In Africa, there is a growing need for professional counseling. Within the Church, a counseling ministry is emerging that differs from traditional spiritual guidance. The kind of counseling for which most people seek out pastoral workers (priests, religious men and women, and laypeople) requires a multidimensional approach because the issues people face are not exclusively spiritual in nature.
However, as Pope Francis says, listening is an art that can be learned. These training programs provide a framework for professional listening skills from a multidimensional perspective. The COPAC program is endorsed by a scientific committee composed of mental health experts (psychologists and psychiatrists).
