Alesana Pala'Amo

Citation

Thesis Title
Fetu'utu'una'i le va Navigating relational space: An exploration of traditional and contemporary pastoral counselling practices for Samoans

Read article at Massey Research Online:

Pastoral counselling is one of the important roles of ministers in Samoa. A rise of individualism has contributed to a concept identified as the 'changing Samoan self', that has disrupted traditional approaches of counselling employed by ministers in the past. Reverend Pala'amo conceptualised the Tafatolu (three-sides) Samoan research methodological framework, and used a qualitative approach to collect and present the voices of a group of Samoan ministers and wives, matai (title-holders), church members, and service users of a domestic violence agency. Participants shared their expectations of being counselled as well as counselling others, together with reflections concerning effective and ineffective counselling practices. Fetu'utu'una'i le va - navigating relational space - emerged as an applicable approach of pastoral counselling that encourages dialogue. This contemporary approach empowers church members to re-engage with each other, and ultimately, with God.

Supervisors
Professor Mark Henrickson
Dr Lilly George
Dr Catherine Cook