{"title":"Beyond the frontlines: examining healthcare chaplains' experiences of workplace violence.","authors":"Dana T Fachner, David H F Tyler, Tusty Ten Bensel","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2026.2667114","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2026.2667114","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Workplace violence (WPV) is a growing concern within healthcare, yet little attention has been given to its impact on chaplains. The current study examines the prevalence, reporting behaviors, and consequences of WPV among 327 healthcare chaplains across diverse care settings. Approximately 52% of respondents reported experiencing violence within the 30 days preceding the study; however, the vast majority did not report these incidents to their managers, healthcare system administration, or law enforcement. Experiences of WPV were associated with increased turnover intent and higher emotional strain. Results underscore the normalization of violence amongst chaplains as well as the institutional gaps in supporting healthcare workers who experience WPV. The findings highlight an urgent need for targeted interventions, policy development, and further research to enhance chaplain safety and well-being within the healthcare setting.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147844321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding a multisensory program toward workforce well-being and care quality in a pediatric hospital: a cross-sectional survey.","authors":"Sabrina Figueiredo, Eliezer Oliveira, Bryan Baker, Timothy C McCall, Ulrich Koch, Kathleen Ennis-Durstine","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2026.2663700","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2026.2663700","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Burnout and compassion fatigue are prevalent among healthcare professionals, prompting interest in well-being interventions. This study aimed to understand how staff perceive the support of Comfort Corner - a chaplain-led program - on resilience, provision of care, team engagement, and turnover, and to describe the self-care behaviors among Comfort Corner attendees. A sample of convenience included 384 completed surveys. Among the respondents, there were high levels of mental (80%), emotional (77%), and physical (82%) fatigue. Most (59%) continue to practice self-care strategies outside of hospital hours to sustain wellbeing. Nearly all agreed Comfort Corner enhanced self-care knowledge, skills, and attitudes (KSA) (90%), resilience (88%), mood (97%), clarity (90%), and energy (92%). A majority (87%) reported safer care provision and 90% cited better teamwork. Of importance, 23% identified Comfort Corner as a factor in their decision to remain in the hospital. Survey respondents value the support from Comfort Corner. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to understand Comfort Corner's action mechanisms and its indirect effects on patient outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147844265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elizabeth Larson, Gary W Creech, Karen Heistand, Laura A Lovejoy, Kelly Morse M Nowicki, Jacek T Soroka, Dawn R Vlasaty
{"title":"An intervention to reduce burnout and fatigue of health care chaplains: a pilot study.","authors":"Elizabeth Larson, Gary W Creech, Karen Heistand, Laura A Lovejoy, Kelly Morse M Nowicki, Jacek T Soroka, Dawn R Vlasaty","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2026.2663701","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2026.2663701","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Spiritual care providers in health care settings experience high levels of stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. In this study, we investigated the effects of self-directed activity to address chaplains' fatigue. The study also identified chaplains' preferences for dedicated time, the effects of such an activity, and the contribution of this intervention for well-being and work productivity. Eighteen chaplains participated in the study. Data were collected through a post-intervention survey. Results showed that offering a specific intervention aimed at addressing fatigue and burnout had positive benefits, not only for chaplains but also for the sponsoring organization. When employees feel cared for, they become more productive and willing to accept and work through challenges experienced by the organization such as a pandemic. Investing in self-care and work-based interventions of choice could potentially benefit the organization economically and create a stronger sense of organizational loyalty and connection.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"1-12"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147785085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maxwell Levis, Monica Dimambro, Joshua Levy, Brian Shiner
{"title":"Evaluating chaplaincy utilization in a suicide-risk-stratified Veterans Affairs patient sample.","authors":"Maxwell Levis, Monica Dimambro, Joshua Levy, Brian Shiner","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2026.2657187","DOIUrl":"10.1080/08854726.2026.2657187","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Although chaplaincy is a key part of the Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) healthcare services, few studies have investigated how classified suicide risk impacts this service utilization. Filling this gap, this study evaluates utilization patterns in a suicide-risk-stratified national sample of VA patients who died by suicide (cases), as well as suicide risk-matched patients (controls) who did not die by suicide in 2017-2018. Given overdispersion and data sparsity, the study used Bayesian Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial regression and evaluated group and risk-tier status associations. Chaplaincy utilization proportionally declined along with suicide risk; high-risk patients received significantly more care than moderate-risk patients, while moderate-risk patients received significantly more care than low-risk patients. Case and control differences were not significant. Findings support broader pattern of higher-risk patients receiving more care in general. Future investigations that include unstructured data could help contextualize case and control differences.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147699921","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Csaba Szilagyi, Patricia K Palmer, Amanda K Borchik, George Fitchett
