Transforming Chaplaincy promotes evidence-based spiritual care and integrate research into professional practice and education by fostering a culture of inquiry
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Transforming Chaplaincy News - October 2025
Published 12 days ago • 4 min read
New Publications
(L-R, clockwise: Csaba Szilagyi, Amanda Borchik, Dr. Anne Vandenhoeck, and Dr. George Fitchett)
Congratulations to Transforming Chaplaincy staff members: Csaba Szilagyi, Director; Amanda Borchik, Staff Researcher; and Dr. George Fitchett, Senior Advisor. Much recognition as well to Dr. Anne Vandenhoeck, Professor, KU Leuven with the following publications.
The increasing adoption of collaborative practices in spiritual care and healthcare makes it vital to examine chaplains’ interprofessional collaboration and leadership. Part 1 of this two-part scoping review provides a comprehensive overview of the literature regarding chaplains’ collaborative and leadership roles in interprofessional healthcare teams (DOI: 10.1080/08854726.2025.2563473). The findings highlight the multifaceted contributions of chaplains to healthcare teams and underscore the potential for enhancing their participation and leadership in interprofessional practice. Part 2 explores the factors that influence these roles (DOI: 10.1080/08854726.2025.2563474). Successful integration of chaplains into interprofessional practice depends on strong relational foundations, a sense of belonging, a clear understanding of professional roles, deliberate and confident leadership actions, effective management of power dynamics, and supportive organizational structures. Szilagyi, C., Borchik, A. K., Twose, C., & Vandenhoeck, A. (2025). Chaplains' collaboration and leadership in interprofessional healthcare: a scoping review part 1: Multifaceted roles. Journal of health care chaplaincy, 1–31. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2025.2563473 (Open Access) Szilagyi, C., Borchik, A. K., Twose, C., & Vandenhoeck, A. (2025). Chaplains' collaboration and leadership in interprofessional healthcare: a scoping review part 2: Influencing factors. Journal of health care chaplaincy, 1–26. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2025.2563474 (Open Access)
Spiritual screening is an important way to identify the patients most in need of spiritual care and is essential for implementing spiritual care in outpatient settings. The information in this paper, from six organizations that successfully implemented spiritual screening in inpatient, outpatient, and population health contexts, provides important and helpful information for organizations that are considering implementing spiritual screening. Fitchett, G., Campbell, D., Chang, C., Hester, C., King, S., Peery, B., & Saks, N. T. (2025). Developing and implementing spiritual screening in healthcare: six successful models. Journal of health care chaplaincy, 1–22. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2025.2563472 (Open Access)
APC Fall Symposium Healthcare Chaplaincy - State of the Science
Thursday, October 30, 9 AM - 4 PM (CT)
We're doing it again! The Healthcare Chaplaincy - State of the Science will be offered once more (just in a slightly condensed version from the in-person event, June 12, 2025) as the Association of Professional Chaplains Fall Online Symposium, Thursday, October 30, 9 AM - 4 PM (Central Time).
Masterclass for Chaplain Clinical Note Writing: An Evidence-Based Curriculum
Tuesday, November 18, 12-4 PM (CT) via Zoom
One of the most important responsibilities and tasks for each healthcare chaplain is to communicate through the clinical note. This four-hour short course integrates the available evidence base toward what is taught and practiced for this course. We will discuss how best to approach this work, what are the ideal ways to design for engagement, what content best communicates chaplaincy scope, and what language best describes the circumstances of the clinical encounter.
Transforming Chaplaincy and ACPE: The Standard for Spiritual Care & Education are co-sponsoring the following webinars.
Mental Health Clinical Pastoral Education – A Specialized CPE Program
Tuesday, October 21, 1-2 PM (CT)
(L-R: Angelika Zollfrank & Dr. Brandon Unruh)
One hundred years after Boisen offered the first CPE unit in a psychiatric hospital Angelika Zollfrank will describe one of the few remaining CPE programs in a mental health context. The program addresses the need for mental health competencies in religious leaders and chaplains. The presentation will include graduates’ feedback about the impact of this CPE program on their leadership in chaplaincy and in religious communities. Angelika’s CPE program was described in a paper recently published in Religions. (Zollfrank, A. A., Kaufman, C. C., & Rosmarin, D. H. (2025). Mental Health Clinical Pastoral Education—A Specialized CPE Program. Religions, 16(7), 886. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16070886. OPEN ACCESS.) Dr. Unruh will join as the respondent.
Public psychiatric hospitals were the birthplace of CPE and modern spiritual care. The deinstitutionalization movement of the mid-20th Century dramatically changed mental health care and also spiritual care for people with serious mental illness. In this webinar Lauri Swann will present results from interviews with chaplains currently working in state psychiatric hospitals. While poor funding for mental health care continues to impact these facilities, the spiritual care provided within them remains strong and innovative despite chronic underfunding and inadequate staffing.
Interprofessional Spiritual Care Education Curriculum (ISPEC)
The ISPEC™ Training Course is gaining momentum among healthcare professionals worldwide. The next ISPEC™ Training Course is scheduled for January 29 and 30, 2026. For more information. Applications are opening soon.
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.
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Transforming Chaplaincy: Advancing Spiritual Care Through Research Vision: We envision a future when chaplaincy is formed, informed, and transformed by evidence-based practice 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
Transforming Chaplaincy promotes evidence-based spiritual care and integrate research into professional practice and education by fostering a culture of inquiry
Our Next Short Course... A few spaces remain for Masterclass for Chaplain Clinical Note Writing: An Evidence-Based Curriculum. Join Transforming Chaplaincy's Assistant Director for Engagement, Paul Galchutt, for this short course. In addition to his 20 years of bedside care, Paul's PhD dissertation focus as well as his Cambia Sojourns Scholar grant concern the chaplain's clinical note. He'll also be partnering with these expert faculty: Sarah Byrne-Martelli, Judy Connolly, and Brent Peery....
APC Fall Symposium: Healthcare Chaplaincy - State of the Science Thurs., Oct. 30, 9 AM-4 PM (CT) Transforming Chaplaincy is looking forward to collaborating with the Association of Professional Chaplains (APC) to offer an online version of The Healthcare Chaplaincy - State of the Science (SOTS) as APC's Fall Symposium. This SOTS is just a slightly condensed version of the in-person event hosted earlier this year (June) at the APC Annual Conference. Join us on October 30, 9 AM–4 PM (Central...
Mental Health Clinical Pastoral Education – A Specialized CPE Program Rev. Angelika Zollfrank & Dr. Brandon Unruh Tuesday, October 21, 1-2 PM (CT) Transforming Chaplaincy and ACPE are jointly sponsoring this Spiritual Care Week event. One hundred years after Boisen offered the first CPE unit in a psychiatric hospital Angelika Zollfrank will describe one of the few remaining CPE programs in a mental health context. The program addresses the need for mental health competencies in religious...
