Reclaiming The Listening Pastor: A Pastoral Introduction To Spiritual Direction And Its Implications For A Recovery Of Pastoral Identity, Formation, And Sustainability In The Pentecostal Tradition, Hannah E.R. Sims

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

American Pentecostalism has long been marked by spiritual vitality, yet its theology of pastoral identity remains comparatively underdeveloped. Pentecostal pastors are often recognized as Spirit-led leaders and compelling communicators, but many now find themselves functioning primarily as organizational executives or cultural personalities—roles shaped more by business strategy and therapeutic expectation than by historic practices of spiritual care. In this quiet shift, something sacred has thinned. Pastors frequently experience role confusion, spiritual fatigue, and a subtle distancing from the relational and formational heart of their vocation. This dissertation explores what has been diminished within Pentecostal pastoral identity and what might yet …

The Importance Of Holistic Care: The Development And Implementation Of Spiritual Resources For Caregivers And Staff At Joni’S House El Salvador, Chloe Veilleux

Capstone Projects

It is within the occupational therapy (OT) scope of practice to not only address client needs related to mind, body, and spirit, but also those of caregivers as a means of fostering overall improved quality of life. Additionally, when OTs address spirituality and implement spiritual/spirituality-informed interventions, correlations of improved psychosocial factors such as well-being, motivation, and reduced stress have been shown, as well as improved hope and reduced burden for caregivers. There remains, however, a gap in the research and implementation of spiritually informed care and resources specifically as it pertains to caregivers of those with disabilities. To address this …

“How Can We Sing In A Strange Land?” The Pastoral Musician As A Master Griot/Griotte, Dollie Howell

Doctor of Pastoral Music Projects and Theses

The writer of Psalm 137 asks a question that poignantly resonates with the experiences of enslaved Africans who were taken captive, exiled from their homelands, and told to forget their languages, worship practices, and tribal traditions. Their dehumanization was intensified by expectations that “required a song and . . . mirth.” The question was “How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” In response to this question of engaging in song as a community while in a strange land of deep and persistent systemic suffering, enslaved African-descended people founded a unique tradition within Christianity that responded to …

Hospital Organizations’ Obligation To Promote Spiritual Well-Being Among Nurses: Development Of A Normative Ethical Argument, Michael Jordan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents an innovative strategy to promote the support of nurses' spirituality within hospital organizations. By focusing on the spiritual well-being of nurses by hospital organizations, with a natural extension into nursing schools, the approach aims to enhance nurse’s ability to protect their own spirituality, provide comprehensive spiritual care to patients, and increase nurse moral resilience. By investing in nurses' spirituality and spiritual growth, hospitals can potentially increase job satisfaction among nursing staff, improve patient care outcomes, and create a more holistic healing environment for both nurses and patients. As the nursing shortage continues and the number of nurses …

Integrating Psychologically Informed Spiritual Care In Mental Health Support Of Youth In The Nigerian Context, Agatha Ejiakaedonwa Umenyi

Jesuit School of Theology Dissertations

Mental health challenges among Nigerian youth, marked by depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, and school dropout, pose urgent threats to individual well-being as well as national development. These threats expose a crucial need for innovative mental health interventions. In contexts where supernatural interpretations of mental illness dominate and access to professional care is limited, traditional healers, herbalists, and spiritualists - including prophets, prophetesses, and pastors- serve as frontline responders. This thesis proposes the integration of psychologically informed spiritual care as a culturally resonant intervention, bridging gaps between spirituality and psychology to address mental health disparities.

