Chaplaincy Research Summer Institute

Recap: July 14-18, Chicago, Rush University

Congratulations to all the participants who successfully completed the Chaplaincy Research Summer Institute (CRSI)!

This intensive program, offered by Transforming Chaplaincy, empowers chaplains to develop crucial research literacy skills. Over that week, your participation has been energizing as you delved into the research process, explored various methods relevant to chaplaincy research, and learned how to critically apply research to practice. Your commitment to advancing chaplaincy through evidence-based practice is truly inspiring!

We're excited to see how you will apply these new skills to initiate and collaborate on projects, contributing to the growing body of research in chaplaincy.

Learn more about the Chaplaincy Research Summer Institute
​https://www.transformchaplaincy.org/crsi2025/​

Spiritual Care Management and Leadership
September 2025 - May 2026

The Transforming Chaplaincy Certificate Program in Spiritual Care Management and Leadership (SCML), a distinctive educational offering at Rush University College of Health Sciences, is an exceptional resource for those aspiring to lead spiritual care programs in healthcare.

Led by experts, it integrates classroom learning, real-world case studies, and experiential activities to equip participants with the skills needed for effective leadership amidst the complexities of healthcare spiritual care. Emphasizing a comprehensive curriculum that covers everything from emotional intelligence to strategic thinking and innovation, this program is designed for current and aspiring spiritual care leaders seeking to enhance their capabilities and impact.

Participants will join a supportive community, engage in reflective practices, and apply what they learn to real-world challenges, preparing them to lead with agility and compassion in the evolving healthcare landscape.

Spiritual Care Management and Leadership Information Session
Wednesday, September 3, 3:30 PM (CDT)

We are delighted to invite you to an information session for our upcoming Rush University Transforming Chaplaincy Spiritual Care Management and Leadership Certificate Program. This session is designed to provide all the necessary details to help you embark on this enriching learning journey.

During this Zoom session, we will cover key aspects of the program, including curriculum highlights, learning objectives, and what you can expect as a participant. We will also outline the application process and provide insights into how this program can benefit your professional growth.

Whether you have already been accepted into the program or are considering applying, this session will offer valuable information to help you prepare and succeed. We encourage all interested individuals to attend and learn more about this unique opportunity.

Please mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 3, 3:30 PM (Central Time).

Upcoming Education
Research Literacy 101
August 20 - September 17

A few spots remain and there is still time to register.
Since 2019, Transforming Chaplaincy (TC) has offered Research Literacy 101 to support chaplains learning how to locate, evaluate, and summarize the evidence related to their practice. Join co-instructors and TC research fellow alums, Petra Sprik, PhD candidate, and Paul Galchutt, TC's Assistant Director of Engagement.

25 continuing education hours are available.

Upcoming Webinars

Anton Boisen and the Origins of CPE
Tuesday, September 16, 1-2 PM (CDT)

This webinar will introduce Anton Boisen (1876-1965), the founder of modern clinical pastoral education/training and modern institutional chaplaincy. It will describe Boisen’s ‘vilusions,’ the intersection between his visions and delusions, his concern for people in crisis, and his contribution to the dialogue between science and religion. It will also describe the complex relationship between Boisen and other early leaders of CPE. With a focus on data driven, patient centered care, Boisen’s work resonates with current emphases in healthcare.

Join Dr. Sean LaBat, PhD, BCC-MI, is a staff chaplain with the Central Virginia VA Health Care System for this presentation.

The Congregational Care Network: Effects of a Healthcare/Congregational Partnership on Loneliness and Healthcare Utilization
Tuesday, September 23, 1-2 PM (CDT)

Being isolated, being lonely, are challenges to the human spirit that have significant impact upon a person’s health, especially if that person is older and has a chronic illness. The Spiritual Care Department of Indiana University Health Systems partners with congregations to connect our patients who are older and isolated with trained volunteers, called connectors, who offer companionship and support during times of illness. Launched in 2020 with 10 congregations in the Indy Metro region, Congregational Care Network (CCN) now collaborates with more than 40 congregations of diverse faith traditions across the IU Health footprint.

We look to build a truly integrated spiritual care model, with chaplaincy services at the bedside, in the outpatient setting, and extending into community care through CCN.

Join Jay Foster and Dr. Lexy Torke as they discuss their recent open access publication about this work. They will be joined by Dr. Ellen Idler as the respondent.

Recent Publications

Congratulations to these Transforming Chaplaincy (TC) affiliated researchers.

Kristin Golden, PhD, is a TC research fellow alumna and led the research team for: In Recovering From Intimate Partner Violence, Women's Reasons for Forgiving Matter.
For women who experience intimate partner violence, the practice of forgiveness can be an important part of the process of recovery. However, it may also bring increased risk of return to abusers. This study inquired about women’s reasons for forgiving (e.g., for themselves, their abusers, their relationships, or God/religion). It found that most women forgave for the sake of themselves (e.g., to help themselves heal and move forward with their lives), and only forgiveness for the sake of a relationship was associated with intent to return to abusers.

