Designing Contextual Pastoral Counselling Programmes for Grief and Loss in Nigerian Hospitals

Hospital chaplaincy and pastoral counselling for patients experiencing bereavement, terminal illness, and traumatic loss constitute a critical ministry domain in Nigerian healthcare settings, yet formal training programmes contextualised for Nigerian cultural and spiritual realities are largely absent. This study designs a contextual pastoral counselling programme for grief and loss specifically developed for Nigerian hospital chaplains and faith-based healthcare workers. A programme development design was adopted, incorporating needs assessment interviews with 25 hospital chaplains, 30 bereaved patients and family members, and ten clinical psychologists from teaching hospitals in Lagos, Enugu, and Kano. Existing grief counselling models, including Worden's Tasks of Mourning and culturally adapted African bereavement frameworks, were reviewed and assessed for contextual applicability. Findings reveal significant gaps between international grief counselling models and Nigerian bereavement realities, particularly regarding ancestor beliefs, extended family involvement in grief, ritual mourning practices, and spiritual explanatory frameworks. The designed programme incorporates eight sessions covering theological foundations of lament, culturally sensitive assessment of grief presentations, integrating Christian and African healing narratives, family systems approaches to communal grief, and referral pathways to professional mental health services. Pilot evaluation by ten hospital chaplains confirms the programme's contextual validity and practical utility. The study recommends adoption of the programme by the Nigeria Christian Hospital Association for chaplaincy certification and continuing professional development.

Keywords: pastoral counselling, grief and loss, hospital chaplaincy, contextual programme, Nigerian healthcare