What does the Chaplain do when “The Sky is Falling?”

There will be times in an IDT meeting when a team leader will not be in their place due to a death in the family, an illness, or some other pressing matter.  A substitute is assigned to lead the meeting and all should be well…right?  Well, not always.

 

ç Looks like a fun IDT meeting or “Is the sky falling? ç   “Oh, dear, what shall I do?”   ç

                      

 

In re-reading this folk tale, I recalled the interesting names of the characters: Chicken Little, Cocky Locky, Ducky Lucky, Goosey Loosey, Turkey Lurkey and Foxy Loxy.  The first 5 are the good guys; Foxy Loxy is the bad guy.  Since this story has a moral we can have a little fun with the story. 

Chicken Little apparently was having one of those days.  I mean if a little chicken can’t eat the corn laid out for it without an acorn hitting her in the head, what’s wrong with the world?  Her response was one of utter hysteria. That seems like a very real human thing to do.  She gets her friends all stirred up and they head out to see the King to tell him the sky is falling.  Now, the friends don’t enquire as to why Chicken Little believes the sky is falling, they just accept the premise because they know Chicken Little.  So, off they go.  Unfortunately, they meet up with Foxy Loxy who is a bit slyer than any of them ever thought to be.  The upshot of the story is Foxy Loxy eats the entire cohort except for Chicken Little who runs home.  Drama, drama, drama.

 

My point?  There are times when things in an IDT’s life cycle look confused and disorganized.  The reasons are many and varied.  You can fill in a few I’m sure.  When that happens, what is your response as a Chaplain?  What are your options?  Let’s lay them out:

1.  You can join in with the leader of the drama and scream along, “The sky is falling!"
2.  You can ask the leader of the drama why the sky is falling and agree that “Yes, the sky really is falling!”   Oh, Dear.  In #’s 1 and 2 the faith leader of the IDT is showing no strength of faith and surrenders to the drama leader’s assertion that the sky IS falling.
3.  You might also ask the drama leader why the sky is falling and kindly but firmly state that whatever the IDT is facing is short-lived and will be corrected and there is no need to upset the rest of the Team.   

Moral of the story:  There is always someone on the IDT with the personality style of Chicken Little…one thing out of place or several things out of place the reaction is the same, “The sky is falling”.  Most IDT’s know who that individual is.  The Chaplain cannot engage in drama…ever.  It’s beneath the dignity of our calling to do so.  We point people’s gaze upward and inward, not downward. 

So, the next time your IDT is in a tizzy that life in the IDT is not perfect, take the lead and squelch the drama with your own inimitable style.   

A blessing to share...

Here is a blessing that came my way. 

https://cshospice.org/2532-2/

A Few Reflections ...

I’ve been very busy putting together our CPE program to launch on October 24 from    1-5PM…so busy that I just haven’t had the time to invest in writing.

 

But, I want to invest in you today by relating several admission visits I’ve participated in. I have a few reflections that continue to shape my outlook and heart for hospice.

 

• The ‘existential slap’ is real.  It is evidenced by the shock of realizing life will soon be over.  Observing the nervousness, lack of focus, and sorrow in the lives of these new hospice patients was heart rending.  Ram Dass once said, “We are just walking one another home.”  How true a statement; however, the type of walking we do with a new hospice patient is often seen by our placing their arm around our shoulders as we support them on their journey. 
• Negotiating with God and/or man seems to be part of the process for some.  The cancer patient would get well if only she could be part of a transplant program.  This can’t be happening, I’m too young.  I’ll have to get better.  I think I can do that.  Is this negotiating or is this denial?  In the final analysis I’m not sure it matters as this person is suffering deep existential pain which becomes spiritual pain…heart-rending once again.
•  Admitting the end is near is part of the process for others.  I’m not sure which is more painful to hear.  What I do know is that the cavalry is on its way.  Cornerstone Hospice has what patients need: the physical, the pharmacia, the nursing, medical, and all that goes with it, the social services, and the spiritual.  Amazing how a family nearly breaks down with tears of relief that finally help is on the way.  For me to be a part of such an institution as hospice fills me at once with tears of joy and also a determined focus to provide a team of Chaplains that are known for their loving and practical spiritual support.
   
