'I have come that you may have life and have it to the full'.

(John 10:10) 

Pastoral Care at Our Lady of the Rosary is foundational to who we are, what we do and why we do it. Our policy is based upon shared Catholic values through which families and teachers work together to provide a positive supportive environment characterised by trust, cooperation and respect.

We acknowledge the right for all Our Lady of the Rosary community members to feel safe.

Choice Theory is an explanation of why and how all living creatures behave. Its basis is the idea that we are all driven by five genetic needs- survival, love, power, fun and freedom- that dictate how we must attempt to live our lives.

 All we can do is behave, all our behaviour is an attempt to satisfy one or more of our basic needs (survival, love and belonging, power, freedom, fun) and all our conscious behaviours are chosen. Behaviour is our best attempt to satisfy these needs or to reduce pain.

 If we can learn to choose effective, responsible behaviours, we will usually be happy, healthy and have effective control of our lives.

 Choice Theory teaches that: 

1.   Everyone behaves to change the world (attempts to take control). Every behaviour has a price.  

2.   We deny some reality when we are in pain. 

3.   Everyone always does the best that he/she can do at the time. 

4.   We are always aware of the difference between pleasure and pain; we know which we are in at the time. We always attempt to behave in ways that we believe will bring us out of pain and into pleasure. 

5.   We can control only ourselves, that is, what we do and not what others do, unless they choose to give us control. 

6.   We all share the same basic needs; our wants, however (the ways we have learned to satisfy these needs) vary from person to person. 

7.   What we do determines how we feel (not what others do and not what the world does or did – not what we did in the past) 

8.   Flexibility equals strength - the more flexible we are, the more opportunities we have to find pleasure and avoid pain. 

9.   Each person, all of the time, is responsible for what he/she does - and therefore is accountable for what he/she does. 

10. Any new behaviour will result in an increased level of stress. 

11. We have no control over most of what happens in the world. We have almost total control over what we do and think as a result of what happens in the world; therefore, over most of what we feel. 

12. Life is filled with criticism and most people are too self critical.

 Pastoral Care Policy