Transforming Chaplaincy

Advancing Spiritual Care Through Research

Cate Desjardins

Resources

Resources

Transforming Chaplaincy Research Resources Hub

Your one‑stop home for staying current, sparking inquiry, and translating research into practice.

What you’ll find here—soon:

  • Key articles & landmark studies that every chaplain should know
  • Emerging research on spiritual care outcomes, equity, and innovative models
  • Practical toolkits for designing, conducting, and applying chaplaincy research
  • Recommended books & bibliographies (starting with the titles above)
  • Links to webinars, slide decks, and data sets from our programs

We’re actively building and vetting this library. Thanks for your patience while the shelves fill up!
Check back often, and if there’s a resource you’d love to see added, let us know.

Recommended Books for Chaplains

Click on each book cover to purchase

Chaplains Investigate Their Practice

Why this book is important for chaplains: A landmark Dutch project showing how chaplains can rigorously study their own encounters and turn insights into evidence‑based care.

Chaplains Investigate Their Practice — cover

Walton, M., Körver, J., & den Toom, N. (Eds.). (2025). Chaplains investigate their practice: The Dutch case studies project. Wipf and Stock Publishers.

Evidence‑Based Healthcare Chaplaincy

Why this book is important for chaplains: Equips practitioners to appraise, generate, and apply research so they can advocate for chaplaincy services with confidence.

Evidence‑Based Healthcare Chaplaincy — cover

Fitchett, G., White, K., & Lyndes, K. (Eds.). (2022). Evidence‑based healthcare chaplaincy: A research reader. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Case Studies in Spiritual Care

Why this book is important for chaplains: Thirty concise vignettes illustrate assessment, intervention, and outcome measurement across diverse clinical contexts.

Case Studies in Spiritual Care — cover

Fitchett, G., & Nolan, S. (Eds.). (2018). Case studies in spiritual care: Healthcare chaplaincy assessments, interventions & outcomes. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Spiritual Care in Practice

Why this book is important for chaplains: Links core theory to bedside skills and is frequently used in CPE and interprofessional team training.

Spiritual Care in Practice — cover

Fitchett, G., & Nolan, S. (Eds.). (2015). Spiritual care in practice: Case studies in healthcare chaplaincy. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Quick Resources for Chaplains and Educators

Resources on Religious Coping & Meaning-Making (Pargament and Park) for Chaplains – Downloadable PDF

Chaplain Resources on Religious Coping and Meaning-MakingDownload

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Spiritual Care Management & Leadership Certificate 2025-2026

education, Programming, SCML

Leading with Compassion and Skill:
The Transforming Chaplaincy Spiritual Care Management and Leadership Certificate Program atRush University

The third cohort of SCML participants and faculty at Rush Univeristy College of Health Sciences in Chicago, IL

The Transforming Chaplaincy Certificate Program in Spiritual Care Management and Leadership—offered by Rush University’s College of Health Sciences—prepares chaplains to lead spiritual‑care services across complex healthcare systems. Developed through a unique partnership between the Department of Health Systems Management and the Department of Religion, Health & Human Values, the program blends evidence‑based management with the heart of chaplaincy.

We are now accepting applications for the 2025 – 2026 cohort (30 seats). Admission is rolling until the class is full or August 8  2025, whichever comes first.

This is more than an educational program; it is a guided journey toward becoming an effective, compassionate, and strategically skilled spiritual‑care leader. If that mission resonates with you, we invite you to explore this opportunity.

