Theologically Informed Pastoral Care for Young People in the Contemporary World
July - November 2026
PC173-612, PC173-812
Welcome to Theologically Informed Pastoral Care for Young People in the Contemporary World
We realise the name is unusually long, but we wanted to make sure we captured three main elements that will be woven throughout this unit: theology, practical pastoral care, and exploring the young people of today. Our classroom will be full of people passionate about coming alongside young people and supporting their spiritual, physical, emotional, and social development. To help us do that, it’s important to stay informed, especially as the world continues to change at such a rapid pace. We want to not only be informed about our cultural milieu and the psychological research, but also by God. We trust that whatever he calls us to, his word guides us with wisdom and truth.
How this unit can help your ministry
There are countless issues confronting young lives in today's complex world. Be equipped to respond with informed, compassionate care through exploring the theological foundations for pastoral support and spiritual formation of children and young people.
This unit is offered for ministry workers, teachers, school counsellors, and mental health professionals.
Parents, grandparents, and anyone concerned for the emotional and spiritual wellbeing of children and young people will also benefit from the content.
What makes Mary Andrews College different?
We're the only theological college in Australia focused on equipping women.
We specialise in pastoral care and mental health.
Our units are geared to practical theology and ministry that is just as useful for volunteers as those in vocational ministry.
Our students consistently tell us we're a lovely community to be part of.
Our lecturers are world-class, with a wealth of pastoral and teaching experience.
And, you can be confident that everything we offer is firmly grounded in God's word.
In this unit we'll be learning about...
Pre-Intensive Modules
15 hours of self-directed work to be completed before the intensives
Day 1
Introduction to young people in our contemporary world
Relationships and independence
What AI chatbots reveal about connection
Spiritual formation and the relational ecosystem
Spotlight Session
Evening Spotlight: Neurodivergence, family and faith. Attend live on the Monday evening, or watch the recording on Tuesday morning.
Day 2
Theological anthropology in pastoral care and wellbeing
Consent and respectful relationships
Gender dysphoria
Essential conversations: sexualised online content
Day 3
Neurodiversity (group work based on Monday night Spotlight).
Digital natives
Wellbeing
Mental health and mental illness
The above is indicative: lecture content may vary year to year
What to expect in class
The unit is a 12 credit point unit being delivered as an intensive.
As such, it is composed of 15 hours of online learning to be completed before the three days of 7-hours of lectures.
You will find the details for the online learning on Arca. The lectures will take place 9am – 5pm Monday, October 12 – Wednesday October 14.
Each lecture is divided into 50-minute sessions with a 10-minute break between each session.
Meet your lecturer
Amy Yeung
Amy teaches in the areas of mental health and wellbeing. For over 15 years she has been studying these two fields and integrating them through her work with young people in Australia and Canada. Prior to joining the Mental Health and Pastoral Care Institute, she developed The Sanctuary Youth Series, a free youth mental health and faith resource.
What our students say…
“Suffering the loss of someone I loved... was a catalyst for me to grow deeper in my understanding of the Bible and our great God. I wanted to understand more deeply the wonderful God who had remained faithful to me in the hardest periods in my life and I wanted to understand more about what the Bible says about suffering.”
“I loved studying so much so I’m doing a Diploma of Ministry ... to further deepen my knowledge of pastoral care and ministry to the aged.”
Fees
As part of our wider ACT courses
With FEE-HELP* $0
Diploma Level $2940
Graduate Level $3288
*FEE-HELP available for eligible students enrolled in a whole Diploma or Graduate course
36 class hours - 12 weekly classes - 12 credit points - online only
Currently this unit is not offered at the MAC Certificate level
March - June 2026
Audited
$750
36 class hours - 12 weekly classes
No assignments
March - June 2025
How does this unit fit with our course offerings?
This course can be studied at 2 levels:
Diploma and Advanced Diploma level. For those without an undergraduate degree wanting a course with a large breadth of units. These are courses of the Australian University of Theology: 0.5-1 yr full time, max 8 yrs part-time, 36 class hours per unit, 11-16 units per course.
Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma level. Higher level assignments than diploma level. Requires a previous bachelors degree. These are courses of the Australian University of Theology: 0.5-1 yr full time, max 2-4 yrs part-time, 36 class hours per unit, 4-8 unit per course.