Drawing on the work of both …

Reclaiming The Body: A Womanist Bioethics Approach To Christian Authoritarianism, Laron Bryant Dowdell

Yale Divinity School Theses

This paper uses womanist bioethics as a theoretical lens to explore how authoritarian leadership practices violate Black women's well-being and autonomy. Womanist bioethics uniquely centers Black women's lived experiences, integrating spiritual, historical, and social dimensions of justice that mainstream bioethics often ignores. The womanist bioethics framework is applied to critique religious authoritarianism and to propose alternative leadership models rooted in shared leadership and communal accountability. The discussion unfolds in four parts: (1) how womanist bioethics critiques the bodily and moral harm authoritarian leadership inflicts on Black women, (2) testimonials of Black women who resisted high-control church systems, (3) an exploration …

Weeping In The Household: Equipping Pastoral Caregivers Among Grieving Families At Grace Presbyterian Church In Baltimore, Maryland, Charles Brandon Brewer

Doctor of Ministry Projects

This project sought to equip pastoral care ministry members of Grace Presbyterian Church to explore communal grief and deepen their own understanding of family systems in intergenerational grief. Participants engaged in a four-week training series aimed at reducing fear surrounding discussions of death, dying, and grief, empowering pastoral caregivers in the church to offer compassionate care to grieving individuals and families. Participants were trained to facilitate Bible studies, group discussions and were equipped with the skills necessary to guide and expand the church’s existing bereavement ministry beyond crisis intervention, strengthening pastoral care efforts, and the pastoral care ministry of the …

The Meaning Of Spiritual Practices For Caregivers Of Children With Cancer In Thailand: A Heideggerian Phenomenological Study, Wipawee Ponkaew

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

Caring for children with cancer may bring short and long-term challenges to families due to added healthcare activities focused on the ill child or adolescent. Among available resources and support strategies, religiosity/ spirituality (R/S) have been increasingly identified as a source of comfort.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience and interpret the findings of spiritual practices for caregivers of children with cancer in Thailand. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit participants, with semi-structured interviews. Swanson’s Theory of Caring provided the theoretical underpinning of the study, and Deikelmann’s seven-stage process was adapted for …

The Operation Of The Holy Spirit In Pastoral Counseling And Chaplaincy, Elizabeth Canfield

Doctor of Ministry (DMin)

The operation of the Holy Spirit in pastoral counseling and chaplaincy is a topic that is difficult to quantify. How and where the Holy Spirit moves is often a mystery. This dissertation seeks to understand the movement of the Holy Spirit in pastoral counseling and chaplaincy in the form of a theological and literature review looking into the history of soul care/pastoral counseling and the development of chaplaincy. It also looks at who the Holy Spirit is, how the Spirit operates, and develops a theology of the Holy Spirit within pastoral counseling and chaplaincy with a focus on spiritual gifts. …

Dual Relationships Of Psychotherapeutically Untrained Imams Who Counsel Their Congregants: A Qualitative Study, Muhammad Abuelezz

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Abstract

Canadian Imams, like many other religious leaders, provide counselling for members of their congregations though most of them have no formal training in psychotherapeutic counselling. The very nature of the Imams’ multiple roles in the community leads to the development of dual relationships. These dual relationships can create an ethical dilemma for Imams because they have a potential to affect the congregants positively or detrimentally. This phenomenological qualitative study explored the lived experience of 15 psychotherapeutically untrained Canadian Imams with dual relationships. Within a psychotherapeutic and an Islamic theoretical framework, this study provided a thorough analysis of five superordinate …

A Phenomenological Study Of Faith In Catholic Persons Living With The Diagnosis Of Cancer, Macrina Reyes

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: There were an estimated 1.9 million new cases of cancer diagnosed the United States and over 600,000 deaths from cancer in 2022. Cancer is also known as the 2nd most common cause of death behind heart disease in the US. In 2019, there were an estimated 16.9 million cancer survivors in the US. Furthermore, the number of cancer survivors is expected to increase to 22.2 million by 2030. Unfortunately, the persons' spiritual needs are not being addressed or considered by healthcare practitioners as part of the plan of care, especially Catholics. In order to truly provide person-centered care, healthcare …

The Association Between Pelvic Floor Dysfunction And Mental Health In Natal Females With A Focus On Native American Populations, Lexxie Gramke

Dissertations

Purpose

Over half of natal females in the United States suffer from pelvic floor dysfunction (PFD). PFD can increase risk of mental health sequelae; however, no studies have been conducted examining the association between mental health and PFD in the Native American (NA) population. This dissertation aims to evaluate the association between PFD, with a focus on overactive bladder (OAB), and mental health in females with specific attention to NAs.

