplify different forms of abuse that require pastoral care and questions are posed on how pastoral care can be used to deal with the various problems.
TopLearning Outcomes
Achievements envisaged by the end of this chapter are that you should be able to:
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Define pastoral care and pastoral counseling in the context of early childhood development.
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Identify challenges encountered by children and distinguish the type of intervention that will best address them.
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Develop the practitioners’ insight into listening empathetically to the communication of the children.
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Be empowered to offer social and emotional care to children in various exigent circumstances.
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Create a supportive environment that is sensitive to meet the needs of children without prejudice.
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Promote cognitive, emotional and social development in a healthy and safe environment.