Scottish Association of Chaplains in Healthcare
Scottish Association of Chaplains in Healthcare
|
|
Members of SACH
|
Scottish Journal Volume 9 No. 1 May 2006 EDITORIAL Chaplains, by the very nature of our work, come into contact with suicide. We listen to those whose despair is such that they contemplate or have attempted to take their own lives; we counsel those who have been bereaved by it, and know well how far reaching and destructive a thing suicide can be. We have a lively sense that we are all diminished by it. We have our stories of our attempts to care for those who have been affected by suicide, and our reflections as to how such stories and such caring have affected us. Reading and reflecting upon Harriet Mowat's article, I relate, in brief, one of my own stories. ‘Key to chaplaincy's ‘distinctive role' is its availability, over and above other organisations/professionals who offer pastoral support' says Anne Aldridge. I began to wish that I had been unavailable on the particular Friday afternoon when one of our psychiatrists looked into the office. It had struck him that I might be just the person to help out with a situation involving a patient whose state of mind he had been asked to assess, after what he described as a well planned and considered suicide attempt. The patient, whom I shall call A., suffering from a progressive debilitating illness, had been admitted to an acute medical ward after an overdose of prescription drugs. He was now expressing a desire to draw up an advance directive, which would deal specifically with a future suicide attempt which he claimed the freedom and autonomy to choose to make, and which would specify that he was not to be given life saving treatment in these circumstances. The psychiatrist's mental examination led him to conclude that A. was competent; an adult with the capacity, in law, to refuse medical treatment – for reasons good, bad or absent. Would I help A. draw up the advance directive? I felt as though I had been handed a hot potato, but at the same time, recognised that I was as well placed as any in the health care community to handle it. But how strange and uncomfortable it felt. At a superficial level, I could say that I was adopting an advocacy role vis a vis A.; that I was enabling him to exercise his autonomy, to assert his control, in circumstances in which advancing illness threatened autonomy and control in so many areas of life. At a deeper level, though, my feelings of discomfort had to do with having to cope with a person's clear eyed and considered resolve that, if life became for him intolerable, he would end that life by his own hand. The isolation and estrangement from community which lie behind such a stance foster an acute sense of personal and communal failure. Harriet Mowat speaks of suicide as ‘a challenge to normative values', an act which ‘confronts us all with questions of meaning, hope and social cohesion, and challenges us to acknowledge the possibility of suicide for each of us in particular circumstances.' My meetings with A. confronted me with these things and more. In A's shoes, would I wish to claim the same ultimate freedom? If A. were to do the deed at some later date, could this be called a ‘rational suicide', that most challenging of concepts? Was I, as chaplain, failing A. by not trying to work on him, to persuade him out of his fixed intent? At times, during our meetings, I sensed in him an anger, an unspoken warning not to try that with him, not to try to ease my own discomfort by saying the conventional things. Was I, on the other hand, by listening, by putting myself at his disposal, by trying to make some sort of human, pastoral relationship with A. –was I actually doing my job? I will cut short a longer story, and say only that with some expert ethical and legal guidance, we managed to find a form of words which captured the essence of A.'s wishes, without compromising myself or the other signatory to the document. But my sense of discomfort and of sadness lingers. Clifford Hughes writes inspiringly of finding meaning, purpose, even joy, in a potentially devastating experience of illness and loss. Yet as chaplains we encounter those for whom the struggle with illness turns life into an existence devoid of these things, an existence which some might even wish to bring to an end. This is a tragedy for an individual, for a family, and for the wider community. I am struck by Harriet's findings about ‘disconnection' and its relationship to suicide. Disconnection as the absence of support, friendship, acceptance; as the person's losing ‘place and space in the social fabric'; as dislocation, isolation, estrangement. Many of the definitions of spirituality stress the opposite. For example ‘spiritual wellbeing is the affirmation of life in a relationship with God, self, community and environment that nurtures and celebrates wholeness'(Ellison 1983). If spirituality has to do with connectedness and integration at many levels, then the suicide which arises out of the experience of disconnection bespeaks, among many other failures, a failure at the level of the spiritual. It is of particular interest then that Harriet investigates the ways in which faith communities can promote the kind of connectedness which holds the vulnerable within community, and which can provide ‘a counter cultural view of the world and an alternative set of values and criteria for being human and for living humanly.' Reference Ellison, C.W.(1983) Spiritual Wellbeing: Conceptualisations and Measurement. Journal of Psychology and Theology . Vol 11p.33