Methodology

A current state of the science review examined the literature for associations between OAB with depression and anxiety in females. Utilizing this literature review, a theoretical model was constructed …

The Influence Of Spirituality On Caregiver Burden And Quality Of Life In Older Adult Informal Caregivers, Stephanie Marie Young

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background: Caregiver burden reduces quality of life (QOL) and is associated with poorer health outcomes. Older adults may be more susceptible to caregiver burden due to advancing age and declining health. Spirituality has been shown to reduce caregiver burden and improve QOL.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the direct or indirect influence of spirituality on caregiver burden and caregiver QOL in older adult caregivers. The specific aims were 1) to determine the prevalence of caregiver burden in a nationally representative sample of older adult informal caregivers of other adults and 2) to investigate the relationships among …

African American Family Members’ Needs And Experiences During A Loved One’S End-Of-Life, Kelley Obringer

Theses and Dissertations

This study aimed to explore African American family members’ needs and experiences during their loved one’s end-of-life. In Chapter 1, a literature review was conducted to review the current state of the literature regarding African American family members’ needs and experiences during their loved one’s end-of-life. Chapter 2 includes a qualitative exploratory study of African American family members’ needs and experiences during their loved one’s end-of-life. The study sample consisted of family members of African Americans being cared for through services provided by an outpatient palliative care facility in the Southeastern United States. Family members answered five open-ended interview questions …

A New Paradigm For Ministry In The World: Spiritual Care Services Of Maine, Lori H. Whittenmore

Doctor of Ministry

With dwindling church attendance in the State of Maine, people’s spiritual needs are often unattended to, especially in times of struggle. Clergy are serving shrinking congregations with shrinking budgets, leading to reduced hours. They don’t often have time to provide pastoral care to their flock, let alone people outside of their flock. This project creates a mechanism to organize a chaplain team and make them available by contract to organizations and their staff and clients. I have conceptualized, designed, and birthed a community-based per diem chaplain/spiritual care organization that can match the world’s soulful need with professional, competent chaplains.

The …

Ministry In Medicine: Patient Perceptions Of Healthcare Professionals Praying In The Workplace, Allison Carole Kinsinger

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

In the United States healthcare system, many patients practice prayer which causes healthcare providers to navigate the boundaries of patient-practitioner relationship when considering offering to pray with their patients. Practitioners should have the freedom to offer prayer to their patients because of the healing and calming properties of prayer. This study examines how patients respond when practitioners offer to pray with them, whether patients consider religion when selecting a healthcare provider, and if prayer from a provider with a religious affiliation different from their own impacts the desire for patients to accept prayer.

Michigan Physician Orders For Scope Of Treatment: Development Of A Nationally Recognized Program, Megan Owens

Doctoral Projects

Background: Advance directives are well intentioned, but fail to promote patient autonomy in emergent situations.

Objective: To develop a sustainable portable medical order program consistent with national standards through an evidence-based toolkit.

Methods: A literature review and policy analysis were conducted to develop toolkit. Interviews were conducted with content experts to validate toolkit.

Results: The final toolkit consisted of five components: educational materials for healthcare providers, a policy brief, strategies for fund development, strategies for quality monitoring, and a cost savings exemplar.

Conclusions: An evidence-based toolkit tailored to state-specific barriers is critical to development of a portable medical order program.

How Providing Care For Individuals With Dementia Affects How A Caregiver Changes Their Lifestyle: A Focus On The Positives, Veronica Joy Vodola

Senior Theses

Background/significance Caregivers of individuals with dementia (e.g. Alzheimer’s Disease) may change their day-to-day life, especially self-care, to meet the needs of the person with dementia, which can be detrimental to their health. Caregivers for individuals with dementia experience both primarily negative and primarily positive effects on physical and mental health through exposure to the effects of dementia. Caregivers often report substandard self-care practices and unpleasant impacts on mental health. Others report notable beneficial influences within different aspects of their life. The positive effects have not been widely researched in literature.