SCML Certificate 2025‑2026 — At a Glance
Program Overview 65‑hour certificate equipping chaplain‑leaders with health‑system savvy & spiritual‑care depth. Joint offering of Health Systems Management & Religion, Health & Human Values at Rush.
Curriculum Foundation Anchored in the NCHL Competency Model 3.0 (Enabling & Action domains).
2025‑26 Cohort Schedule
  • Virtual Kick‑Off: late Sept 2025 (TBA)
  • Bi‑Weekly Virtual Seminars: Oct 10 2025 – May 8 2026, Fridays 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. CT
  • 3‑Day Capstone (Chicago): late May 2026 (TBA)
Delivery Mode Hybrid: live Zoom sessions + on‑site capstone at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago IL.
Ideal Participants Chaplains directing / managing spiritual‑care programs or on a leadership track • Cohort limit 30.
Program Leads • LaVera Crawley MD MPH – CommonSpirit Health
• Andy Garman PsyD – former CEO, NCHL
• Nina Redl MPH BCC + national guest faculty
Tuition $4,500 (texts, materials, on‑site meals included).
Pay in full or $1,500 deposit + $3,000 balance (1 mo. pre‑start).
Travel/lodging for capstone = participant responsibility.
Partial scholarships available.
Apply By Rolling until full • final deadline Aug 8 2025.
Application Packet Résumé/CV • 1–2 page statement • Supervisor letter of support
Key Takeaways
  • Strategic & financial literacy for championing chaplaincy
  • Design‑thinking & QI tools to elevate care quality
  • National peer network & community of practice
  • Capstone project tailored to your organization

Questions? Contact LaVera Crawley MD MPH

Practice‑Focused Learning

Understanding leadership theory is only half the equation. The SCML program emphasizes practical application through:

  • Case‑based learning drawn from participant experiences, hypothetical scenarios, and real‑world examples presented by faculty and guest speakers.
  • Experiential projects that transfer classroom insights to day‑to‑day operations—from staffing metrics to complex ethical dilemmas.
  • Community of practice groups that foster reflection, peer coaching, and sustained learning beyond the classroom.

Preparing Leaders for Contemporary Challenges

Spiritual‑care leaders must:

  • Integrate chaplaincy into outpatient and population‑health models.
  • Demonstrate value in settings with diverse religious, spiritual, and “spiritual‑but‑not‑religious” perspectives.
  • Operate in financially constrained environments that often overlook chaplaincy’s role in resilience and wellbeing.

Our curriculum equips participants with creativity, strategic thinking, and robust business literacy—skills essential for meeting these challenges head‑on.

A Commitment to Lifelong Learning

The healthcare landscape is continually evolving. SCML cultivates agile leaders who can adapt, innovate, and guide teams through change. Systems‑thinking and design‑thinking methodologies help participants craft sustainable, holistic solutions to the complex problems they will encounter.

Curriculum

The curriculum is grounded in the National Center for Healthcare Leadership (NCHL) Competency Model 3.0, which identifies the core capabilities required for effective healthcare leadership. Within this model, we emphasize two sets of competencies:

Enabling Competencies

Foundational skills and attributes that support strong leadership:

  • Self‑development
    • emotional intelligence
    • effective leadership characteristics
    • career stages
    • self‑awareness and executive presence
  • Values & Mission Orientation
    • aligning personal and organizational values
    • mission‑driven leadership
    • organizational ethics and ethical decision‑making
  • Health‑System Awareness & Business Literacy
    • finance and payment systems
    • managerial accounting practices
    • health policy
    • staffing and performance metrics
    • performance management

Action Competencies

Behaviors that drive strategy execution and organizational success:

  • Relationship Building – managing up, down, and sideways
  • Boundary Spanning – collaboration and team building; spiritual care for staff; care coordination; population health; fundraising
  • Executive Functioning – decision‑making; process and quality‑improvement methods
  • Transformation Strategies – innovation; design thinking and user‑experience models; implementation science and strategy management; transformation and change models; systems thinking; leadership in diversity, equity, inclusion, global health, and climate change

By grasping these competencies and applying them in their own settings, participants gain the confidence and practical tools necessary to lead spiritual‑care services in today’s multifaceted healthcare environment.