Standards NHSScotland for Chaplaincy ServicesIn Volume 9 (2) 2006 we expect to publish and article by Chris Levison and Katy Bullock reporting on the findings of the Report of the Scoping Study Group on the Provision of Spiritual Care in NHS Scotland and the development of Chaplaincy Standards for NHSScotland. One of the key recommendations in the scoping report encouraged t he Healthcare Chaplaincy Training and Development Unit to convene a group to work on chaplaincy standards for NHSScotland and prepare for future work with NHS Quality Improvement Scotland.That standards group has convened and draft standards for NHSScotland chaplaincy services have been prepared and are available for viewing on the Healthcare Chaplaincy Training and Development Unit website. In addition a consultation will take place in late June, details of which are also on the Healthcare Chaplaincy Training and Development Unit website ( www.chaplains.co.uk ). The editors would encourage all our readers to access the standards and consider attending the consultation. In addition we would welcome your comments and reflections in the form of 600–800 word articles or letters to the editor of up to 500 words which should be submitted by 30 th June 2006 by e-mail to journal@sach.org.uk
Full Text
|
||||||||||||
|
CONTENTS Religion and Suicide ; exploring the role of the church in deaths by suicide in Highland, Scotland. Pages 3-7 Abstract: This article reports aspects of a study conducted in 2005 which explored the role of the church as a voluntary organisation, in deaths by Suicide in Highland. The study was explorative and consisted of interviewing ministers from the Christian Churches of different denominations in Highland about their own experiences as ministers of the Church, of death by suicide and what they understood to be the key aspects of their experiences that might contribute to thinking about how the Church could offer protection and solace. Two findings are highlighted here: the importance of multidisciplinary education involving ministers and the potential of parish nursing as a mechanism for connectedness. Key Words: Mental health, religion; suicide; spirituality Harriet Mowat is the Managing Director of Mowat Research Ltd, and an honorary senior lecturer at the Centre for the Study of spirituality, disability and health. John Swinton is Professor of Practical Theology, The Centre for the Study of Spirituality Disability and Health. Donald Mowat is a Consultant Psychiatrist at Royal Cornhill Hospital, Aberdeen. Cameron Stark is a public health physician, Highland Health Board and a senior lecturer at Centre for Rural Studies, Inverness, Aberdeen University . Grounded Presence: a qualitative methodology for spiritual care research Pages 8-12 Abstract: Grounded presence is a qualitative research methodology, which has been developed to identify and articulate spiritual experience associated with specific illnesses. The goal of the research methodology is to increase our knowledge of the spiritual component of a specific illness with a view to informing the healthcare service and suggesting possible improvements to spiritual care. Working within the healthcare system the approach assumes a multi-faith/no faith milieu. However, the methodology incorporates and relies on the spiritual awareness of the researcher, which could be held within a religious framework. This religious framework may provide a deeper understanding of the spiritual experiences, however, the methodology calls for the researcher to move beyond. a particular religious interpretation to a more general human interpretation. This methodology makes use of the skills of chaplains and can be augmented into routine practice. The underlying philosophy or belief structure, which underpins the methodology and from which the methodology grows, is that we are spiritual beings living in a spiritual world. Key Words: Healthcare, qualitative research, spiritual care. Robert Devenny is project manager, NHS Lanarkshire spiritual care review. Full Text Chaplaincy time management Pages 13-17 Abstract: In a personal reflection based on the use of a time management tool the authors seek to answer the question often asked of chaplaincy“ what do you do?” and the question that chaplains often ask themselves “just how do I spend my time?” The chaplaincy department in an acute hospital needs to be able to demonstrate its viability and worth along side other disciplines and services. It is no longer sufficient to depend on the good will and influence of senior staff that may be sympathetic to chaplaincy. If the department is able to argue for its own worth then it allows for a strong culture of direction and effectiveness. The editors. Key words: Development, data collection, Körner, priorities, time management Derek Fraser is lead chaplain and Debra Gaadt is chaplaincy administrator at Addenbrooke's hospital, Cambridge. The unique role of a chaplain Pages18-22 Abstract: In the current NHS climate of budgets, target setting and accountability, the ‘unique role' of the chaplain can be misunderstood, undervalued. The future of chaplaincy is in the balance! Do chaplains move with the times – accept change and development, work towards professional status or do they maintain the status quo – remain important to the well-being of the whole hospital community but fail to articulate this and risk extinction or at best benign tolerance? More than ever society demands that employees prove their value through research, audit and refining of practice. 