Purpose The objective of this research study is to understand …

Spiritual Care Of Gay Men In Committed Relationships: An Evidenced-Based Intercultural Approach, Marc J. Coulter

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sexual minorities have historically been targets of homophobia, heterosexism, discrimination, and persecution particularly within traditional, conservative religious organizations. As a result, many people who identify as male and gay reject traditional forms of religion and seek alternative spiritual beliefs and practices affirming their sexual orientation, often self-identifying as “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR). Some white, gay male couples in committed relationships also reject traditional views of sexual fidelity and negotiate open, consensual, non-monogamous sexual relationships with their primary partner. Gay couples seeking behavioral health assistance to navigate relational difficulties may encounter clinicians who fail to acknowledge the harmful influence of …

Missing Piece Of The Puzzle: Creating A General Meaning Of Sex Measure, Veronica R. Hanna-Walker

Theses and Dissertations

The presence of and/or search for meaning has divergent and salient outcomes for individuals’ physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Although numerous domains of meaning have been examined, the literature on the meaning of sex is sparse and lacks a quantitative measure. In this study, I aimed to validate a general Meaning of Sex (MOS) Measure that captured the presence of (MOS-P) and search for (MOS-S) the meaning of sex that predicted salient relational and sexual outcomes (i.e., relationship stability and satisfaction and sexual satisfaction). The MOS measure was based off of the Meaning in Life Questionnaire (MLQ) created by Steger …

Improving Spiritual Care By Chaplains For Service Members Who Witness Death, Beth M. Echols

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

This research studied the experience of military and Veteran Affairs chaplains who work with a spectrum of military veterans. The purpose was to better understand how chaplain training prepared or failed to equip spiritual care providers to minister to service members during and/or after the initial experience that they identified as traumatic.

The researcher asked nine open-ended questions to encourage and facilitate reflective responses. After grouping responses with similar answers, the researcher coded the chaplains’ responses to determine themes that would describe and somehow encompass the phenomenon of serving as a chaplain in a war theater. Throughout the study, the …

A Study Of Bullying In The Catholic Healthcare Workplace, Luann Mary Trutwin

Doctor of Ministry Doctoral Projects

This phenomenological qualitative study explored the impact and understanding of bullying in Catholic, mission-driven healthcare facilities, specifically how leaders respond to and manage bullying in their workplaces. The research is intended to make a positive contribution to Catholic healthcare communities by providing healthcare providers, educators, and policy makers information and tools to prevent and manage bullying in the workplace. The study employed Catholic social teaching and a Benedictine based theological reflection model to guide the two main areas of exploration: leaders’ experiences of hearing complaints about bullying and tools available to them to stop bullying. An anonymous survey was sent …

Exploring Experiences, Support, And Growth With Advanced Cancer Caregivers From Rural Communities, Melissa Ketner

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study is an exploratory, qualitative research study of nonpaid caregivers for advanced cancer patients. Fifteen caregiver participants completed semi-structured interviews. The patients for whom they provided care lived at home and were diagnosed with advanced (stage 3 or 4) cancer. The original site of cancer and involvement in treatment was not important for the study. Research recruitment prioritized caregivers residing in rural settings, knowing these areas often lack resources. During the semi-structured interviews, caregivers discussed their perceived challenges and rewards, discussed their stressors and how they managed stress, and discussed their supports. Caregivers addressed the impact of caregiving on …

The Spiritual Health Of Oncology Patients: A Comparison Of Nurse And Patient Perceptions, Martha E. Highfield

Dissertations

Nurses who are committed to care of the whole person must be knowledgeable about patients' spiritual needs. This descriptive, cross-sectional survey was designed to investigate the spiritual health of oncology patients. Parallel nurse (r =.89) and patient (r =.77) Spiritual Health Inventories (SHI) and demographic sheets were distributed to a convenience sample of 40 nurse-inpatient pairs from two hospitals. Respondents included 23 patients with primary lung cancer and 27 Registered Nurses. Patients reported a normatively high level of spiritual health, positively related both to age (p < .02) and physical well-being (p < .014). Analysis of 21 matched nurse-patient SHI scores indicated that nurse respondents inaccurately assessed their patients' spiritual health. Patients and nurses ranked family members or friends and clergypersons as priority choices of spiritual caregivers. Although not generalizable, findings should assist in future studies.