Faculty Leadership

The program is guided by seasoned professionals who bring both academic depth and real‑world experience:

Lavera Crawley, MD, MPH, OFS

System Vice Presidence of Spiritual and Pastoral Care for CommonSpirit Health

Graduate of SCML Certificate Program

    Andy Garman, PsyD

    Professor – Department of Health Systems Management at Rush University College of Health Sciences

    Former CEO of the National Center for Healthcare Leadership

      Nina Redl, MPH, BCC

      Manager for Pastoral Care, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

      Spiritual Care Researcher
        • Guest speakers: spiritual‑care leaders and healthcare executives from across the nation

        Program Format

        The certificate comprises 65 contact hours and asks participants to set aside additional time each week for preparation and applied‑learning activities. This immersive design fosters a deep, practical understanding of both the theoretical and day‑to‑day aspects of spiritual‑care management and leadership.

        Dates – 2025-2026 Cohort

        Kickoff Seminars (virtual)Late September 2025 (dates TBA) 
        Intersession Seminars & Practice Sessions (virtual)Oct 10, 2025 – May 8, 2025, biweekly Fridays, 10:00am-12:30pm CT
        Capstone Seminars (three days in person in Chicago)Late May 2026 (dates TBA) 

        Audience

        This certificate is designed for chaplains who already direct or manage spiritual‑care programs, or who are on track for such leadership roles within their organizations. Cohort size is limited to 30 participants.

        Application

        Please submit the following:

        • Current résumé or CV
        • One‑ to two‑page statement of interest that addresses:
          • Your vision for the role of spiritual care in your workplace or the broader healthcare ecosystem.
          • Specific reasons for applying, including how the program will advance your professional goals.
          • The knowledge and skills you hope to gain—how they will fill current gaps or strengthen your leadership.
          • How these new competencies will benefit you, your organization, and the populations you serve.
          • Optional (if relevant): A brief account of any prior experience managing staff or leading teams, highlighting challenges faced and how you navigated them.
        • Letter of recommendation from your direct organizational leader/supervisor confirming:
          • Institutional support for your full participation (class time, project work, Capstone attendance).
          • The supervisor’s perspective on how this program will benefit your leadership development.

        Submit your SCML 2025-2026 Application

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        Apply Here

        Costs & Payment

        • Program fee: $4,500 (includes textbooks, program materials, and meals during on‑site classes).
        • Payment options:
          • 100 % payment at registration or
          • $1,500 deposit at registration + $3,000 balance due one month before the program starts.
        • Participants cover their own transportation and lodging for the in‑person Capstone Seminar in Chicago.

        Scholarships & Funding

        Transforming Chaplaincy offers a limited number of partial tuition scholarships for applicants from under‑represented communities, safety‑net hospitals, under‑resourced departments, or those with significant financial hardship.
        Applicants are also encouraged to explore funding through their departments, institutions, and chaplaincy organizations. Flexible payment plans are available.

        Return on Investment

        Investing in this program yields substantial benefits for both individuals and organizations. Participants gain skills and knowledge that enable them to adapt and thrive in the evolving landscape of healthcare spiritual care. The program also cultivates a community of practice, allowing participants to share experiences, learn from peers, and build a lasting professional network.

        Questions? Please contact LaVera Crawley, MD MPH at
        LaVera_Crawley@rush.edu

        Chaplaincy Research Summer Camp 2025 – Chicago, IL

        CRSI, education, Programming

        July 14-18, 2025 – Rush University, Chicago, IL

        Early bird rate until June 1, 2025.

        A group of chaplains in business-casual clothing stands on steps in a light-filled atrium. They are participants in Transforming Chaplaincy’s Chaplain Summer Research Institute (CRSI) and are all smiling and represent a diverse group of professionals.
        The 2024 CRSI Class at Virginia Commonwealth University

        Chaplains are invited to apply for the Chaplaincy Research Summer Institute (CRSI) through Transforming Chaplaincy. First offered in 2017, the CRSI helps chaplains develop research literacy to understand and apply research critically and introduces them to skills to engage in research and quality improvement projects. The CRSI follows an intensive and interactive format that facilitates networking with faculty and chaplains involved in research. Several hands-on sessions include conducting literature searches, qualitative research activities, and mentored small-group discussions.