21st Century NHS chaplains are part of this! Alongside retaining their distinctive role as those who are accountable to their faith communities chaplains need to ensure they articulate their distinctive role as those who care for the spiritual. This involves time, energy and action and being in many roles simultaneously. It involves being prepared to assess and review practice and above all to change. Key Words: Accountability, chaplain, distinctive, religious, spiritual, unique Anne Aldridge is Deputy Lead Chaplain at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge BIOETHICAL ISSUES AND HEALTH CARE CHAPLAINCY IN AUSTRALIA Pages 23-30 Abstract: Using personal insight and interpretation the authors summarise the results and discussion of the largest cross sectional empirical study of Australian Health Care Chaplains concerning their involvement in multiple bioethical issues encountered by patients, families and clinical staff within the health care context. The implications of this study concerning, health care chaplaincy, ecclesiastical institutions, health care institutions and government responsibilities are discussed and interpreted. Key words: Bioethics, chaplaincy, pastoral care Lindsay B. Carey is state chaplain, Mission Australia (Victoria & Tasmania)and national research officer for the Australian Health & Welfare Chaplains Association, Bruce Rumbold is senior lecturer, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria. Christopher Newell is associate professor at the School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania. Rosalie Aroni is senior lecturer in the Faculty of Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria Professionalisation and Disclosure: an Outsider's Viewpoint Pages 31-32 Abstract: The fact that hospital chaplaincy is becoming more professional is to be welcomed. However, if ministry in a healthcare setting is to be successful, it must involve more than the exercise of professional skills. The chaplain must be seen as the equal of all, of whatever rank or professional status. Chaplaincy requires the involvement of a unique personality, and a degree of disclosure of the essential self which goes beyond the professional persona. The chaplain needs a certain freedom to use the self as a means of giving spiritual care. The author makes a plea for an understanding of the role of personal attributes and personalities in successful chaplaincy. Keywords : chaplaincy, disclosure, professionalisation W. Graham Monteith is a retired Church of Scotland minister and writer on theology and disability A Buddhist perspective on Health and Spirituality Pages 33-35 Abstract : This article gives a brief overview of some of the basic tenets of Buddhism. Its particular emphasis is upon Buddhist expressions of spirituality, as they are likely to be met with in a healthcare setting. Included are guidelines on diet, attitudes to medicine, and beliefs and traditions around death and dying. Key words: Buddhism, healthcare, religion, spirituality. Conrad Harvey is Buddhist Representative, NHS Scotland Spiritual Care Committee Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk: A personal reflection on life and laryngectomy Pages 36-38 Abstract: In this article, Clifford Hughes, singer, teacher, preacher, reflects on the experience of living through cancer of the larynx, and thus losing the voice which had been fundamental to his various careers. He writes of the pain of loss and the challenge of change, but also of the joy of finding that a life can be rebuilt, with help from loved ones and friends, from health care professionals, and from God. Key words: Cancer of the larynx, laryngectomy. Clifford Hughes has enjoyed a varied career as head teacher, singer and minister. Since his retirement from St. Mary's Collegiate Church, Haddington, he has become ‘an encourager' of others who, like himself, are living with laryngectomy. |
||||||||||||
Book Reviews Pages 39-42 Teaching and Learning Communication Skills in Medicine, Kurtz, S., Silverman, J. and Draper, J. ISBN 1-85775-658-4 Radcliffe Publishing Ltd.
Working relationships: Spirituality in human service and organisational life Pembroke N. ISBN 1-84310-252-8 Jessica Kingsley
Someone Very Important Has Just Died –Immediate Help for People Caring for Children of All Ages at the Time of a Close Bereavement, Turner. M ISBN 1-84310-295-1 Jessica Kingsley
Being Mindful, Easing Suffering: Reflections on Palliative Care Johns C. ISBN 1-84310-212-9 Jessica Kingsley
The Inspiration of Hope in Bereavement Counselling. Cutcliffe, J. R. ISBN1-84310-082-7 Jessica Kingsley.
Spirituality, Health, and Healing Young C., and Koopsen C. ISBN 1-55642-663-1 Slack Incorporated, USA |
|||||||||||||
THE ORERE SOURCE Abstracts from the Pastoral Care and other Healthcare Journals Page 43-53 The Rev. W. Noel Brown is a Chaplain and ACPE Supervisor, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, and editor of THE ORERE SOURCE, a bi-monthly compendium of his abstracts from the pastoral care and healthcare literature. The summaries printed in the Journal have been selected from recent additions to the 13,600 in the database. |
|||||||||||||
