Spiritual Health Support for Individuals with Serious Mental Illness in the Community.

This paper presents a qualitative research project that examines the role of the spiritual health practitioner in an interprofessional Assertive Community Treatment team. The full-time spiritual health practitioner worked alongside the team to support clients with severe mental illness over a six-month period from September 2016 to March 2017. The project examined how the spiritual health needs of clients were addressed through the clinical practice of a spiritual health practitioner. Written in a narrative voice, the findings are presented and discussed, study limitations are identified, recommendations regarding the provision of spiritual health care in the community are made, and areas of future research suggested.

An Integrative Professional Theory and Practice Paper: Personal Reflections from the Journey through Clinical Pastoral Education.

CPE is an experience-based approach to learning spiritual care which combines clinical care with qualified supervision, in-class education and group reflection (CASC--http://www.spiritualcare.ca/). Through didactic seminars, group presentations and personal reading there is opportunity for the student to acquire, apply and integrate relevant theoretical information into their practice. Written for my CPE Specialist application, this paper describes how, through the course of advanced CPE education, I learn to utilize and integrate theory into my clinical work. Beginning with three strands--authenticity, listening and storytelling--I then discuss how the behavioural sciences and theology inform my practice. Focusing on empathy, I speak of the application of disclosure, the use of counter-transference as a diagnostic tool, and the place of therapeutic termination. Group theory, family systems theory, theological reflection, liturgical ministry, and multi-faith practices are considered.