When spiritual care is part of healthcare

A hospital chaplain’s job entails more than saying a few prayers and offering comfort. To patients, their families and even hospital staff, these unsung heroes of healthcare are a calming presence, a listening ear and a guiding light in navigating the complex journey of illness, injury and recovery.

Alongside the clinical and administrative staff, the spiritual services team plays a vital role in supporting everyone who needs help at Geisinger. Whether listening, praying or just sitting with people, chaplains are the heart — and soul — of the hospital.

“It's about being a calm presence in the storm, guiding families through the process and providing emotional and spiritual support,” says Anne Kasper, manager of spiritual care chaplain services at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center.

For example, when a patient comes in through the emergency room, the chaplains spring into action. They confirm the patient’s identification and emergency contact information, greet family members and aid communication between the family and medical staff. Follow-up care and support also are crucial aspects of their role.

"It's about being present — being there for people in their most vulnerable moments," Chaplain Kasper says.

A path of learning and growth

Geisinger chaplains go through extensive education and training before practicing in a hospital setting. They must hold a master’s degree from a college, university or theological school. Then the Geisinger School of Spiritual Care provides residency training, which involves seminars, class time, interpersonal relations training and clinical work.

The learning doesn’t end there. Chaplains keep up with current theological and scientific literature related to spirituality and health. They must be familiar with different faiths and traditions, maintaining resources from religious texts to contacts such as imams or Buddhist monks.

Supporting the medical care team

While the spiritual services team cares for patients and their families, they’re also a calming presence for the hospital staff. Dan Hamilton, a chaplain at Geisinger Lewistown Hospital, remembers supporting employees during the second wave of COVID in September 2021. “Several members of the healthcare team had family members die,” he says.

Chaplain Hamilton and team can be a sounding board for hospital staff in a high-stress environment. Sometimes it’s just about validating their feelings and helping them understand they’re having a normal reaction to an abnormal situation.

Chaplains even have a hand in educating medical residents on what they do and how they can help, passing along their skills of empathy and emotional support. 

Care for the whole person

Chaplain Hamilton recalls a woman in hospice, wracked with pain and unresolved emotional turmoil. In helping her express unresolved feelings to her mother through a letter, he eased her pain in her body and her heart, highlighting the deep connection between emotional and physical well-being.

A chaplain’s work often involves addressing existential questions and spiritual suffering. They provide a safe space for those in crisis to work through their feelings and come to peace with what’s happening to them or their loved one.

Julie Stumpf, a chaplain at Geisinger Wyoming Valley, says a big part of helping someone spiritually is assessing who they are as a person. “What are their personal coping strategies or belief systems? Identifying them allows us to help them use those tools in their current situation,” she says.

That happens through simply listening. “The key to everything we do is to listen to what they’re saying, and sometimes it’s just reflecting it back to them,” says Chaplain Stumpf. “What they need is someone to be present with them, hear them and allow them to feel whatever it is they’re going through in the moment.”