The Bloomsbury Guide to Pastoral Care provides a framework for reflection on pastoral care practice and identifies frontier learning from the new and challenging practical contexts which are important in pastoral care research today. In this collection of essays from leading practitioner-scholars, Bernadette Flanagan and Sharon Thornton set out core principles underpinning professional identity and the practice of pastoral care in rapidly changing social settings. Such pastoral challenges as, developing compassionate and effective companioning to those who have suffered trauma, torture, catastrophic events, social disintegration, the moral wounds of war and cultural dislocation are treated with insight and deep care. The new frontiers of pastoral care in more familiar circumstances such as family, health settings where patients facing life-challenging medical events and multi-cultural communities are also explored. With contributions from Kevin Egan, Michael O'Sullivan SJ, Rita Nakashima Brock and Julia Prinz VDMF, The Bloomsbury Guide to Pastoral Care is an essential reference for the theory and practice of pastoral care.

A scholarly yet accessible introduction to Christian Spirituality. What is Christian Spirituality? How does it relate to non-Christian traditions? Where does it arise from and where is it going? These are some of the key questions addressed in this innovative new guide from Bloomsbury. The Bloomsbury Guide to Christian Spirituality is written by foremost academics in their fields who distill their knowledge for a wide intelligent audience. They do this with huge skill and attention to the needs of modern readers. Appealing equally to those studying the tradition for religious formation or those wishing to acquaint themselves with this fascinating subject, this guide is destined to become an essential text in the field.

Bullying amongst young people is a serious and pervasive problem, and recent rapid advances in electronic communication technologies have provided even more tools for bullies to exploit. School Bullying and Mental Health collates current research evidence and theoretical perspectives about school bullying in one comprehensive volume, identifying the nature and extent of bullying and cyberbullying at school, as well as its impact on children and young people’s emotional health and well-being. There are many negative consequences of bullying, and children and young people who have been victimised often suffer long-term psychological problems, such as increased levels of anxiety, depressive symptoms, social isolation, loneliness and suicidal ideation. Perpetrators of bullying also have a heightened risk of experiencing problems such as anxiety and depression, as well as eating disorders and antisocial behaviour. Founded on rigorous academic research, this important book tackles the negative consequences of bullying, and bullying culture itself, by examining the social and cultural contexts that perpetuate such behaviour from childhood through adolescence and potentially into adulthood. Containing contributions from an international team of authors, this book explores current interventions to prevent and reduce school bullying and to alleviate its negative effects on the mental health of children and young people. In-depth discussion of the profound implications of this research for researchers, practitioners and policymakers makes this book essential reading for those interested in bullying culture and the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.

Understanding Contemporary Education offers an essential exploration of key concepts and issues in education that will allow education studies students, as well as trainee and practising teachers to engage in reflection, not only on work at the classroom level, but on education more broadly. Using detailed examples, the book problematises many popular and taken-for-granted views, allowing the reader to challenge and seriously consider the nature of the education enterprise. In each chapter, a concept is carefully considered, with major features, controversies, and strengths and weaknesses highlighted. Key follow-up questions challenge the reader to reflect on specific issues, and encourage involvement, not just in their own teaching, but in the planning and determination of the total programme of their school, and where possible, that of the nation. The book is divided into seven main parts: The Social Context of Education Education Policy Curriculum Teaching and Learning Leadership in Education Teacher Preparation International Developments in Education. Drawing upon a wide variety of theoretical positions, Understanding Contemporary Education provides an accessible introduction to key themes and concepts in education, challenging readers to fully consider the purpose of education and to reflect intelligently on issues that affect all schools. It is a must-read book for those on education studies courses, as well as trainee and practising teachers.

