Coram Care

Coram Care is a care-community and it’s for everyone. It is inclusive of particularly the helping professions in which ‘care for the caregiver’ is so incredibly important, and unbelievably neglected.

It is national initiative of Coram Deo NPC. In this community we encourage practitioners, professionals, ministry workers or simply everyday people in all professions to take care of themselves, their families, our communities. Become a member by filling out this form at a suggested minimum donation of R25/month, and to think, you will get all your CPD points at CPSC for the year in this way.

Join ‘Care’ here

Membership cost for Coram Care is a mere R300 per year. Ideally we’d prefer that you set up an automatic monthly contribution of R25/month. This amount is our 1st tier of our standard Seeds of Hope donations campaign. Our 2n tier (average) contributors of R100/month receive great value and discounts on other formal programmes we offer and lifetime online access to all programmes students have completed with us. Ultimately this contribution goes a long way to help us care and work towards hope in people’s lives. Those who donate are eligible to receive Article 18A tax reduction certificates (provided by us). That is the tax reduction incentive the government allows for supporting public benefit organisations.

Previous topics (as examples)

  • Forgiveness and agency – a narrative approach
  • Gen C – the Covid generation
  • Who is on my train?
  • Unpacking our houses
  • Sculpting as a metaphor for life
  • A theolog of rest and harmony
  • David Whyte – Still possible
  • Never untouched – Awe wonder and pain in the counselling conversation
  • Why identity stories are important in caring for the self

Coram Care attendees acquire all of their CPD points at CPSC (cpsc.org.za) and most of the SignoPro points required per annum (https://signo.co.za/signopro-an-introduction/). You are welcome to approach us if you are from other professions and we can look into the possibility of recognition with your professional body.

Join our weekly hosted care event online or members can arrange care events in their area across the country with our help. If doing the latter you will be registering and hosting a Coram Care community in your area.

The community currently meets online on a Thursday morning (get in touch if this does not work for you) but people can join as part of a group in any location in the world if there are more than one person from an area. Coram Deo can play a role in establishing such local communities with enthusiastic local joiners. Depending on the Covid level at any given time, the host community (being in Pretoria) can also get together locally while simultaneously connecting online with other local communities across the country. Local communities need not always connect with the Pretoria/online group and Coram Deo can help local communities set up their own expression of Coram Care so that local events cover different topics to better contextualise in each area.

There are four objectives to Coram Care nationally. Every community need not pursue all four objectives. Also please make sure in your local community to what extent they pursue the following objectives.

  • Coram Care is a community that comes together regularly and engage each other as pastoral and or narrative practitioners
  • Reach out and involve other professions in care (care of self [as individuals and practitioners], and those close to us). Due to this objective Coram Care is not only for existing counsellors but simply anyone who wants to become part of a care community and learn valuable skills in the group (i.e., participatory active listening, informally learning about the narrative approach we follow, being respectful and non-blaming and much more).
  • Offer further learning opportunities to the wider community
  • Encourage and do voluntary care in the broader context

Fee

As mentioned the fee is a mere donation. We prefer a monthly contribution where we suggest a minimum of R25 (twenty-five-rand) per month ideally a R100 per month donation will help us greatly to fulfill our mission as a non-profit mental health counselling and training organisation. Your donation can reduce the amount of taxes you or your company must pay annually when we issue (on request) a section 18A tax receipt.

Bank details: ABSA Cheque account 406 725 8321 | Branch Code 335 545 (Hatfield) | Notification to finances@coramdeo.co.za | Reference: SOH+[Surname]+[Initials] Also send and email directly to our managing director elmo.pienaar@coramdeo.co.za so we can link you in the community and other value offerings of being a Seeds of Hope contributor.

Being part of this community you now become a recipient and provider of hope. Local communities, with the necessary arrangement, can ask a fee if they want to support or advance different initiatives in the area. They might for instance be keen to invite a motivational speaker for which a fee is charged or build up a kitty. This should be done with the input of Coram Deo and the local leader of such events are deemed to be Coram Deo volunteer leaders and receives a volunteer certificate.

CPD (Continued professional development)

Communities who follow the Pretoria/online programme will qualify to receive CPD / Supervision points that count with CPSC (Council for spiritual and pastoral counselling) and Signo Professional Association. Speak to us if you come from other disciplines. Please note that Coram Deo has other programmes more specifically focused on CPD or Supervision. Where local communities deviate from the host Pretoria/online community please bear in mind the Coram Care initiative should still have a strong overall focus on care.

Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life. Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope.

Contemporary English version 1 Peter 3:15

Schematic of Coram Care objectives

Through this network of communities we seek to make a difference locally and practically by bringing together those who do ‘care’ and through this network reach out to the broader community.

If you want to part of such a community, please reach out and we’ll tell you more.