Karuna Care Education’s Practicum is an introductory level Lay Chaplain training program for spiritual practitioners of Sanatana Dharma [aka: Hindu] religious traditions, e.g., Gaudiya Vaishnavism, etc who aspire to provide chaplain ministry in hospitals, hospices, prisons, group homes, homeless shelters, police departments, fire departments, the military, religious communities and congregations, or wherever people in crisis may need them. Karuna Care Education trains its students to develop heart-connecting relationships that can grow into cohesive, caring communities.
The Karuna Care Chaplaincy Practicum is specifically for those who feel called to make Chaplaincy their primary service vocation and become skilled at being a compassionate listening presence in the lives of persons in crisis in one’s religious community, schools, hospitals, hospices, prisons or anywhere they encounter broken human hearts.
Eligibility for Training
Students wishing to be trained as a Certified Karuna Care Companion and becoming a member of the Karuna Care Association need following.
• Completed Three Introductory Karuna Care Courses
– The Impact of Grief on Spiritual Growth
– Name Your Feelings, Tame Your Mind
– Trauma, Addiction and Complicated Grief
• Brahmin initiation* (or at least first initiation)
• Completed Bhakti Shastri Course*
• Background Check
*If an applicant is not Brahmin initiated or has not completed the Bhakti Shastri course, then they must submit a 1,000-word essay [Times New Romans, single-spaced, 12 font] demonstrating how the essence of Bhakti Yoga [Gaudiya Vaishnavism] is unconditional love of Krishna and compassion towards all other living beings, including oneself.
Course commitment
This Chaplaincy Practicum is a rigorous intensive requiring a weekly time commitment of approximately 10 to 12 hours from the student. Time will be spent on:
- 4 hrs – Compassionate Care Conversations weekly
- 30 minutes – Spiritual Assessment Notes on Care Conversations
- 30 minutes – Weekly Reflection paper
- 2 hours per week – Kajabi Library supplementary videos viewing + Required Reading and writing assignments .
- 3 hours Zoom LIVE Video Discussion class.
- Cohort check-in, Case Study presentations; Reflective discussion, Q&A
- 1 hour weekly debriefing session.
- 1 hour – Mid-Unit Self-Evaluation Paper to present in class [1 time per course]
- 1-2 hours – Final Self-Evaluation Paper to present in class [1 time per course]
- There will be an additional 90 minute Mandatory Cohort Monthly Debriefing session. Day and time will be negotiated by the Cohort.
- Students will present in rotation, 5 case studies & critical incident papers, 1 spiritual Orientation paper, 1 mid- Unit Self Evaluation and 1 Final Self Evaluation paper.
Students will only be allowed to attend the Cohort they enrolled in at the start of the Course. This means if you have to miss a class, you will not be allowed to join the other one dur to group bonding issues.
*Students will only be allowed to miss class due to illness or a family emergency. If a student misses more than 4 classes during the course, they will not be able to receive a certificate.
Fees
The 24-week practicum costs $134 per month per student for 6 months [if you are living in a US economy] for a total of $804.
Students from, India, China, Russia, and South Africa will pay $20 per month for a total of $120 for the course.
Maximum capacity of 25 participants. This course will be taught max once a year.
To Decide Your Readiness To Enroll in this course…
Please ask yourself the following questions:
- Are you willing and able to volunteer 4 hours a week accompanying a person through a life-cycle crisis by offering them non-judgmental, compassionate care online, by phone or in-person at a healthcare or public services organization (hospital, hospice, prison, airport chapel, college campus, senior living home, etc.)?
- Do you have basic computer skills, e.g., sending emails, doing simple internet searches, uploading documents, and basic word-processing?
- Are you naturally compassionate to suffering persons?
- Are you open to exchanging honest feedback with your peers’ regarding your personal learning process?
- Are you ready to take an honest look at your current behavior and attitudes and make progress towards becoming a more authentic, transparent, and vulnerable person?
- Do you want to increase your self-awareness and interpersonal communication skills to create heart-connecting relationships with others?
- Are you willing and able to commit to Karuna Care Education’s two 12-week semesters (total=24 weeks) of online learning and practicum? Please review the Training Schedule before answering this question.
- Are you willing to explore your strengths and limitations regarding your interpersonal relationship skills
- Technical Requirements for having the highest quality experience during this course; 1) To use a computer instead of phone to access Zoom classes. 2) Use an Ethernet cable if your connection is unreliable. 3) If you are using a phone (not recommended) you will need at least 5G and Wi-Fi connection as data is generally not enough to stay connected to the internet.
If you have answered YES to ALL of the above questions:
Step 2
Dates and times for the next Practicum aren’t known yet. For the future cohorts register in the WAITING LIST.
After the applications open, you will be asked to send the complete application material, proving your eligibility.
Once we have received your complete application, you will be invited for an interview by the Karuna Care admissions committee. Interviews will be conducted on Skype or Zoom.
Important: Applications will be accepted into the student group only after going through the interview.
Successful applicants will demonstrate:
- Their ability to identify and express emotions.
- Their genuine care and compassion for others.
- Their ability to identify their personal strengths and limitations.
- Their willingness to take risks in order to grow as compassionate care companion.
- Their openness to receiving honest, compassionate feedback from others regarding their attitudes and behaviors.