  Yes, it’s been a good experience.  I have been following the many patients I saw come into our service.  And, again…yes, our Chaplains are doing what they do best.  For the patients and families I am pleased.

Cornerstone Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc. Launches Clinical Pastoral Education

Clinical Pastoral Education/Training is theological learning through experience in a clinical setting, under the supervision of a certified teacher-practitioner of pastoral ministry.  CPE/Training provides a process for integration of various aspects of theological education into a personal theology and professional style of ministry.  The goal of CPE/Training is to give opportunities to function as ministers, while receiving guidance to render pastoral care.  In the process, one’s own unique gifts in ministry are called forth, recognized, and strengthened.

The main educational purposes of this program are to provide opportunities to render pastoral care to individuals under stress in multi-institutional settings, to develop pastoral identity, and to master a body of interpersonal skills and academic materials related to pastoral care functions.  In the process of fulfilling these purposes, the student/ trainee will be able to set individualized learning goals and evaluate theological and pastoral presuppositions and procedures within the context of relationships with a chaplain supervisor, student colleagues, potentially staff chaplains and professionals from other disciplines.  Rich Behers, DMin BCC CFHPC, Spiritual Care Program Manager will lead the CPE process.

 

Class begins October 24, 1-5 PM at the Southridge office of Cornerstone Hospice located at

4215 CR 561, Tavares, FL 32778

For an application or questions, please contact Rich Behers, DMin BCC CFHPC at rbehers@cshospice.org

Chaplain Position Opening--Full Time

Full Time

Sebring, FL

Posted 2 weeks ago

This is a full time  position providing support to patients and families predominately in Hardee & Highlands counties and on an as needed basis Polk county.
Description:  Assists, educates, and provides support to patients and families with spiritual concerns.
Qualifications:
-Master’s degree of Divinity from a Seminary accredited by the American Association of Theological Seminaries, or Bachelor’s degree and a minimum of three units of CPE in a hospital or hospice setting. -Five years of experience as either a pastor or chaplain.
-Knowledge and Abilities:
a) Demonstrated knowledge and commitment to the Hospice philosophy of care and the Hospice team concept.
b) Able to assess data reflecting the patient’s status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient’s requirements relative to their spiritual needs.
c) Ability to work comfortably in a non-denominational or multi-denominational environment.
-Knowledge of multi-cultural beliefs and practices and ability to work with patients and families from diverse backgrounds, including, but not limited to, race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.
-Valid Florida driver’s license and required auto liability insurance.




Please go to cshospice.org to apply.

Omincompetence…Something to think about.

This morning I was reading Chapter 7 in Helping the Helpers (Foskett, John and Lyall, David; New Library of Pastoral Care, page 107) and came across a very fascinating word, omnicompetence.   Here is the exact quote: “…each ministry demands its own training and expertise, and it is unrealistic to expect omnicompetence…”

I looked this word up and found varying definitions.  In defining omnicompetence I discovered several clear descriptions:  able to handle any situation; competent in every area; the ability to do everything.  And, I had to wonder if that is not what is expected of the parish pastor or the hospital chaplain or even the hospice Chaplain.  It is unreasonable to expect of any human, regardless of religious calling, to have the ability to handle every crisis situation with ease or to implement administrative skills perfectly, or to do everything on the job description without faltering even a tiny bit.  What is expected by the use of this word is the fundamental necessity of education and mentored training. 

