Soul space: the pastoral care of people with major mental health problems

Abstract

This paper builds upon the long and complex history of pastoral care and its roots in religious and theological theory and practice. Then it traces the influence of the human sciences and especially psychology and psychotherapy, which have had a major impact on practice in the mental health field in the last 50 years. The modern pastoral care movement has embraced the theories of hermeneutics and the central part of the paper applies one of these theories to the pastoral care of people with severe mental health problems. It recognizes the major contribution that users and survivors of mental health services have to make to their own soul care and the ambivalence to this which they encounter from society and religious and psychiatric professions. The paper concludes with some examples of good practice which recognize and use the different perspectives of users, mental health and religious professionals. These offer the best way forward for effective pastoral care for those who are served by and those who work in mental health services.