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Course
Emotional & Spiritual Care for Trauma
~7 Hours
In this Emotional & Spiritual Care for Trauma course, you will be trained in the fundamentals of trauma awareness and care so you can offer basic spiritual and emotional support to those affected by trauma in your communities, including yourself.
3 instructors
About This Course
Trauma is a deep wound to the mind, body, or spirit, often caused by overwhelming experiences like war, loss, abuse, violence, or other experiences that exceeded the sufferer’s ability to cope with them. Throughout the world, countless people carry trauma from personal or communal suffering.
Trauma affects the whole person—body, mind, and spirit—because God created us as holistic beings. Emotional responses like anxiety or numbness are not signs of weak faith but natural reactions to pain. Some Christians view psychology or studies of emotions with suspicion, fearing that it opposes faith. But psychology, like medicine, can help us heal. God made our minds, and understanding trauma can help us care for ourselves and others more compassionately, just as Jesus did.
In this Emotional & Spiritual Care for Trauma course, you will become equipped to understand the nature of trauma, grief, and suffering. This course provides foundational knowledge and practical tools to recognize trauma, offer spiritual support, and refer individuals for further help when needed. Through theological reflection, case studies, and practical guidance, you will develop confidence to be present, listen, and support others as well as yourself in the process of healing.
You will also take time to reflect on your own experiences with trauma using biblical principles and the connection between mental health and faith, helping you to integrate faith with compassionate care for others.
What You Will Learn:
- Describe the signs and symptoms of trauma and grief in individuals.
- Apply biblical principles of suffering and healing to provide spiritual and emotional support in trauma care situations for yourself and others.
- Evaluate trauma care scenarios to develop context-appropriate care responses, incorporating presence, listening, and referral strategies.
A FULLER Equip course
- Leadership
- Mental & Emotional Health
- Administration
- Volunteer Training
Introduction
1. Getting Started
Knowledge
2. Understanding Trauma
3. Theology of Suffering
4. Grief and Loss
Practice
5. Gospel and Trauma Care
6. Practical Skills for Trauma Response
7. Trauma Helper Self-Care
Conclusion
8. Next Steps
Your Instructor
Clay Barnes
Care and Counseling Senior Pastor at Carmel Baptist Church
Dr. Clay Barnes is a board-certified pastoral counselor with over 40 years of ministry and counseling experience. He currently serves as Director of Trauma Counseling at Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary, where he equips leaders to respond to the psychological and spiritual needs of communities impacted by war. Previously, he spent nearly three decades as Senior Pastor of Care and Counseling at Carmel Baptist Church, overseeing counseling ministries for a 3,000-member congregation. Dr. Barnes has led counseling missions to China, trained pastors globally, and specializes in trauma-informed care, abuse recovery, and pastoral leadership development
David C. Wang
Cliff and Joyce Penner Chair for the Formation of Emotionally Healthy Leaders
David Wang is a licensed psychologist, pastor, editor of the Journal of Psychology and Theology, and serves on the editorial board for the APA journal Spirituality in Clinical Practice. In 2022, he joined Fuller’s faculty as the Cliff and Joyce Penner Chair for the Formation of Emotionally Healthy Leaders. His research interests include trauma and traumatic stress, spiritual formation and spiritual theology (with special interest in the experience of the spiritual desert), and various topics related to multicultural psychology, peace, and justice.
Mary Glenn
Associate Professor of the Practice of Chaplaincy and Community Development
Dr. Mary Glenn, assistant professor at Fuller since 2022, co-created and co-chairs the MA in Chaplaincy and teaches in multiple programs. With 20+ years as pastor, chaplain, and community leader, she leads urban immersions, trains law enforcement chaplains, and speaks on trauma and God’s shalom. She has served with CCDA, Cities Together, and other organizations.