At Cornerstone Hospice & Palliative Care, Inc., we have a high census of patients with dementia; therefore, we train our Chaplains and Volunteers in “Communicating Spirituality to Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias.”  We have many other patients suffering from diseases such as: HIV:AIDS, COPD, Cardiac Disease, Cancers of all sorts, as well as other life-limiting disease processes.  Therefore, we educate our Chaplains using the module, “Providing Spiritual Care According to Disease Process.”  I recognize that our Chaplains like to read after hours to gain more information about chaplaincy, so I provide http://www.embracedbytheheartofhospice.blogspot.com.  We recognize that there are chaplains in the community and highly motivated lay persons that have a desire to deepen their ministry skills.  We offer Clinical Pastoral Education to meet those needs.

Further, there is the “other half” of hospice chaplaincy—documentation in the electronic record.  For that, the Chaplain has resources such as, “Algorithms for Spiritual Care”, the “Users’ Guide”, and “Documentation Template” to assist in the process.  The goal is to educate the Chaplain so that in the midst of meeting his caseload of patients with their unique personalities and responses to their life limiting illnesses, the Chaplain not only will be flexible in his approach to meeting the patients, but also, intelligently flexible as he/she provides the appropriate spiritual care for these patients.

Caring is just not enough.  Quoting from Helping the Helpers (pages 104-105):

“Heije Faber in his classic study Pastoral Care in the Modern Hospital compares the role of the minister (Chaplain) in hospitals with that of a clown in a circus.  The clown has his own unique and essential role in the circus introducing a dimension of humanity amidst the amazing feats of the lion-tamers and the trapeze artists.  Similarly a minister (Chaplain) in a hospital can be seen as another human being with whom patients can identify in the midst of all the high technology. ‘If the minister (Chaplain) is to be compared with the clown, he is not to overlook how Grock, one of the greatest of the clowns, would study his act almost daily, frequently giving it fresh slants, and taking care to notice the reactions of the audience.  He realized that the clown had to be professional. The pastoral ministry is also a trade one has to learn and make one’s own by study and training.’”  And, that is why I put so much emphasis on educating our Chaplain Team.  At this time of year, the National Football League training camps are in full swing.  Since I live in the Tampa Bay area of Florida, I follow the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  I listened to a sports report about the Bucs quarterback.  He was eating his lunch alone and was studying his iPad so he could know the offensive plays so well, he didn’t have to think about what to do.  His decisions would be second nature.  To become a hospice Chaplain with great pastoral care skills it takes more than a heart.  Heart is an assumed quality of a hospice Chaplain.  Gaining skills in providing excellent and comforting spiritual care takes time, study, and practice.  It just doesn’t happen on its own.  I don’t expect any Chaplain to be omnicompetent, but I do expect the Chaplain to trend upward in his/her pastoral care skills.

Interesting word: omnicompetence…

Taking Special Responsibility...

“A leader is a person who must take special responsibility for what’s going on inside himself or herself, inside his or her consciousness, lest the act of leadership create more harm than good.”  Parker Palmer, Leading from Within

 

I have read quite a number of statements about leadership, but this one has arrested my attention like few others.  Chaplains are leaders.  If you were to use “Chaplain” in place of “leader” that statement would read: “A Chaplain is a person who must take special responsibility for what’s going on inside himself or herself, inside his or her consciousness, lest the act of chaplaincy create more harm than good.”  How true is that!

 

There are some Chaplains who have slipped through the CPE process without being scathed by a deep and bold personal inventory and have wandered into chaplaincy stubborn, indifferent to the needs of patients, and reckless in their application of spiritual care.  They are still the parish pastor with all the brashness that goes with that.

 

However, the Chaplains that makes a difference in the lives of patients and families has taken the time and effort to do a fearless personal inventory of what’s going on inside of him/herself so that the act of chaplaincy benefits all involved.  There is sensitivity to the religious beliefs held by patients and families.  There is a humble application of spiritual care without rushing the issue.  There is a deep interest in the lives of patients and families and it shows.

 

I call upon all who go by the moniker of Chaplain to hold oneself accountable and take special responsibility for what’s going on inside so that the act of chaplaincy is unhindered and beneficial.