{"title":"Emotional intelligence and counseling self-efficacy among clinical pastoral education students in a multicenter sample: a baseline analysis.","authors":"Csaba Szilagyi, Patricia K Palmer, Amanda K Borchik, George Fitchett","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2026.2651589","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2026.2651589","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the characteristics of students entering Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE), including their baseline emotional intelligence (EI) and counseling self-efficacy (CSE), is essential for facilitating their development. This cross-sectional study examines demographic characteristics, EI, and CSE among 274 CPE students across 29 CPE centers nationwide. It also investigates professional and demographic factors that may predict baseline EI and CSE. We found that CSE was most strongly predicted by EI, EI was predicted by related prior work experience, and race was a predictor of both EI and CSE. These findings offer valuable insights for spiritual care education and CPE programs, highlighting the importance of curricula designed to foster emotional intelligence and promote reflective practice. Future research should explore the efficacy of specific instructional strategies and clinical experiences to enhance EI and CSE among spiritual care students, as well as the potential impact on care recipients.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"1-16"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147639998","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Rachel Lee, Maureen Shelton, George H Grant, Jennifer S Mascaro
{"title":"Self-reflections of health care chaplain fellows: Development in self-attunement and compassion during engagement with Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health (CCSH).","authors":"Rachel Lee, Maureen Shelton, George H Grant, Jennifer S Mascaro","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2026.2644796","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2026.2644796","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) prepares health care chaplains to address the spiritual and emotional needs of diverse patients and staff by cultivating self-awareness, interpersonal and clinical skills, and resilient compassion. Some health care chaplains engage in structured fellowship activities after CPE to expand and improve their expertise in clinical spiritual care. We conducted a retrospective investigation of recurring consult case reflections from chaplain fellows (<i>n</i> = 10) enrolled in a 2-year Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health (CCSH) fellowship program. We compared the fellows' first and last 10 reflections to identify changes in the fellows' reported activities and in the language that they used to reflect on their attunement during the consults. In the last 10 reflections, fellows attributed patient distress to a wider array of sources and were more likely to report using mindful grounding and cultivating a warmhearted presence with patients. When reflecting on their self-attunement, fellows used fewer discrepancy words (e.g., <i>would</i>) and more positive emotion language in the final 10 reflections. These results suggest that fellows diversified their activities with patients and used less dichotomous thinking to discuss their attunement as they became more experienced. This research provides insight into the cultivation of interpersonal and intrapersonal skills essential for high-quality chaplaincy care.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"1-19"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147618988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Csaba Szilagyi, Amanda K Borchik, Claire Twose, Anne Vandenhoeck
{"title":"Chaplains' collaboration and leadership in interprofessional healthcare: a scoping review part 1: Multifaceted roles.","authors":"Csaba Szilagyi, Amanda K Borchik, Claire Twose, Anne Vandenhoeck","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2025.2563473","DOIUrl":"10.1080/08854726.2025.2563473","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Healthcare chaplains provide care within interprofessional collaborative contexts. However, little is known about their functional roles as collaborators and leaders, including what capabilities, influence, and skills chaplains leverage in their work. In Part 1 of a two-part scoping review, we examine chaplains' collaborative and leadership roles in interprofessional healthcare teams through mapping the existing research literature. We analyzed 53 empirical studies that met the inclusion criteria. Six collaborative roles for chaplains were identified: relationship and communication facilitation, consultation for whole-person care, education, staff support, research collaboration, and collaborative leadership. The latter category included five additional characteristic interprofessional leadership roles: leading by spiritual care expertise, fostering interprofessional collaboration, mediation and conflict management, advocacy and change leadership, and improving decision-making. In the service of whole-person care, we discuss research contributions and gaps, implications for practice, and recommendations for future research.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"109-139"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145151408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Csaba Szilagyi, Amanda K Borchik, Claire Twose, Anne Vandenhoeck
