Spiritual Care in Practice: Case Studies in Healthcare Chaplaincy

by Alister W Bull, George Fitchett, Steve Nolan, Christina Puchalski, Daniel H Grossoehme

Overview

These diverse case studies make a compelling case for the importance of effective spiritual care in healthcare and provide unprecedented insight into the essential role of the chaplain within the healthcare team. Presented alongside critical reflections and responses from professionals within chaplaincy, psychology, psychiatry and nursing, they provide an honest and detailed look into how healthcare chaplains actually work with the people in their care and reveal the vital role of narrative and imagination in effective transformative practice.

From a 16-year-old with a belief that God would enable a miraculous recovery from paralysis, to an African man with a history of psychosis and depression whose cultural belief in witches complicated his treatment, to a dying Jewish man, aggressive and isolated due to his traumatic life experiences, each case includes insight into the patient's needs and chaplain's perspectives, discussion of spiritual assessments and spiritual care interventions, and accounts of significant encounters and dialogues.

The nine paediatric, psychiatric and palliative case studies and reflections in this ground-breaking book will enable chaplains to critically reflect on the spiritual care they provide and communicate their work more effectively, help healthcare professionals develop a clearer understanding of the care chaplains deliver, and provide an informed perspective for those who develop policy around spiritual care and need to make the case for chaplaincy services.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849059763
Publisher:	Kingsley, Jessica Publishers
Publication date:	02/21/2015
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Steve Nolan, Ph.D., is a palliative care chaplain at Princess Alice Hospice, Surrey, UK, where he works daily with people who are dying, supporting them and their families. He regularly teaches spiritual care to students visiting the hospice and is a tutor on the MTh in Chaplaincy Studies at St. Michael's College, Llandaff, part of Cardiff University.

Table of Contents

Foreword Christina M. Puchalski 9

Introduction George Fitchett 11

Part I Pediatric Case Studie Steve Nolan 25

Chapter 1 'God tells the doctors to pick the right medicine' - LeeAnn, a 12-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis Daniel H. Grossoehme 31

Chapter 2 'I can tell you this, but not everyone understands' - Erica, mother of a 2-year-old girl with cancer Alice A. Hildebrand 51

Chapter 3 'Why did God do this to me?'- Angela, a 17-year-old girl with spinal injury Katherine M. Piderman 69

Chapter 4 Critical Response to Pediatric Case Studies: A Chaplain's Perspective Alister W. Bull 90

Chapter 5 Critical Response to Pediatric Case Studies: A Psychologist's Perspective Sian Cotton 98

Part 2 Psychiatric Case Studies Steve Nolan 107

Chapter 6 'I am frightened to close my eyes at night in case the witch comes to me in my sleep' -Yesuto, a Nigerian man in his early thirties troubled by his belief in witchcraft Rosie Ratcliffe 113

Chapter 7 'I tried to kill myself. Will God keep me apart from the person I love in the life-after?' - June, a 78-year-old woman who attempted suicide Christopher Swift 133

Chapter 8 'My family wants me to see a priest. It can't hurt, right?' - Nate, a 20-year-old man and his sexual identity Angelika A. Zollfrank 154

Chapter 9 Critical Response to Psychiatric Case Studies: A Chaplain/Psychologist's Perspective Graeme D. Gibbons 177

Chapter 10 Critical Response to Psychiatric Case Studies: A Psychiatrist's Perspective Warren Kinghorn 186

Part 3 Palliative Case Studies Steve Nolan 195

Chapter 11 'I need to do the right thing for him' -Andrew, a Canadian veteran at the end of his life, and his daughter Lee Jim Huth Wes Roberts 201

Chapter 12 'What can you do for me?' - David, a mid-sixties Jewish man with stage IV pancreatic cancer Nina Redl 223

Chapter 13 'Tell her that it's OK to release her spirit' - Maria, a Native American woman, grieving the loss of her dying mother Richard C. Weyls 242

Chapter 14 Critical Response to Palliative Case Studies: A Chaplain's Perspective David Mitchell 263

Chapter 15 Critical Response to Palliative Case Studies: A Nurse's Perspective Barbara Pesut 272

Part 4 Ethical Concerns

Chapter 16 Ethical Issues in Case Study Publication David B. McCurdy 282

Afterword John Swinton 299

Contributors 306

Index 311

Editorial Reviews

It breaks new ground in illustrating the educative role of case studies in the training and continuing education of healthcare chaplains and in demonstrating the nature and value of healthcare chaplaincy services to clinicians and healthcare payers. The external reviews of the chaplains' work with their individual patients are particularly useful, typically illustrating deficits and concerns that the participating chaplains may not otherwise have considered - relevant research is cited, emerging theoretical perspectives and theological implications considered and with good cross-referencing to other disciplines.
It provides a valuable learning resource for healthcare chaplains to employ in reflecting on their own practice and to consider how they themselves might have handled the cases described.
...I can certainly recommend this book as important reading for all healthcare chaplains and to those clinical and managerial colleagues who wish to increase their understanding of the modern healthcare chaplain's role.

European Journal for Person Centered Healthcare - Andrew Miles MSc MPhil PhD DSc

This book is intended to be a learning piece and a conversation starter for the chaplaincy profession but it is also of interest to all those interested in the provision of spiritual care in a health care setting. Chaplains often work in small departments isolated from the support and supervision afforded to other healthcare professionals; books such as this can provide a valuable learning experience and enable chaplains to reflect on their own practice and how they might have handled the situations described in the case studies.

Health and Social Care Chaplaincy, Issue 4.1 (June) 2016 - Emily Wood

Fitchett and Nolan, along with the writers of these cases, have provided us with a long-missing resource essential to the further integration of spiritual care and professional chaplaincy into healthcare. These cases should become fundamental to every chaplain's training and every interdisciplinary team's discussion about spiritual care. Swinton's Afterword sets the context brilliantly and probably should be read first. Kudos all around!

The Rev. George Handzo

This ground-breaking book will enable healthcare chaplains to critically reflect on the care they provide and communicate their work more effectively. It will be a valuable tool for educating new chaplains, for continuing education for experienced chaplains, and for students of practical theology, as well as for others working in healthcare.

Harold G. Koenig