Media representation of and for the disabled has been recharged in recent years with the expansion of new media worldwide. Interactive digital communications-such as the Internet, new varieties of voice and text telephones, and digital broadcasting-have created a need for a more innovative understanding of new media and disability issues. This engaging analysis offers a global perspective on how people with disabilities are represented as users, consumers, viewers, or listeners of new medi...

An excellent source of information and ideas on the relationship between disability and spiritualityand how to improve itThis one-of-a-kind collection explores the relationship between spirituality and disability from a variety of Australian religious and spiritual viewpoints. Authors from a wide range of backgroundssome with disabilities, some withoutdraw remarkable insights from Christian, Jewish, Buddhist (and even non-religious) spirituality. These uniquely Australian perspecti...

This collection examines theological and ethical issues of ageing, disability and spirituality, with an emphasis on how ageing affects people who have mental health and developmental disabilities.The book presents ways of moving towards more effective relationships between carers and older people with disabilities; ways in which to connect compassionately and beneficially with the person's spiritual dimension. The contributors highlight the importance of recognizing the personhood ...

Spirituality, religious belief and inclusive faith communities are important for mental well being but mental health practitioners have few guidelines for acknowledging these issues when working with service users.Spirituality, Values and Mental Health gathers together personal and professional contributions from mental health professionals, carers and mental health service users and survivors. It addresses the stigma that can surround both mental health and spirituality and explor...

Exploring the role of spirituality in couple and family relationships, this successful text and practitioner guide illustrates ways to tap spiritual resources for coping, healing, and resilience. Leading experts in family therapy and pastoral care discuss how faith beliefs and practices can foster personal and relational well-being, how religious conflicts or a spiritual void can contribute to distress, and what therapists can gain from reflecting on their own spiritual journeys. The volum...

Never in human history have there been so many people entering old age—roughly one-third of whom will experience some form of neurodegeneration as they age. This seismic demographic shift will force us all to rethink how we live and deal with our aging population.Susan H. McFadden and John T. McFadden propose a radical reconstruction of our societal understanding of old age. Rather than categorizing elders based on their cognitive consciousness, the McFaddens contend that the only ...

How can you foster spiritual growth in older people?This multidisciplinary work re-examines issues of aging with dignity and spiritual meaning. Aging, Spirituality, and Pastoral Care: A Multi-National Perspective brings together chaplains, pastors, counselors, and health care practitioners in all walks of gerontology from around the world to present a fully rounded picture of the spiritual needs and potentialities of this fast-growing population. It also includes a study of the spiritual a...

The argument of this book is that the divide between psychiatry and religion is an artificial one and that there is much room for understanding the same phenomena from different perspectives. In it thirteen senior mental health professionals and pastoral workers come together to explore what their different philosophies have to offer each other for the benefit of the individuals in their care. The book as a whole: * sets the relationship between psychiatry and religion in historical contex...

Five Pathways to Wholeness examines a variety of approaches to pastoral care: biblical counselling, the healing ministries, pastoral counselling, spiritual direction and social change.Bringing together material from a range of sources, and offering numerous engaging real-life illustrations, the author compares and evaluates each of the five approaches in its own right.At the same time, he encourages those who favour a particular pathway to respect and under...

The meaning of pastoral care in modern multicultural societies is challenged and reexamined from a pluralistic, global perspective in this book. Emmanuel Lartey stresses the importance of recognizing different cultural influences on individuals in order to effectively counsel, guide and empower them. He provides a clear and concise history of pastoral care and considers its relationship to different models of counseling and spirituality.This new edition has been updated to reflect ...

There is a huge need for churches to be more inclusive – some might be more inclusive in some areas than others (both in attitude and resources), but on the whole this is a massive failing of churches. Most church leaders recognise this failing but lack the resources and understanding to effect meaningful change. The Inclusive Church Resources aim to educate, to reflect theologically and to provide practical advice and guidance. Each book contains first-hand personal experiences of people ...

Pastoral counselling has had a significant role in the development of the wider British counselling movement over the past thirty years. Yet this role has often gone unacknowledged, and little has been written about the implications of its distinctive identity within counselling.Clinical Counselling in Pastoral Settings fills this gap by offering an exploration of clinical issues that are distinctive to the work of pastoral counsellors in a way that is made clearly relevant...