January 21, 2020
Spiritual health practitioners Daince Kurian, left, and Donville Colquhoun lead a jam session for staff and patients at Alberta Hospital Edmonton. Also known as chaplains, they’ve been providing staff and patients with the resources they need to bring spiritual, holistic and meaningful activities into their lives. They’re a driving force behind faith-building and making individuals feel understood on a spiritual level.
Story by Vanessa Gomez | Photo by Rosie Thornton
EDMONTON — Spiritual health practitioners (SHPs), also known to as chaplains, routinely go above and beyond the call of duty to help patients on their healthcare journey at Alberta Hospital Edmonton (AHE).
“The SHP’s engage with people on a spiritual level,” says Rosie Thornton, program manager of Central & Support Services at AHE.
“Patients often ask ‘Why has this happened to me?’ — and SHPs are able to help them on that emotional and spiritual path. Sometimes people don’t always know they need that spiritual aspect of care until they’re approached. They really tie the whole health experience together.”
The work of spiritual health practitioners doesn’t revolve around religion, but rather asks the question: what is the meaning of life and what is your purpose?
Daince Kurian has worked as a spiritual health practitioner at AHE for 14 years. With his combined experience in the ministry, psychology and family and social services, Kurian provides spiritual counselling, one-on-one engagement and works with clinical teams to deliver a more holistic view of healthcare.
“Sometimes patients can feel misunderstood by their clinical team,” says Kurian. “We can help by discerning whether what the patient is going through is a spiritual crisis or a mental-health issue, including, on occasion, religious delusions. We want patients to feel heard, and help support them through their current concerns.”
Practitioners dedicate a lot of time to AHE — dropping in to provide three separate Sunday services, to sing and jam with staff and patients, to conduct patient groups and to develop meaningful and trustful relationships with clients and clinicians.
A carefully planned day can change in a heartbeat — and Thornton adds that the chaplains are amazing when it comes to accommodating last-minute requests.
Spiritual health practitioners are also non-denominational and offer a variety of services to hospital and community clients. They meet with patients and their families, consult with clinical teams and support clients to strengthen their connectedness with the spiritual, holistic and meaningful activities in their lives.
“They’re a great reminder for people that a hospital doesn’t define your whole life,” says Thornton. “They want people to get well, and back to their meaningful, purposeful lives.”
Kurian, who loves so many things about his job, adds that changing people’s lives by building faith is a privilege.
“Even physicians and other health professionals have to have faith in the work they do,” he says. “Connecting with colleagues and clients and building that faith helps them build the blocks to a good life. I feel very privileged that they trust me to be on this journey with them.”
