What is Existential & Pastoral Care?
Existential & Pastoral Care is a free volunteer service in cooperation with the Pastoral Care Department for new and existing Nav-CARE clients. This service offers secular existential & pastoral care — compassionate presence, emotional support, and attentive conversations that help clients, their caregivers, and their family members, to explore meaning, values, and what matters most to them as they navigate challenges like illness, aging, or loss. This is not religious counseling; it is support grounded in each person’s own beliefs, whether religious, spiritual, or entirely secular. This additional service is provided by an experienced and specially trained Nav-CARE volunteer, who also has extensive training in existential and pastoral care and is accredited as humanist chaplain by Humanist Canada.
What does an existential and pastoral care volunteer (chaplain) offer?
Pastoral Care volunteers (chaplains) can assist with many things including, but not limited to:
- Presence and companionship during difficult moments
- Exploring meaning and legacy by reviewing memorable moments and creating memories
- Working with fear, grief, anger, hope, and spiritual distress, and uncertainty
- Supporting conversations about values and decision-making support
- Family and caregiver support through non-judgmental presence and conversations
- Respecting all beliefs – religious, philosophical, or none – without imposing other faiths
- Supporting religious clients in their own tradition and by connecting with clergy as needed
The Team
As existential and pastoral care worker (chaplain), Thomas is part of the Nav-CARE team and the pastoral care team. He is supported both by the Nav-CARE coordinator and through the Pastoral Care department.
How to access this free service
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about Existential & Pastoral Care service provided through the Nav-CARE program, please contact the Nav-CARE coordinator or contact Thomas directly and he will connect you with Nav-CARE.
E-mail: navcare@nlhealthservices.ca tm@thomasmengel.com
Phone 709-853-8468 709-693-6757