        Participation in CRSI counts toward research-related CE hours of professional chaplaincy organizations.

        Audience

        The CRSI audience includes chaplains who wish to develop their ability to critically read and apply research findings to their spiritual care practice, collaborate on research projects with chaplain and non-chaplain investigators, and plan chaplaincy-related D.Min. projects. It also includes chaplains who provide leadership to chaplaincy quality improvement projects.

        The CRSI also provides a useful background for CPE Educators to lead research literacy education in their centers.

        Content

        The content of the CRSI provides participants with an introduction to the research process, various methods relevant to chaplaincy research (e.g., case studies, qualitative and quantitative methods), important examples of existing chaplaincy-related research, and conducting targeted literature searches in PubMed.

        Participants will also work in mentored small groups to discuss individual or group research questions. Participants already working on or planning chaplaincy-related projects are welcome to bring those projects to work on through the week. Time will be dedicated for several participants to present their research to the whole group at the end of the week for consultation.

        While content and faculty varies most years, these are the core elements of CRSI – and both quantiative and qualitative methods, including case study writing, are always covered.

        ElementPurposeTypical Placement
        Plenary lecturesFoundational content from core faculty & guest scholarsEach morning block – covering quantiative and qualitative methods
        “Under the Hood” research spotlightsTransparent walk‑throughs of real chaplaincy studies by their authors—design decisions, pitfalls, lessons learnedLate‑morning or late‑afternoon
        Skill‑builder breakfasts (optional)Practical micro‑sessions (e.g., database searching, software tips) for early‑birds7:45 – 8:45 a.m. certain mornings
        Small consultation groups6–8 participants with 1-2 faculty mentors workshop individual projects or QI ideasAfternoons
        Participant presentationsSlots for works‑in‑progress presentations by participants; constructive feedback from the full cohortFriday morning
        Networking dinners & social timeCommunity building, mentorship, and informal Q\&A3 evenings during the week at local restaurants (included in tuition)
        Evaluation & next‑steps sessionIdentify resources, set personal milestones, and connect to CRSI alumni networkFriday late morning

        Faculty

        The 2025 CRSI faculty includes George Fitchett, DMin, PhD, BCC, Senior Advisor, Transforming Chaplaincy, Csaba Szilagyi, MDiv, MLA, MS, ACPE, Director of Research, Department of Religion, Health and Human Values, Rush University Medical Center and Director of Transforming Chaplaincy, Kelsey White, PhD, BCC, Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), and Cate Beaulieu-Desjardins, MDiv, MPH, BCC, Assistant Director of Research Development, Transforming Chaplaincy.

        Application

        Participation is limited to 30 people. Participants must be working or otherwise engaged as chaplains or chaplain researchers, or providing consultation to chaplains, in a health-related setting (e.g., hospital, clinic, hospice, long-term care). Chaplains should minimally be BCC eligible and have completed their CPE residency before applying as we feel this program best serves experienced professional chaplains and chaplaincy leaders. An application process will assess readiness and enthusiasm for the CSRI. 

        Please note that the CRSI program begins Monday morning and ends on Frirday at 12 noon.

        Apply for CRSI 2025 Here

        Spaces are limited! Early bird rate ends June 1, 2025

        CRSI Application Form

        Cost

        • Full program rate: $1,100.
        • Early Bird Registration: $950 for participants enrolling by June 1, 2025.
        • Registration includes 3 dinners and 2 breakfasts during the week.
        • Participants are responsible for their travel, lodging, and remaining meals during the week.
        • A non-refundable deposit of $500 is required for those who are accepted. The registration fee balance is due no later than one week before the start of the CRSI.
        • Transforming Chaplaincy is pleased to offer a limited number of partial tuition scholarships for participants from underrepresented communities, safety-net hospitals, under-resourced departments, or with serious financial hardships.
        • Applicants should also check with their departments, institutions, and chaplaincy organizations about potential funding.