Chaplains in federal and state organizations: An institutional note.

Abstract

Spiritually integrated care that includes collaborations among chaplains, psychologists, and other health care professionals can have a profound effect on people’s lives. To facilitate this care, scholars and policy makers need to understand where chaplains work and how they are (or are not) formally a part of institutions, particularly those funded by the state and federal government. This article offers a short history of chaplaincy and provides snapshots about where chaplains work as federal and state employees in three sample states: Massachusetts, Illinois, and California. This institutional perspective is integral to understanding where and how chaplains are staffed and where collaborations are possible.

Who owns spiritual care, and why does it matter?

“…Consider, for example, that the Veterans Affairs (VA) system's most used intervention for moral injury, Building Spiritual Strength (Harris et al, 2011;Harris, Usset, Voecks, et al, 2018) involves collaboration between chaplains and mental health providers. Cadge, Lawton, et al (2023) provide the sociological context for chaplaincy in federal settings. The article shared a history of federal chaplaincy, as well as an up-to-date review of where chaplains are working, shedding light on the differences between chaplaincy and clergy processes, and thus better empowering mental health providers to understand, and optimally collaborate with chaplains.…”

“…Cadge, Lawton, et al (2023) provide the sociological context for chaplaincy in federal settings. The article shared a history of federal chaplaincy, as well as an up-to-date review of where chaplains are working, shedding light on the differences between chaplaincy and clergy processes, and thus better empowering mental health providers to understand, and optimally collaborate with chaplains.…”

“…One important resource that most psychologists can access when spiritual concerns are relevant to mental health care is chaplains. Most organized health care settings have chaplains on staff (Cadge, Lawton, et al, 2023; Cadge, Winfield, et al, 2022) who can act as expert consultants on beliefs and practices across spiritual and religious groups. Chaplains can not only help to assist psychologists with knowledge about spiritually integrated care; chaplains are required to have training in counseling skills (Jacobs, 2008) and are therefore prepared to provide collaborative counseling interventions.…”