This week's guest is Charlton Athletic club chaplain Matt Baker. His is a name that has been mentioned several times in this podcast as an important supportive figure to those connected to the club, providing relaxed and confidential discussion to aid individuals when their thoughts are troubling them.
I was unaware before Matt’s name was mentioned that a chaplain’s role went beyond a religious or spiritual one. An ignorance probably strengthened by the fact I have no religious beliefs. I learnt through speaking to him that his role extends much wider than that. Of course, religion shapes the role and shapes how Matt’s think, but mental health and mental wellbeing are just as important.
We discuss a role shaped around communication, trust and understanding as much as it is religion, the philosophy of being pastorally proactive and spiritually reactive, the value of those informal conversations, chaplains and counsellors working collaboratively, and the way football’s attitude towards mental health has changed in his 20 years as a chaplain.
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