Expanding Chaplain Competencies: Tradition-Aware Chaplaincy

Expanding Chaplain Competencies: Tradition-Aware Chaplaincy is a project exploring the relationship between beliefs and practices of patients from multiple traditions and the ways participants engage healthcare. The project’s goal is to provide practical guidance equipping Association for Clinical Pastoral Education Certified Educators and Board Certified Chaplains to offer tradition-aware chaplaincy education and chaplaincy.  Interviews with leaders from each tradition and focus groups with members of each tradition provide the data for this qualitative research project. Participants are asked how those in their tradition make meaning, cope, make medical decisions, and navigate spiritual struggle in times of serious illness. Participating traditions include African Methodist Episcopal, Baha’i, Buddhist, Biblical Christian, Hindu, Humanist, Jehovah’s Witness, Muslim, Native American, Orthodox Jewish, and Roman Catholic. Competencies will be developed from the results of qualitative interviews with leaders and focus groups with members from participating traditions.