Image: BJ Dunbar, Spiritual Care Practitioner
October 25, 2023
Spiritual care is an important aspect in the provision of holistic care at LHSC.
“A person’s spiritual outlook is often connected to their sense of hope,” shares BJ Dunbar, Spiritual Care Practitioner, Spiritual Care at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). “As spiritual care practitioners, when we work to strengthen their hope, we are working to help a person feel that more is possible in their health care journey.”
When considering a person’s overall health, the spiritual side of their health care experience is integral in whole-body wellness.
Spiritual care practitioners at LHSC use the four pillars of spiritual care practice when they connect with patients of all backgrounds, religious affiliations and orientations across the organization:
- Connecting with the body
- Engaging with the mind
- Embracing the emotions
- Supporting the human spirit
Connecting with the body
“In many religious and spiritual beliefs, the body and life are seen as sacred,” Dunbar says. “In conversations I have with patients, we may discuss those spiritual beliefs and highlight the importance of caring for oneself because life is sacred.”
When speaking with patients who may experience a trauma response from a trigger, spiritual care practitioners, like Dunbar, use trauma-informed approaches and are sensitive in their responses to the trigger.
Through conversations with patients who do, or do not have, a spiritual or religious belief, the goal is to enhance a person’s interest in getting better, or, help individuals gain a healthier acceptance in dying.
This can also include conversations about body preparation at the time of death of a patient. Spiritual care practitioners are there to make room for these conversations with patients and their families on how their body is going to be cared for.
Engaging with the mind
“The mind is what you think, what you think spiritually and it is where we can have access to strengthen healthy beliefs and steer away from unhealthy thinking,” explains Dunbar. “When we engage with a person’s mind, we are hearing the person’s story.”
As part of their practice, spiritual care practitioners make sure they listen to the person and understand where their needs are.
Dunbar says that, “Sometimes I’ve had patients express that they feel like God is punishing them and simply hope to get through their illness. I like to explore why they’ve reached that conclusion and perhaps find more life nourishing options to talk about and consider. That’s the mind aspect of spiritual care.”
Embracing the emotions
“Religion has been shown to function positively when it comes to regulating emotions and contributing to feelings of hope, peace and calm in challenging situations,” says Dunbar.
But even for those who are not a part of a faith base or practice any religion, spiritual care practitioners are there to support patients when it comes to working through and understanding those difficult emotions that can arise when thinking about existential questions after a diagnosis or going through treatment.
Supporting the human spirit
Spiritual care practitioners support patients’ inner spirit and true self, and the expression of their true self, but also about a patient’s connections. They help guide conversations around the support that already exists in a person’s life, or areas they want to improve. The spiritual dimension is not just about the inner spirit, but also about the things that a person connects to.
“Some people connect with God, others may consider nature to be their connecting point. Even still, some individuals may see a club or group they belong to as that place where they feel connected to their true self and to others in their community. It is about the outpouring of spirit and engagement in their own lives,” says Dunbar.
The four pillars in patient care
Spiritual care practitioners support both patients and staff within LHSC. They are also integral members of the Staff Support Program and are available for those one-to-one conversations with patients, families and caregivers.
Often, spiritual care practitioners are connected with patients by interprofessional team members, such as physicians, social workers, nurses or unit clerks after a patient, or a family member of a patient, has expressed a need to have a conversation that explores the spiritual dimension.
“Many times, we talk to patients directly, but sometimes we talk to the parents of a child who is experiencing health issues, or the family of a patient who may not be responsive or communicative may want support. The family is often trying to honor what they think the patient may want if they could speak for themselves,” explains Dunbar. “We meet patients where they are in the hospital, or, if they want more privacy, we also try to find a quiet room in their care area to have these big discussions.”
Spiritual care practitioners are advocates for a person’s spiritual needs and are there to provide that extra layer of support in health care for patients and caregivers as they, or a loved one, experience a physical, mental or emotional health concern.
Read “Caring for the human spirit: Spiritual Care at LHSC” to learn more about how spiritual care practitioners support LHSC patients.