Religion Matters: 5 Types Of Spiritual Care By Professionals And Volunteers

Presenter: Sujin Rosie
With drinks afterwards

This study examined how professionals and volunteers provide spiritual care and to what extent these approaches relate to their context and role. Professionals and volunteers working in outpatient settings are increasingly expected to provide spiritual care. However, little is known about how they do this exactly. An ideal type analysis of semi-structured interviews in spiritual care practices (N = 50) with social workers, nurses, and volunteers was conducted to develop a typology of the data. We compared the interviews to form clusters, i.e., types, that share similar patterns. We identified five types of spiritual care that together form a repertoire of actions caregivers tailor to clients and their specific situations: a) providing embodied care, b) caring from one human to another, c) re-establishing connections, d) opening new perspectives, and e) guiding through the process. Certain types are more closely associated with specific contexts and roles. Our findings make an important contribution by specifying the tacit skills in providing spiritual care that are often overlooked or applied unconsciously. The findings offer tools for reflection, training, and multidisciplinary dialogue, contributing to a more integrated approach to spiritual care. 

Sujin Rosie (1999) is a PhD candidate at the University of Groningen. She studied Theology at the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology (BA) and Spiritual Care (MA) at Radboud University. After completing her studies, she worked as a research assistant on projects related to chaplaincy. She edited two books: Met lichaam en geest: de rituele competentie van geestelijk verzorgers and Recovery: The Interface between Psychiatry and Spiritual Care. In both her professional and private life, she pays special attention to poverty, low literacy, and homelessness.