Golden, K. B., Harris, J. I., Godlin, A. E., & Gobin, R. L. (2025). In Recovering From Intimate Partner Violence, Women's Reasons for Forgiving Matter. Violence against women, 10778012251362239. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012251362239

Steve Lewis is one of TC's research network conveners and contributed to: Interventions to Support Spirituality Among Adults with Cancer: A Scoping Review.
This is a review of 26 articles that discuss spirituality interventions with cancer patients. Interventions including mindfulness-meditation practices, Dignity Therapy, spirituality group therapy, prayer, enhance patients' spiritual wellbeing, faith, meaning, and self-transcendence. These interventions emphasize both the skills of chaplains as spiritual care specialists and other interprofessional clinicians as spiritual care generalists. Open access.

Miller, M., Meyers, M., Krainak, K., & Lewis, S. P. (2025). Interventions to support spirituality among adults with cancer: a scoping review. Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 33(8), 742. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-025-09787-x

Paul Galchutt is a TC research fellow alumnus. He was as an author team contributor with: Understanding Meanings and Lived Experiences of Spirituality Among Adults with Cancer. Through 25 semi-structured participant interviews what spirituality means and how it was experienced when facing cancer were explored. The findings reveal that "spirituality in daily life was described as participation in spiritual practices, engagement in service and nurturing others, finding and/or creating sacredness everyday, holding a supportive worldview, and relating with mortality."

Miller, M., Galchutt, P., Meyers, M., & Rosa, W. E. (2025). Understanding meanings and lived experiences of spirituality among adults with cancer. Journal of psychosocial oncology, 1–25. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/07347332.2025.2541643

Shelley Varner Perez is a TC research fellow alumna and was a collaborator with: Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Intensive Care Unit Consultation.​
This article is part of a series of “Top Ten Tips” intended to be used as quick pocket guides for busy interprofessional teams. ICUs have distinct clinical cultures that are high intensity and potentially highly distressing for patients and their support persons. Well-integrated spiritual care is crucial in these settings. As a co-author, I appreciated the opportunity to draw upon my previous bedside experience from a CPE unit in a pediatric ICU and as a staff chaplain in adult medical ICUs, as well as my current experience providing care in a post-ICU outpatient clinic. I hope this article’s tips will be helpful for chaplaincy education and for chaplains new to or seeking to deepen their skills in ICU settings.

Mehta, A., Bullock, K., Gustin, J. L., Hadler, R. A., Nelson, J. E., Rosa, W. E., Seaman, J. B., Varner-Perez, S. E., & White, D. B. (2025). Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Intensive Care Unit Consultation. Journal of palliative medicine, 10.1177/10966218251366072. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10966218251366072

Supporting Partnership Opportunities

If you are interested in discussing supporting partnership opportunities with Transforming Chaplaincy, please contact Cate Beaulieu-Desjardins, TC's Assistant Director of Research Development, at caitlin_m_desjardins@rush.edu.

To Support Transforming Chaplaincy

Thank you for engaging with Transforming Chaplaincy as we work together to advance spiritual care through research. We value your support, whether you are a part of one of our research networks, attend webinars, or are on a research team. Please also consider contributing financially by clicking the button below.

Missed a Webinar?

If you were not available to tune into a Transforming Chaplaincy (TC) live broadcast or perhaps you want to see a specific webinar again, check out TC's YouTube channel. Many of you (1.56K) are already TC YouTube channel subscribers and know how this works. When you subscribe, you receive a notification that a new recording is ready for your viewing along with 110+ of our videos. Thank you for whenever you engage TC's content to advance spiritual care through research. Transforming Chaplaincy’s YouTube channel.

Opportunities with the George Washington Institute of Spirituality and Health (GWish)

Advancing Spiritual Care in Everyday Clinical Practice

As part of the GWish Project, they are inviting their second cohort of clinician/chaplain pairs to develop and conduct demonstration projects consisting of interprofessional spiritual care clinical models that can be tested in multiple health settings. Click below to learn more about how to become a GWish Scholar.

Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum (ISPEC) - September 11-12

The ISPEC™ course is designed around the Generalist-Specialist model of professional spiritual care, in which clinicians (generalists) collaborate with spiritual care specialists (e.g., board-certified chaplains). The ability to integrate spiritual care into health settings as a standard part of whole person care necessarily involves a collaborative effort by clinicians and chaplains working together to provide spiritual care to patients and families.

Conference Opportunity:
Out of the Depths’. Contours of Spiritual Care in a Wounded World

October 5-9 | ICPCC–ECPCC Conference Call | Nijmegen, Netherlands

Out of the Depths famously refers to the biography of Anton Boisen, instigator of the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Movement some one hundred years ago, a movement that has now spread out at centers all over the world. At these locations, professionals in pastoral and spiritual care are being trained and coached to explore their inner world at the service of their spiritual work with patients and clients at various care and church settings. At this centennial, it is good to take stock of the nature of their work. This regards the themes and issues of the patients they address; their counselling methods and techniques; and their training, formation, and supervision practices in pastoral care and education. For More Information: https://www.raadkpv.nl/berichten_volledig&item=13​

​Transforming Chaplaincy: Advancing Spiritual Care Through Research​
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​Vision: We envision a future when chaplaincy is formed, informed, and transformed by evidence-based practice
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​Mission: The mission of Transforming Chaplaincy is to promote evidence-based spiritual care and integrate research into professional practice and education by fostering a culture of inquiry

Our mailing address is:​
Transforming Chaplaincy
Rush University Medical Center
Department of Religion, Health, and Human Values
1653 West Congress Parkway
Chicago, IL 60612