Spiritual Care and Counselling Skills
This fully online short course equips you with foundational skills in spiritual care and counselling for patients, families, and healthcare workers in the hospital environment. Whether you're a church volunteer, ministry leader, or someone called to walk alongside the sick, this course will give you practical tools rooted in compassionate, person-centred care.
What You'll Learn
Through video lectures, a comprehensive training manual, reflection exercises, and curated academic reading, you'll explore how illness affects the whole person: body, mind, relationships, and spirit. You'll develop basic counselling and active listening skills, learn how to conduct a spiritual assessment, and gain confidence in offering meaningful support within the healthcare setting. Topics include the impact of illness, hospital etiquette, empathetic listening, the narrative approach, spirituality in healthcare, the use of Scripture and prayer, and focused pastoral care for cancer, surgery, and chronic illness.
Course Duration
This course comprises approximately 15 to 20 hours of study, including nearly 4 hours of video content across 5 modules, curated further reading from peer-reviewed and academic sources, quizzes after each section, and a final essay (for the UP certificate option only).
You can work through the material at your own pace.
Online Delivery
This is a fully online short course delivered via Google Classroom. Study from the comfort of your home. Once you're enrolled, we'll email you an invitation to join the classroom within 2 working days. If it hasn't arrived, please check your spam folder.
Course Structure
Watch each video module. Complete the reflection exercises. Pass the quizzes to progress through the course. If you selected the UP certificate option, submit a final essay.
Course Options
Option 1: R1,100. Includes the HospiVision Certificate of Attendance.
Option 2: R2,100. Includes the HospiVision Certificate AND the University of Pretoria (UP) Certificate of Attendance.
Important Certification Details
To receive the UP certificate, you must successfully complete the required essay. UP certificates are released annually. The cutoff date for the current cycle is October 2026, and certificates for this cycle will be released by March 2027.
Financial Support
Funding is available. The Diaconia bursary and the John Templeton Foundation Scholarship both cover the R1,100 course fee (HospiVision Certificate). They do not cover the additional cost of the UP certificate.
⚠ Please note: if you are accepted for a bursary or scholarship, you must complete your selected course on Google Classroom within 6 weeks. If not, your place will be forfeited, as we have a limited number of bursaries and scholarships available.
Diaconia Bursary: You qualify if you are a member of the Dutch Reformed Church, Calvin Protestant Church, or United Reformed Church.
John Templeton Foundation Scholarship: If you are not a member of the above churches, you may apply for this scholarship.
How to apply for a bursary or scholarship:
- Complete the application form.
- Select the relevant bursary or scholarship option from the "Application type" dropdown at the top of this page and place your order, using the same email address you used on the form.
- We'll review your application and email you the outcome. If it's approved, your Google Classroom invitation will follow.
Enrolment Process
All online short courses must be purchased directly through our website.
EFT (Bank Transfer): Select "EFT" at checkout. Your course access will be activated once funds have cleared.
Refund Policy
Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds for courses not attended, but we can provide a credit note valid for 12 months. You may use it for any of our short courses or transfer it to someone else.
Placing an order for a bursary or scholarship option doesn't guarantee a place. Your enrolment is confirmed once your application has been approved.