Increasingly, it is being recognized that spirituality, defined here as "a multiform search for a transcendent meaning of life that connects them to all living beings and brings them in touch with God or ‘Ultimate Reality,’" is an aspect of almost every sphere and aspect of social life. It appears in humanity’s dealings with nature, home and community, healing, economics and business, knowledge, and education. The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions is a stimulating collection that summarizes the most important issues, frameworks, discussions, and problems relating to spiritually inspired activities in different fields of social life. The contributors explore how spirituality is a part of existence and present approaches and models for professionals working in diverse areas. Presented in seven parts, the book provides a full overview of current research and practice. Part II, "Facets of spirituality," explores topics including philosophy, psychology, theology, and culture. Part III, "Nature," looks at ecology, agriculture, cities, and tourism. Part IV, "Home and community," presents chapters on various life stages, disability, gender, and culture. Part V, "Healing," examines medicine, mental and physical health, and ill-health. In Part VI, "Economy, politics, and law," contributors discuss business, leadership and the workplace, peace, and policing. Part VII, "Knowledge and education," includes chapters on science, design, fashion, literature, and the arts. In the final part, "Way forward," the editors look to the future with a chapter on inter-spirituality and the renewal of social practices. Driven by contemporary research and new developments, this Handbook is an innovative and interdisciplinary collection that provides an essential overview of contemporary spirituality and society from an international selection of contributors. The Routledge International Handbook of Spirituality in Society and the Professions offers accessible, diverse, and engaging international research, and its scope will appeal to academics and students of a wide range of subjects, including aging and addiction, psychology, theology, religious studies, sociology, business studies, and philosophy. It will also be an important work for professionals in medical and social services, the clergy, education, business, the arts, religious communities, and politics, and members of organizations looking at the links between spirituality, religion, and society.

In Being Gay in Ireland: Resisting Stigma in the Evolving Present, Gerard Rodgers argues that existing theory and research on the lives of gay men often exhibits a social weightlessness such that self-beliefs are frequently decoupled from an analysis of society. History and conventions inform and shape gay men’s self-beliefs, yet psychology as a discipline rarely dialogues with historical or political scholarship. Rodgers corrects this oversight with a critical analysis of the decades of socio-political struggle in Ireland and elsewhere. Rodgers captures the lives of gay men who are situated in varied contexts and who all, despite their different situations, possess self-beliefs that are shaped by wider historical traditions and evolving social change. Rodgers argues that the nuances and particulars of self-beliefs are significantly affected by wider historical traditions and evolving social and political changes. Through his reconstruction, Rodgers provides practitioners of applied psychological and therapeutic disciplines with an in-depth picture of how historical context and social justice successes have interacted with gay men’s self-beliefs, with a particular focus on how prosocial resistances against prejudice have incrementally eroded historical standards of gay stigma.

This new collection, from chaplains in a wide variety of contemporary chaplaincy settings in the UK and around the globe, brings together practitioner perspectives with academic discussion and is tailored to support students of Chaplaincy at every level. The lively narratives and reflections make this book accessible to those engaging with what chaplaincy means for the first time, while the rigorous critical engagement with key issues makes this a key read for anyone seeking a fresh and global perspective on developments at the forefront of this swiftly growing and diversifying field of ministry. The volume explores what chaplaincy means in contemporary and global settings. It takes seriously the intersectionality of both practitioners and recipients of chaplaincy ministry, centering factors such as race, gender and disability, alongside political, missional and denominational considerations.

The new authority on English literature.

The Bloomsbury Companion to the Philosophy of Sport features specially commissioned essays from a team of leading international scholars. The book, by providing an overview of the advances in the philosophical understanding of sport (and related practices), serves as a measure of the development of the philosophy of sport but it also constitutes an expression of the discipline's state of the art. The book includes a critical analysis of the historical development of philosophic ideas about sport, three essays on the research methods typically used by sport philosophers, twelve essays that address vital issues at the forefront of key research areas, as well as four essays on topics of future disciplinary concern. The book also includes a glossary of key terms and concepts, an essay on resources available to researchers and practitioners, an essay on careers opportunities in the discipline, and an extensive annotated bibliography of key literature.

Prayer and Thought in Monastic Tradition presents a chronological picture of the development of monastic thought and prayer from the early English Church (Bede, Adomnan) through to the 17th Century and William Law's religious community at King's Cliffe. Essays interact with different facets of monastic life, assessing the development and contribution of figures such as Boniface, the Venerable Bede, Anselm of Canterbury and Bernard of Clairvaux. The varying modes and outputs of the monastic life of prayer are considered, with focus on the use of different literary techniques in the creation of monastic documents, the interaction between monks and the laity, the creation of prayers and the purpose and structure of prayer in different contexts. The volume also discusses the nature of translation of classic monastic works, and the difficulties the translator faces. The highly distinguished contributors include; G.R. Evans, Sarah Foot, Henry Mayr-Harting, Brian McGuire, Henry Wansbrough and Rowan Williams.