Spiritual Care in Practice

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.

• Foreword. Christina M. Puchalski, MD, Professor of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University School of Medicine, and Founder and Director of The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health. Introduction. George Fitchett, DMin, PhD, Professor and Director of Research, Department of Religion, Health and Human Values, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois. Part 1. Paediatric Case Studies. Steve Nolan, PhD, Chaplain, Princess Alice Hospice, Esher, UK. 1.1. “God tells the doctors to pick the right medicine” – LeeAnn, a 12 year old girl with cystic fibrosis. Daniel H. Grossoehme, DMin, BCC, Associate Professor of Pediatrics (Division of Pulmonary Medicine), Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. 1.2. “I can tell you this, but not everyone understands” – Erica, a mother of a two year old girl with cancer. Alice A. Hildebrand, MDiv, BCC, Women's and Children's Service Line Chaplain at Barbara Bush Children's Hospital of Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine. 1.3. “Why did God do this to me?” – Angela, a 17 year old girl with spinal injury. Katherine M. Piderman, PhD, BCC, Staff Chaplain, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. 1.4. Critical Response to Paediatric Case Studies – A Chaplain's Perspective. Alister W. Bull, BD, Dip Min, MTh, PhD, Secretary to the Mission and Discipleship Council, Church of Scotland, previously NHS Healthcare Chaplain, Yorkhill Children's Hospital, Glasgow and Lead Chaplain, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, UK. 1.5. Critical Response to Paediatric Case Studies – A Psychologist's Perspective. Sian Cotton, PhD, health psychologist and Director, Center for Integrative Health and Wellness and UC Health Integrative Medicine, University of Cincinnati. Part 2. Psychiatric Case Studies. Steve Nolan. 2.1. “I am frightened to close my eyes at night in case the witch comes to me in my sleep” – Yesuto, an African man in his early thirties troubled by his belief in witchcraft. Rosie Andrious-Ratcliffe, PhD, Trust Chaplain and Mental Health Lead, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK. 2.2. “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. Chris Swift, PhD, Head of Chaplaincy Services, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, and Visiting Research Fellow, University of Leeds, UK. 2.3. “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, BCC, ACPE, Clinical Pastoral Educator, Massachusetts General Hospital. 2.4. Critical Response to Psychiatric Case Studies – A Chaplain's Perspective. Graeme D. Gibbons, DMin, BA, BD, Grad Dip Psych, Ordained Minister, Uniting Church, Australia, and accredited Clinical Pastoral Educator by the Association of Supervised Pastoral Education, Australia. 2.5. Critical Response to Psychiatric Case Studies – A Psychiatrist's Perspective. Warren Kinghorn, MD, ThD, Assistant Professor in Psychiatry and Pastoral and Moral Theology, Duke University Medical Center and Duke Divinity School. Part 3. Palliative Case Studies. Steve Nolan. 3.1. “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, PhD, Spiritual Care Provider, Sunnybrook Veterans Centre, Toronto, Canada, and Wes Roberts, MTS, BRE, Chaplain, Sunnybrook Veterans Center, Toronto, Canada. 3.2. “What can you do for me?” – David, a mid-60s Jewish man with stage IV pancreatic cancer. Nina Redl, BCC, Bryan Medical Center, Lincoln, Nebraska. 3.3. “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, MDiv, STL, BCC, Staff Chaplain, Paaliative Care Consult Team, Swedish Health Systems, Washington. 3.4. Critical Response to Palliative Case Studies – A Chaplain's Perspective. David Mitchell, BD, Dip P Theo, MSc, PG Cert, TLHE, Programme Leader, Postgraduate Education in Healthcare Chaplaincy, University of Glasgow, UK. 3.6. Critical Response to Psychiatric Case Studies – A Nurse's Perspective. Barbara Pesut, PhD, RN, Canada Research Chair in Health, Ethics and Diversity, and Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Okanagan. Part 4. Ethical Issues in Chaplaincy Case Study. David B. McCurdy, DMin, BCC, adjunct faculty member in Religious Studies, Elmhurst College, and previously Senior Ethics Consultant and Director of Organizational Ethics, Advocate Health Care. Afterword. John Swinton, PhD, BD, RNM, RNHD, Professor, Practical Theology and Pastoral Care, School of Divinity, Religious Studies and Philosophy, University of Aberdeen, UK.

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!