Sustaining Lamentation In Traumatic Grief Through The Contemporary Elegy: A Practical Theology Of The Poetics Of Testimony, Patricia Shawn Fawson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This project addresses the problem that sustaining lamentation for particular testimonies of bereaved people is not supported culturally or spiritually by current practices of mourning. In a democracy, religious leaders become public theologians who respect and respond to diverse religious, political, historical, and economic interests without losing focus on the individual, family, and corporate systems and the ongoing elements of traumatic grief. In the context of lamentation and memorialization, when spiritual caregiver fail to acknowledge potentials for particular ways of mourning to contribute to empowerment and healing, mourners' grief can be foreclosed.

In North America, the dominant rhetoric of public …

Understanding Parents' Disease-Managing Strategies For Children With Sickle Cell Disease, Michelle Noble Mackey

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most difficult and stressful chronic diseases for parents of afflicted children to manage. Managing SCD can be traumatic for parents particularly if they have no specific coping strategies for managing the disease or ensuring the child visits the doctor as scheduled. The use of certain coping strategies may affect the parents' and patients' perceptions of the illness and influence their decisions regarding treatment, which can have a lasting impact on their lives. Effective parental strategies such as positive thinking can aid in disease management, but there is limited research on the coping …

A Pediatric Spiritual Care Training Model Utilizing Volunteers At Children's Hospital In New Orleans, Louisiana, Allen L. Mitchell

Doctor of Ministry Projects

Problem

Children's Hospital—New Orleans is a regional medical center for children with a 247-bed capacity. The hospital is growing in size and scope. However, the number of quality spiritual care providers has not kept up with the growing needs of the institution. As a medical center continues to grow, more spiritual care providers are needed to meet the demand of our increasing patient population. Financial resources are limited and budgets do not favor hiring additional full-time staff chaplains.

Method

A spiritual care training manual was developed to increase the number of trained volunteers to provide spiritual care coverage. A 12-hour …

Perceived Spiritual Competency Of Master's-Level Clinical Mental Health Students Enrolled In Cacrep Accredited Counselor Education Programs: An Investigation Of Variables, Anna Marsh Selby

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship among strength of religious faith, a set of demographic variables, and self-perceived spiritual competence of master’s-level clinical mental health counseling students enrolled in CACREP accredited programs. The study methodology was a quantitative correlational survey research design using multiple linear regression analysis. Data were collected from 178 participants through an online survey comprised of three instruments: the Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Scale (Plante & Boccaccini, 1997), and the Revised Spiritual Competency Scale (Dailey, Robertson, & Gill, 2015), and a demographic survey developed by the researcher. Results of the …

Belong, Become, Believe: A New Model For Children's Ministry Building Toward A Holistic Vision Of Discipleship And Diversity In Multi-Ethnic Children's Ministry, Katey Hage

Seattle Pacific Seminary Theses

As the Church in the United States grapples with challenging issues of race and racism that permeate our world, children’s ministry is also impacted by these very same issues and lived experiences for a diverse community of people. This thesis seeks to help the church acknowledge that all children have particular racial and cultural identity that is formed within family and social system contexts; and it seeks to affirm the belief that children are God’s good creation and made in the image of God. With these truths in place, connections can be drawn between a child’s cultural and racial identity …

Shame In The Presence Or Absence Of God In Stephen Ministry, Richard Tamas

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This hermeneutical phenomenological study explores the lived experience of shame in relation to the presence or absence of God in the caregiving process of Stephen Ministry. Stephen Ministers are trained Christian caregivers who walk side-by-side with those who are struggling in a congregation. Stephen Ministers are trained by Stephen Leaders who have completed the Stephen Ministry Leadership training program. A concern for an assurance of quality of care led to the research question: what is the lived experience of unacknowledged or unprocessed shame in the presence or absence of God experienced by Stephen Ministers who offer Christian care? The foundations …