A one-year, part-time course designed to bring transformation - personally and professionally.
This is a great course for leaders and pastoral care teams to develop their inner world, their ability to relate well with team members and enhance their abilities in helping others grow.
The course can be done in three different ways to fit your role and requirement.

Choose from three Streams
Stream 1 focuses on growing your self-awareness, mental-emotional wellbeing, and relating skills
Involves:
- Three, one-week block courses
- Personal reflection work
Three personal counselling or coaching sessions are recommended.
Stream 1 plus the application of new skills for helping and caring for others.
Involves:
- Three, one-week block courses
- Personal reflection work
- Required reading
- Practise of pastoral conversation skills
Three personal counselling or coaching sessions are recommended.
For those who are already involved in pastoral counselling or coaching who are seeking professional development. Involves:
Stream 2 plus guided reflection and supervision to integrate new skills into your practice, to help others achieve greater wellbeing and freedom.
Involves:
- Three, one-week block courses
- Personal reflection work
- Required reading
- Practise of pastoral conversation skills
- Pastoral conversation reflection journal
- Three supervision sessions
- Three personal counselling or coaching sessions
Topic Areas
- Personal development
- Self-awareness
- Pastoral conversation skills
- Five types of listening
- How to ask great questions
- Understanding and using three different approaches
- Common presenting issues and the core drivers behind each
- The brain, the mind, the soul and the spirit
- Integrate faith in pastoral conversations
- Healthy relationship dynamics
- Pastoral topics including: grief, forgiveness, reconciliation, anxiety
- Understanding the change dynamic
- Maintaining healthy boundaries and self-care
- Ethical considerations

Your Course Teacher

Richard Black
BA, BD, MCouns (Distinction), MNZAC
Richard is the founder and Director of Mind Health, an organisation dedicated to enhancing wellbeing. He is an ordained minister and a trained counsellor, working alongside churches to provide specialised support for their pastoral care. He holds a Masters in Counselling, doing his research on “Emotional health in the role of a church leader”. Through his counselling, training, and public speaking he helps people strengthen their thinking, be proactive in relationships, and succeed with life. Having been involved in pastoral ministry for many years, he understands the everyday struggles that people face and the demands on church leaders.
Richard has the knack of being able to communicate complex issues in a way that is practical and easy to understand. He has authored two books: Centred: Knowing who you are in an off-balanced world, and There’s a Happy Moon in My Side (children's book).
Email: richard@mindhealth.org
Upcoming Courses
About the Course
The course is broken into three, one-week blocks, across the year.
The block course is run Monday - Friday, 9 am - 3 pm.
The course is offered:
In-person by request for groups of 12 or more
Additional time needs to be allowed for after each block course. Depending on the pathway you choose it will involve approximately:
- Personal Development: 30 minutes/week
- Advanced Pastoral Care: 2 hours/week
- Supervised Pastoral Counselling: 3 hours/week
NB: You will be required to find a counsellor and supervisor, and have a session with each after each block course. The Mind Health team is available for this.
$1,500 + GST ($1,725 incl GST)
NB: This excludes any counselling or supervision sessions required.