Neuza Zapponi de Mello: 

“We need to look more carefully into many aspects of Spiritist Centres, especially inter-personal relations”

The well-known Spiritist author shares her views on Spiritism based on more than 40 years of dedication to the Teachings, an experience that led to the publication of her book on fraternal assistance, or counselling
 

	Neuza Zapponi de Mello (photo) was born in a Spiritist home in the city of Sorocaba, in the Brazilian state in São Paulo. She has been engaged in the Spiritist Movement as a volunteer worker since she was a teenager. She has lived for many years in Brasília, where she is the Director of Fraternal Assistance at the local Spiritist Federa-
tion. Neuza Zapponi de Mello has PhD and MsC degrees in Psychology and Education. She has worked in this field for 47 years, teaching people of all ages, from primary school to university doctorate levels.

Tell us about your work in Spiritism and your experience as a writer. How did it all begin? What are your goals? 

My passion for Spiritism came from my home. Guided by my parents, I discovered a rich transcendent reality and found in Jesus of Nazareth a dear, gentle and true friend, who followed my steps with love and offered me support and sound advice through the Gospel. I fell in love with this Master of Love. I learned that the teachings of Spiritism help makes us happier and to be able to face with clear conscience and in a productive manner our challenges on this planet. I felt compelled to share this reality with our brothers and sisters on this journey, to share the knowledge of how the spiritual teachings can be linked to our daily lives, making our journey easier. That is what I have been trying to do, with deep existential happiness. 

What encouraged you to publish the book “Atendimento Fraterno no Centro Espírita: a Terapêutica do Cristo Consolador” (“Fraternal Assistance in Spiritist Centres: the Therapeutics of Christ the Consoler”)? 

This book is the result of more than 40 years of study, research and practical work in this field both in Spiritist Centres and in my professional life. I had prepared courses, seminars etc. to train Spiritist workers to give counselling, or fraternal assistance. People who attended the courses often requested more written material. And that is how the idea of writing the book was born. The idea was approved by the Spiritist Federation of the Federal District (Brasília), which published the book. 

What do you think is the main contribution of the book for the Spiritist Movement? 

Spiritual benefactors have reminded us often about the need to prepare ourselves to attend the growing number of people coming to Spiritist Centres in Brazil looking for counselling and help to deal with their problems. One key point of my book is that all workers in Spiritist Centres are, by definition, at the service of the people, incarnates and discarnates, who turn up looking for help. They need to be prepared to look after them with care, love, compassion and fraternity. The book has a wide range of ideas and proposals, including motivational aspects, solid Christian and Spiritist theoretical background and suggestions on how to better organise the counselling or fraternal assistance department at Spiritist Centres. 

What method did you use to write the book and how long did it take? 

The book was written in a direct way. It is like a conversation between the author and the reader, in colloquial, simple and clear language, including practical examples. But it contains sound theoretical background. The aim is to touch the heart of those who read it, encouraging them to see themselves as disciples of the Master of Nazareth and encouraging them to put into practice the ideas of Christ. I have written it at different stages of my work in Spiritism over more than 30 years. 

What is your assessment of the quality of the counselling, or fraternal assistance, offered in Spiritist Centres in Brazil these days?

The organisation of Fraternal Assistance is relatively new in Spiritist Centres. It has developed from the realisation that for most people who look for Spiritism the front, welcoming door is in the people who help and assist them first. That is a key experience in helping people decide whether they will carry on in Spiritism or not. People who look for help and guidance have been in most cases been attended by volunteer workers most sensitive to the suffering of their fellow brothers and sisters. But many of them have reported the need to get better training for such a complex and important job. And that training must go beyond good will and the love they have in their hearts.

What are the main challenges you are facing? 

The three main obstacles are:

a) To find enough people motivated to work on fraternal assistance who are also committed to stay in the job long term;

b) To get volunteer workers to understand the need to get trained properly for the job, adapting to the needs of those who seek help;

c) To raise awareness among the directors of Spiritist Centres about the vital importance of organising efficient and well-trained fraternal assistance services. 

What do you think needs to be improved in the offer of good literature to help volunteer workers at Spiritist Centres? 

Books aimed at helping and guiding Spiritist workers need to have sounder theoretical basis and need to focus more on the ethical principles specific to the area where the volunteers are carrying out their duties. We need to look more carefully into many aspects of Spiritist Centres, especially inter-personal relations.  

What are your plans for the future? Do you intend to carry on writing? 

Life has giving me amazing opportunities to gather a great deal of information and to go though many valuable experiences from the social, philosophical and educational perspectives. I have had the privilege of meeting extraordinary people who, with their capacity of overcoming their problems and suffering, have demonstrated in practice the vast possibilities and the greatness of human beings. To share, either in a written or a spoken form, this vault of experiences and the reflections that stem from that, is what I plan to do for the rest of my journey in this existence.