SDI Educational Events

Spirituality and Health Care Institute: Cultivating Compassion in Health Care Settings

Thursday April 19, 2012
9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Spiritual directors, chaplains, clergy, educators, health care professionals, and everyone interested in holistic care are invited to join us for our fourth annual one-day educational and networking program on spirituality and health care.

At this year’s institute, we will equip participants to cultivate compassion in health care settings through two interactive sessions, followed by a working session on educational resources, and time to share stories, questions, and concerns with each other.

Our schedule for the day:
9:00–9:30 a.m.             Welcome and introductions
9:30–11:30 a.m.           Morning Session: Understandings of Illness and Disability
11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.  Lunch break
1:00 – 3:30 p.m.           Afternoon Session: Promoting Healing for the Healers
3:30–5:00 p.m.             Working session on educational resources, sharing, questions, and next steps

Morning Session:
Building on her June 2011 Presence article, “Not-Knowing in Spiritual Direction: Reflections on Social Identity,” Kelly Arora, PhD, will present four common models of understanding illness and disability. We will reflect on how we develop our individual understandings of illness and disability from these models, and we will consider judgments about people who have illnesses and disabilities that are also embedded within the models. Our reflections and discussion will help minimize the risks of imposing judgments on other people in personal and professional caregiving relationships.

Afternoon Session:
Health care professionals often experience the most tragic aspects of life as part of their daily work. These tragedies often evoke deeply spiritual questions and concerns. In this session, Pat Fosarelli, MD, will present the most common spiritual issues encountered by health professionals. We will enhance our understandings of how spiritual directors can work with health care professionals to increase their compassion for others and their openness to healing for themselves, even in the worst of situations.

In addition to these learning sessions, our day will include time to discuss the collection and development of educational resources to support the integration of spirituality in health care (e.g., in-service curricula). We will also have time to share success stories, challenges, and questions.

Cost: USD$150, includes midday meal. Register now.

2012 Planning Team:
Kelly Arora, PhD, Adjunct Faculty, Iliff School of Theology, Denver, Colorado, USA
Rev. Margaret Benefiel, PhD, Executive Officer, Executive Soul, Dorchester, Massachusetts, USA
Pat Fosarelli, MD, DMin, Associate Dean, Ecumenical Institute of Theology, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Carolyn Nickerson, MA, MSN, EdD, RN, CNE, Associate Professor, Duquesne University School of Nursing, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Rev. Kevin F. Tripp, MDiv, MA, Lead Chaplain, Sutter Care at Home, Santa Rosa, California, USA
Jan Zeller, PhD, RN, FAAN, Professor, North Park University School of Nursing, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Cultivating Compassion 2012 Educational Events
April 19:         Leadership Institute
April 19:         Spirituality and Health Care Institute
April 19:         FREE Public Evening
April 20-22:   Cultivating Compassion Conference
April 23:         Pilgrimage
April 24-27:   Contemplative Retreats