Secrets, trauma and really, really good news

Natalie serves as Maturity and Magnification Pastor at an Anglican church in Greater Western Sydney. She has Bachelor of Theology and a Masters of Arts in Theology from Moore College. She is married to Jason and has two sons. She recently finished the Graduate Certificate of Pastoral Care for Mental Health at Mary Andrews.

At our 2024 Graduation Ceremony, Rev. Dr Keith Condie interviewed Natalie.

Natalie (centre) is awarded her Graduate Certificate by Dr Edwina Murphy, Deputy Dean and Director of Research of the Australian College of Theology (left), and Dr Laurel Moffatt, Principal of Mary Andrews College (right).

Keith – I'm interested, if you've already done all this study, why did you take on this particular course?

Natalie – The thing that appealed to me... I've had lots of opportunities to study the Bible and I know lots of things about mental health, but the idea of uniting psychology and theology and trying to draw out best practice so that we deliver truths about God in really appropriate and meaningful ways felt like something so tremendously relevant to my ministry.

Rev. Dr Keith Condie interview Natalie at the 2024 Graduation Ceremony.

Keith – What was the experience actually like?

Natalie – There were times when I felt like every week, there were things that I learnt that I then applied immediately in my ministry

I felt more and more equipped to handle things like suicide attempts and hospital admissions because I'd been thinking about it and planning for how we would do those things well in our church.

As a woman in ministry, I would hear people's secrets, their disclosures, their trauma.. and having had time and space to think about it, I can give really, really good news to people who really need to hear it.

Keith – 'Nat you are very passionate about the church's response to mental health challenges... from your reflection, how do you think the church is going with that? What encourages you? Any areas where you think we could be doing better?'

Natalie – I think our world is getting much more traum-informed. It’s more and more in the public space. Ministers taking the time to do some trauma-informed training, I think that's a real gift of how we can keep showing Jesus to the world around us. I'm really encouraged when the phrase 'trauma-informed' is used of ministers, so that we can speak Jesus, leaping over the hurdles that are in front of someone already.

Learn more about the Graduate Certificate of Pastoral Care for Mental Health: