Spiritual care in practice : case studies in healthcare chaplaincy / edited by George Fitchett and Steve Nolan

Includes bibliographical references.

God tells the doctors to pick the right medicine'-LeeAnn, a 12-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis / Daniel H. Grossoehme -- 'I can tell you this, but not everyone understands'-Erica, the mother of a 2-year-old-girl with cancer / Alice A. Hildebrand -- 'Why did God do this to me?'-Angela, a 17-year-old girl with spinal injury / Katherine M. Piderman -- Critical response to pediatric case studies: a chaplain's perspective / Alister W. Bull -- Critical response to pediatric case studies: a psychologist's perspective / Sian Cotton -- '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 -- '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 -- '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 -- Critical response to psychiatric case studies: a chaplain/psychologist's perspective / Grame D. Gibbons -- Critical response to psychiatric case studies: a psychiatrist's perspective / Warren Kinghorn -- '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 and Wes Roberts -- 'What can you do for me?'-David a mid-sixties Jewish man with stage IV pancreatic cancer / Nina Redl -- '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 -- Critical response to palliative case studies: a chaplain's perspective / David Mitchell -- Critical responses to palliative case studies: a nurse's perspective / Barbara Pesut -- Ethical issues in case study publicaiton / David B. McCurdy -- Afterword / John Swinton.

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.