Come and equip yourself to deal with the stresses and strains of daily life better.
An interactive workshop exploring how understanding ourselves and our body’s reaction to trauma better can enable us to build resilience for the future. Hilary will help us learn how to check in on ourselves and respond in a more considered and creative way, enabling us to look after ourselves and accompany others better in pastoral ministry through difficult times. We will look at how we can respond in a helpful, healthy way, both individually and collectively as congregations and communities, and the biblical and faith resources available to help. We will finish with an optional healing service.
Refreshments will be provided but please bring your own lunch.
Hilary is a great speaker who is experienced in all kinds of church leadership and teaching and a trustee for St Lukes for Clergy Wellbeing. Please see below for her biography and to find out more about the workshop.
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Trauma-informed Ministry in troubling times
From my experience of running these Trauma Informed Ministry workshops, it’s clear that even though the worst of the Covid pandemic has passed, many ministers and congregations are still struggling with the legacy of it.
This is exacerbated by having to face into challenges of rebuilding and pressure to move forwards with strategies for growth, pastoral reorganisation, and theological disagreement; and all in the context of wider concerns such as the cost of living crisis, social inequalities, impacts of climate change, political instability and war in Europe and the Middle East.
No wonder our anxieties and stress levels are high, and just at a time when we may be finding our capacity to cope with all of this is diminished and demands on us as ministers and members of churches are more fraught.
It’s not a situation that is going to be resolved easily or quickly so how can we resource ourselves for the long haul and give ourselves the best chance of finding courage and creativity to deal with the challenges and with one another without burning out or breaking apart?
In this interactive and experiential workshop we will look at:
– our current context; where do we find ourselves now, whether personally as ministers or collectively as churches?
– how we can make good use of recent developments in trauma theory and neurobiology to help us understand what happens to us in our body and brain when we are dealing with trauma or experiencing chronic stress, anxiety and conflict;
– how to better regulate and pace ourselves so that we can move from being at the mercy of our difficult emotions and anxieties, simply re-acting to people and situations, to being able to regulate ourselves and respond in a more considered and creative way;
– how we can better accompany others in pastoral ministry through times of trauma, anxiety and conflict;
– the application of our understanding of how we respond as individuals to how we respond collectively in our congregations and communities, and facilitate the same movement from reactivity to considered collective responses that are more courageous, creative and sustainable;
– where is God in all of this? What are the connections between our understanding and experiences of trauma and our biblical and faith resources? We’ll look at how our Scriptures are a robust language and resource in trauma and demonstrate the power of reframing as a component of resilience.
Workshop Reviews
I would recommend this course. It was well presented using a mix of teaching from listening to interactive. The material is grounded in serious exploration of trauma from a number of disciplines including Theology.
A really helpful overview of trauma – for individuals, for churches and communities, and for ourselves. Plus plenty of signposts if we want to explore further.
Whether this is new or a revisiting of previously accessed training the course is immensely valuable and delivered with expertise, grace and humility.
It is safe, accessible, informative and practical with an experienced and wise trainer.
The Revd Hilary Ison Biography
Hilary has been in licensed lay ministry since 1980 and ordained ministry since 1987 in parish and sector ministry, theological education and from 2008-2017 as a National Adviser for Selection in the Bishops’ Advisory Panels for ordained ministry.
She gained further qualifications in Organisational Consultancy and Systems Leadership (MA, Tavistock Clinic 2002) and as a practitioner in Systems Constellations (2017): www.systemicconstellations.com
Her interest in building resilience in congregations and ministers has been informed through participation in a research project (2017-20) looking at how better to prepare ministers to cope with tragedy and trauma in congregations. This has resulted in the development of resources and delivery of training days for ordinands and curates, and, during the Covid Pandemic, providing on-line workshops for those in ministry.
Hilary is a Trustee of St Luke’s for Clergy Wellbeing.
