This course is co-taught by Kamal Abu-Shamsieh and Melissa Danney. This course introduces Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) and explores three interrelated foci of meaning-making in chaplaincy; operational or functional theologies, spiritual assessment, and reflective believing.  1)Individuals often modify established beliefs to create an assumptive world or operational theology/spirituality that they use to order experience and make sense of life, particularly when sickness comes or death is near. 2) Assessing the spiritual needs and resources of a patient or someone seeking care is a critical prelude to planning and implementing a strategic intervention for the sake of healing.  3) Reflective believing is a more inclusive way of inviting reflection on the experience of the caregiving and practice of lived religion.  The course will also examine historic and contemporary images of spiritual care to understand the meaning of chaplaincy.

The class will contain a 90-minute synchronous lecture on Tuesdays 9:30am-11am, and asynchronous activities: writing assignments, student groups, and reflections. Open to MA, M.Div., D.Min., and Ph.D. students. Students who already completed one unit of CPE are excluded.

[25 max enrollment; Faculty Consent required; Auditors excluded].