International student conference gathered 130 participants from 17 countries

Spiritual Care Education and Practice Development (SEP), a leading research environment, collaborated with the international network EPICC to organize an international student conference on spiritual care from April 10 to 21 in Bergen.

The conference's theme was "Spiritual care in challenging times – promoting ability and courage," which is relevant both on a personal and international level.

Over 130 participants from 17 different countries, including Indonesia, Mongolia, Ghana, Kenya, Turkey, the United States, and 10 European countries, attended the conference. The high number of international participants was likely due to SEP's work on spiritual care and Tove Giske's international work through Nurses Christian Fellowship for over 30 years. A large group of students from Ghana, where most had their first international trip to Bergen and Norway, also participated in the conference. Fortunately, the weather was perfect all week with sun from morning to night.

During the conference, there were many opportunities for international exchange of experiences. Photo: Geir Johannessen.

The conference featured a diverse program of academic lectures, seminars, self-care sessions, small groups for discussion, and sharing different perspectives in plenum. A newly made educational film about spiritual care in mental health was also shown, and participants from various countries reflected on the film. One participant even asked if it was not allowed to talk about God in Norway. There was also great interest in sharing experiences and learning from each other as many presented posters. You can watch the film here.

Paul Otto Brunstad and Anthony Schwartz were two of the speakers at the conference. Photo: Geir Johannessen.

The conference had an open, friendly, and good atmosphere, and it was great to meet people with an interest in spiritual care in education and clinical practice. This was the eighth student conference after the first was started in Glasgow in 2004 by Professor Emerita and Honorary Doctor at VID, Barbara Parfitt. This was also the first physical student conference to be held after the pandemic, so it was fantastic to be able to meet and talk and share experiences together over several days.

Linda Rykke, Marianne Morland, and Kristin Ferstad, who were responsible for planning and organizing the conference, deserve great thanks for their efforts.

Deltakarar frå 17 ulike land på EPICC konferansen.

Published by Tove Giske. Date: 2. May 2023.