SA2.01 – Chaplain Case Studies: Perceptions and Insights After Two Years of Case Presentations
Presented by Richard Tinapple MDiv BCC
Overview:
In response to the call for chaplain case studies from leaders such as Fitchett, Nolan and others, OSU’s chaplaincy department initiated a case study program. For two years, staff chaplains wrote and presented monthly case studies to a group of peers. Alongside the case studies, surveys were sent to these chaplains which assessed their views of case studies before and after participating. This workshop will discuss the results of these surveys, noting initial perceptions of case studies and if/how these views changed. In addition, we will discuss strengths, opportunities for refinement, and future directions of our case study program.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to compare the changing perceptions of case studies throughout the OSU case study project
- Participants will be able to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the OSU case study project
- Participants will be able to apply insights from the OSU case study project into their own case study program
Level: Intermediate
Handout included: NO
SA2.02 – Chaplains in Clinical Ethics Roles
Presented by Nina Redl MPH BCC
Overview:
Research on the role of healthcare chaplains in clinical medical ethics is extremely limited. In 2023, Transforming Chaplaincy’s Functions Network conducted a mapping study on healthcare chaplains’ involvement in formal clinical ethics. This workshop will present the results of the different ways healthcare chaplains are involved in clinical ethics in their institutions, how they were prepared for their role during CPE, formal academic education and informal education and look at how well prepared they feel for their role. We will also discuss their perceived needs for various additional training and education. The workshop presenters will engage the audience in their experiences and their perception of needs for further training and research.
Learning Objectives:
- Gain an understanding for the various roles healthcare chaplains hold in clinical ethics
- Educate on the existing ethics training opportunities various chaplains have engaged in
- Reflect in an informed and constructive way on the needs for further ethics education and research
Level: Beginner
Handout included: NO
SA2.03 – Considering Last Things: An Interactive Exploration of Life Completion, Unfinished Life Tasks, and a Preparing for a Good Death
Presented by Lorraine Leist DMin BCC-PCHAC
Overview:
Participants in this workshop will gain a greater understanding of what patients and their loved ones experience as they consider what it means to complete their life. Participants will be better prepared to provide spiritual care to people who are coping with the existential distress that can accompany the end-of-life journey and they will have a broader perspective on how individuals construct their own vision of what a good death means. The content of this workshop includes the presenter’s evidence-based doctoral research which will be woven into the experience.
Learning Objectives:
- Explore the process of finding meaning and hope during life completion
- Examine strategies for coping with unfinished business near the end of life
- Understand diverse perspectives on what a good death means
Level: Beginner
Handout included: YES
SA2.06 – Integrated Spiritual Care Model – Inpatient, Outpatient, Faith-based Community Partners
Presented by L. Vern Farnum DMin BCC & Rob Brown
Overview:
To meet the needs of underserved older adults with chronic illness, we further developed this approach, creating Congregational Care Network. We selected social isolation and loneliness as the primary focus of the intervention. The intervention provides spiritual and emotional companionship for patients by trained volunteers, called connectors, living in that patient’s neighborhood. This model is tightly embedded with the clinical team, by relying upon assessment and support of professional chaplains to refer appropriate patients into the program, and education and support of CCN volunteer connectors by CCN staff, Clinical Pastoral Educators, and staff chaplains. The primary intervention is companionship, supporting the patient’s sense of purpose, meaning, and support through weekly conversations of approximately one hour. This supportive relationship extends for 12 weeks. The CCN also provides information and support for patients to navigate hospital and community resources to address other social impediments to health, such as food insecurity or access to behavioral health treatment.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe IU Health’s Congregational Care Network as model of care bridging provider, patient, and faith-based community partners
- Describe integrated care model– continuity of care, from bedside to community
- Review utilization data, patient survey data, qualitative data to support spiritual care w/ ctty engagement
Level: Intermediate
Handout included: YES
SA2.07 – Is It PTSD Or Moral Injury?
Presented by Bryant Neal PhD
Overview:
Moral injury is a distressing psychological, behavioral, social, and sometimes spiritual aftermath of exposure to events that contradict deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. It can occur in response to acting or witnessing behaviors that go against an individual’s values and moral beliefs. Guilt, shame, disgust, and anger are some of the hallmark reactions of moral injury. Another hallmark reaction to moral injury is an inability to self-forgive, and consequently engage in self-sabotaging behaviors. Moral injury also typically has an impact on an individual’s spirituality. For example, an individual with moral injury may have difficulty understanding how one’s beliefs and relationship with a Higher Power can be true given the horrific event the person experienced, leading to uncertainty about previously held spiritual beliefs.
Learning Objectives:
- Define moral injury as a psychological health state and differentiate it from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complicated bereavement
- Compare emerging approaches to the clinical and non-clinical care of morally injured persons
- Understand the types of moral injury, how it differs from PTSD, and how it affects people
Level: Intermediate
Handout included: NO
SA2.08 – Stress First Aid: In The Hospital And Beyond
Presented by Christine Grandin Ross MDiv BCC & Rebecca Charles DNP BSN NEA-BC
Overview:
Participants will be able to assess and address personal and group stress using Stress First Aid’s unique language and framework. They will have an awareness of how this initiative has been implemented to transform culture at UK HealthCare, including its expansion from inpatient units to outpatient clinics and the larger university. Participants will also have an understanding of sources of stress and ways they can utilize this initiative effectively in their own contexts.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify sources and levels of stress on the stress continuum for groups, individual staff members and yourself in your organization
- Describe integrated care model– continuity of care, from bedside to community
- Describe the 7 core actions of Stress First Aid and how to utilize them to address stress reactions for yourself and others
Level: Intermediate
Handout included: YES
SA2.09 – The Catholic Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick: What’s It About, For Whom and When?
Presented by Richard Bauer MDiv MM BCC MSW
Overview:
The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, once known as “Last Rites” is not always understood by Catholic patients as well as those who do not practice the Catholic faith. However, it is a rich spiritual resource, that when explained and well chosen can be a valuable source of healing, strength and comfort for the care recipient and the family. This workshop will provide a brief, clear theological background on the Sacrament, some examples integrating the sacrament into chaplaincy assessments and interventions, and helpful ways to talk about and help discern when to offer this Sacrament.
Learning Objectives:
- Articulate the origin, development, purpose, meaning and prior names of the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick and its relationship to other Sacraments
- Describe and explain its current practice and benefit to care recipients and their families
- Know how to assess the circumstances within which the Sacrament should or should not be offered and how to integrate this into the spiritual assessment, intervention and plan
Level: Intermediate
Handout included: NO
SA2.10 – The Diversity of the Jewish Communities – Key Insights to Help Non-Jewish Chaplains When Working With Jewish Patients, Families, Staff
Presented by Stephen Roberts BCC DD MBA
Overview:
The Jewish world is extremely diverse and complicated. It is becoming more so within American Society. This workshop will help participants become aware of this diversity and then provide specific tools and ideas for both themselves and their institutions to better meet the needs of the wide spectrum within the Jewish community.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about the wide diversity within the Jewish community so as to not make assumptions but rather to assess
- Learn to ask culturally appropriate questions of those you are working with
- Understanding some key issues within the range of Jewish diversity
Level: Beginner
Handout included: YES
SA2.11 – The Dynamic Diffusion Network: A Novel Model for Collaboratively Advancing Innovative, Interdisciplinary Chaplaincy Practices
Presented by Jason Nieuwsma PhD
Overview:
This workshop will describe the creation and implementation of the Dynamic Diffusion Network (DDN; Smigelsky et al., 2020, 2022): an innovative, multi-site model for collaboratively facilitating and iterating interdisciplinary, novel clinical quality-improvement projects. The DDN presently engages 15 chaplain-mental health professional teams who are co-leading moral injury care groups across VA. Many recently had their practices featured in a Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy moral injury special issue (Nieuwsma, Smikelsky, Grossoehme, & Meador, 2022). This workshop will describe the model and implications for how chaplaincy might envision “real-world” participation as part of the development, implementation, and refinement of evidence-based practices.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe how the Dynamic Diffusion Network model engages practicing chaplains and clinicians in large-scale, evidence-informed, clinical quality improvement
- Articulate how a Dynamic Diffusion Network is well-suited to advance interdisciplinary moral injury care
- Specify ways for practicing clinical chaplains who are not primarily researchers to nonetheless potentially contribute to the development, implementation, and refinement of evidence-based practices
Level: Intermediate
Handout included: NO
SA2.12 – Trans Joy: Strengths-Based Approaches To Care For Transgender And Nonbinary People
Presented by Jamez Terry MDiv BCC & Meredith Cox MDiv MA BCC
Overview:
Transgender and nonbinary people face unique challenges, including barriers to healthcare access and frequent alienation from religious traditions. Conversations about spiritual care for trans people often focus on these struggles. However, trans people and trans communities also possess unique strengths, assets, and spiritual gifts. Chaplains can recognize, actualize, and foster these strengths in order to promote healing and wellness for the trans people in our care, as well as for ourselves. This interactive workshop will take a strengths-based approach to assessment and care for trans people. Together we will move toward trans joy and trans resilience.
Learning Objectives:
- Articulate the spiritual strengths and resiliency of transgender communities
- Appreciate “trans joy” through the lens of transgender and nonbinary youth and adults
- Collaborate on strengths-based assessments and practices for the care of trans people
Level: Intermediate
Handout included: YES
SA2.13 – Transforming Chaplaincy Education: What Do Chaplains Really Need To Know?
Presented by David Fleenor BA MDiv BCC
Overview:
Chaplaincy education programs in theological schools are proliferating to meet the increasing demand for chaplains. Unfortunately, there is no consensus among seminary professors and clinical pastoral educators about what aspiring healthcare chaplains need to learn, resulting in long and costly educational processes. These problems have led thought leaders to call for significant educational reforms including the development of new curricula for academic degrees and CPE. This workshop will present information from two studies of novel stakeholders – early career chaplains and healthcare chaplaincy hiring manager – about what they think aspiring chaplains need to know to be successful healthcare chaplains. Participants will work together to brainstorm the core curriculum components (objectives, content, and learning experiences) of future healthcare chaplaincy training programs.
Learning Objectives:
- Summarize critical problems with chaplaincy education as it exists today
- Describe what early-career chaplains and healthcare chaplaincy hiring managers believe aspiring chaplains should know
- Brainstorm curriculum standards that could inform chaplaincy education in the future
Level: Intermediate
Handout included: NO
SA2.14 – When Patients Talk Politics
Presented by Nicholas Collura MDiv BCC
Overview:
When patients talk politics in ways we find problematic, we may feel the impulse to debate, to change the topic, or to go along with the conversation in order to “meet patients where they are.” This workshop sees politics as a context for spiritual assessment — an expression of values that shape a care recipient’s self-image, impact emotional well-being, and humanize or dehumanize others. Together we will learn to recontextualize political references, revealing grief beneath grievance, trauma in need of healing, and both sources and paucities of meaning and strength. We will learn to meet “political” patients skillfully rather than reactively.
Learning Objectives:
- Feel more comfortable responding strategically when a patient brings up politics or expresses prejudice
- Integrate a patient’s politics into a spiritual assessment
- Commit to the work of anti-racism in our chaplaincy practice
Level: Beginner
Handout included: NO
ONLINE VIDEO/AUDIO RECORDING RETURN POLICY
Effective as of: July 1, 2023
This applies to Annual Conference Recordings, Professional Education Webinar Recordings, Chaplain Symposium Recordings, and Webinar Journal Club Recordings.
