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A Phenomenological Study Describing The Lived Experiences Of Fire Chaplains With Clinical Pastoral Education (Cpe) Training Within The Federation Of Fire Chaplains’ Organization, Chaplain Cooper

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the lived experiences of fire chaplains with CPE training who used CPE competencies when caring for firefighters. The foundation of spiritual care was based on the ten identified competencies used in CPE. The gap addressed in this research was the lack of spiritual care training for fire chaplains. Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s model of companioning served as the theoretical foundation guiding this research. This model of care emphasized a human-centered, heart-based approach, including active listening, empathy, and the practice of presence, which were essential components for fire chaplains providing spiritual care. This …

Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling For Bereavement, Wayne A. Benner

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The topic of this action research is Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling for grief and bereavement. The need for the research completed is for hospice chaplains to have a workable tool to use for grief and bereavement. The problem is that many hospice chaplains do not have a framework to use for counseling in grief. The action researcher worked on the thesis of if chaplains use Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling for grief they will be more effective. The research was completed using Solution-Focused Pastoral Counseling to counsel six participants in grief. Each participant completed a pre-counseling questionnaire and a post-counseling questionnaire to assess …

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. …

The Need For Standardized Training For Volunteer Healthcare Chaplains, Dominic Anthony Korzecki

Masters Theses

For the past 50 years, many studies have examined the effects of Spiritual Care in medical environments. Though these studies have helped support the legitimacy and necessity for the presence of spiritual care in medicine, a lack of attention has been given to the level of professionalism of those who have been granted permission to administer care. The objective of my thesis is to determine the following: 1) if medical organizations that utilize volunteer-only spiritual care programs for their patients, and families, provide the same level of care as ones staffed by trained professionals, 2) if volunteer-only chaplaincy programs generate …

A Grief Intervention For Early Perinatal Loss, Dani M. Helm

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Early pregnancy loss has a multidimensional effect on patients, touching the body, soul, and spirit. This project addresses patients’ lack of spiritual and emotional support following early pregnancy loss, commonly called a miscarriage. The available research on the emotional impact of early pregnancy loss has grown stronger over the last three decades. However, there is a deficit of research exploring the spiritual implications of miscarriage and how faith is used as a coping mechanism for pregnancy grief. In modern culture, the term spirituality can mean many different things. With this awareness, Mercy Healthcare embraces and supports patients wherever they find …

Understanding The 21st Century Practical Implication Of Chaplaincy Ministry In The City Of Milwaukee, Wi, Jeffrey D. Hayman

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This research project acknowledges that God’s command for Christian hospital chaplains is to serve humanity. Jesus calls a chaplain. He then forms, transforms, and conforms them to His image of oneness. Hospital chaplains like pastors are part of care ministries that extend to various work settings, Christian and secular. The hospital-certified chaplain, by definition, can support the whole workforce in the hospital, including their patients and the patient’s families. The hospital-certified chaplain is the main focus of this research. These hospital chaplains must be qualified, endorsed, licensed, certified, or ordained to be on the frontline in the community. A hospital-certified …

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 …