{"title":"Chaplains' collaboration and leadership in interprofessional healthcare: a scoping review part 2: Influencing factors.","authors":"Csaba Szilagyi, Amanda K Borchik, Claire Twose, Anne Vandenhoeck","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2025.2563474","DOIUrl":"10.1080/08854726.2025.2563474","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Interprofessional collaborative practice is integral to providing spiritual care and whole-person care. As interprofessional spiritual care models continue to evolve, existing research on chaplains' collaboration and leadership remains limited. In Part 2 of a two-part scoping review, we examine the factors that influence chaplains' collaboration and leadership. The review included 53 studies to map the relevant literature. Our analysis identified (a) four key factors: relational factors, the professional chaplain role, attitudes influencing collaboration, and leadership action, and (b) two contextual factors: power dynamics and organizational conditions that provide an embedded environment, dynamically shaping and interacting with facilitators and barriers. Findings provide valuable insights for the effective integration of chaplains in interprofessional practice and illuminate the need for proactive approaches from both chaplains and healthcare systems. Incorporating interprofessional education and shared experiences throughout chaplaincy training and professional development is essential to enhance chaplains' ability to collaborate and lead in interprofessional settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"140-165"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145151392","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Beth L Muehlhausen, Satoe Soga, Jonatan Amaya-Villa, Charles Abuyeka, Emmanuel Nieves Aviles
{"title":"CPE cultural immersion through a country exchange program.","authors":"Beth L Muehlhausen, Satoe Soga, Jonatan Amaya-Villa, Charles Abuyeka, Emmanuel Nieves Aviles","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2026.2644797","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2026.2644797","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated a country exchange cultural immersion program for Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) students at Houston Methodist Hospital System (HM). HM has CPE programs with students in both Monterrey, Mexico and Houston, Texas, United States of America (US). Participants included 17 students from Mexico and the United States (US) who were interviewed individually or in small groups regarding their experiences with the program. Students from Mexico were interviewed in Spanish and the US students were interviewed in English. The study received institutional review board approval. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, with students receiving pseudonyms. The methodology utilized was qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The research team, composed of three chaplains, one educator and one researcher, coded all interviews twice. Thirteen themes emerged leading to the overall conclusion that the program is very successful at helping chaplain students step out of their comfort zone, grow in compassion, confidence and competence when working with patients, families and staff who represent different cultures and ethnicities than themselves. Themes were matched with Association of Clinical Pastoral Education (ACPE) Level IIA Outcome Indicators demonstrating that the program aids students in meeting several competencies.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"1-23"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147515555","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Niels den Toom, Marjo van Zundert, Anja Visser, Annelieke Damen, Sujin Rosie, Carmen Schuhmann, Hanneke Muthert, Gaby Jacobs, Erik Olsman, Jacques Körver, Martin Walton
{"title":"Pathways to inner peace: A meta-analysis of case studies on methods in chaplaincy.","authors":"Niels den Toom, Marjo van Zundert, Anja Visser, Annelieke Damen, Sujin Rosie, Carmen Schuhmann, Hanneke Muthert, Gaby Jacobs, Erik Olsman, Jacques Körver, Martin Walton","doi":"10.1080/08854726.2026.2633974","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2026.2633974","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study explores the extent to which chaplains employ structured methods in their practice in view of home-based chaplaincy in the Netherlands by conducting a secondary analysis of 40 case studies from the Dutch Case Studies Project (2016-21). Findings indicate that chaplains employ a broad range of interventions, among which two structured methods were identified: The Diamond Model and mindfulness. Both methods support clients in coping with vulnerability and making life decisions using different theoretical and spiritual approaches. It was found that both methods were applied flexibly, reflecting a balance between professional discretion and methodological integrity. Overall, the findings suggest that chaplains aim to integrate interventions, maintaining a balance between structured methods and relational presence, ultimately striving to foster inner peace through varied theoretical and spiritual approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":45330,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2026-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147356982","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}