What does chaplaincy/spiritual care to the homeless look like from where I stand? I know that one of the first challenges posed to me as a Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) candidate was to delineate the difference between chaplain and counselor. That was posed to me in my first interview and I responded that I did not know but expected that would become clear as my CPE experience progressed. The question was raised multiple times after. There were times it felt like it carried a barb. There were times I thought I heard an agenda. There were times I was frustrated or felt like somehow I was missing something that seemed clear to others.
Today I am still not quite sure. Today I am much more peaceful at not being quite sure. In my experience with the men and women whom I encounter it might continue to be questioned whether I am counseling or providing spiritual care. What I do know is that I have a presence that seems to me to be sheer grace. This is a presence, a care, a genuineness that is for many compelling. On my end it is gift. I chose to call this presence pastoral. So maybe I am for the moment thinking that it is not about what I am “doing” with the men and women I meet but rather my “being.”
I have suggested from early on that what I do, regardless of what “hat” I wear, is all of the same cloth. One of my primary professional trainers (therapy) would say that the most important gift we can give the person(s) with whom we are engaging is to “abide.” That came from a therapist/psychologist/trainer – yet this is the core of what matters to me as a chaplain; this is pastoral care. Abide.
Maybe as a counselor I am more directive at times although I think it is often valuable to not be directive. Maybe as a counselor I use techniques such as motivational interviewing. Yet I know that all I know of techniques also informs who I am as a chaplain. I do know that because I am also a chaplain and the clients know this even though they have not “contracted” with me in that role, there is space for god-talk. I can ask, “Where is god in this?” I can refer to childhood Sunday school stories if this is a piece of history they have made available.
At the same time I recognize that another chaplain who felt called to do his/her work here at Healthcare for the Homeless-Houston would shape it differently. We bring who we are. We allow ourselves to be open, a channel for the one who is bigger than we. We trust that, that one knows the combination of gifts and weaknesses and uses them. Indeed, I tend to believe that, that one, puts us where we are precisely because of the learning and shaping that has come from our history. My roots/training/experience are as a therapist/counselor.
One arena of training for me has been in trauma, trauma resolution, trauma-informed care. Training: personal experience and professional education and experience. This unquestionably informs who I am and what I do as the chaplain. I consider that pastoral care or pastoral presence dovetails with the concept of trauma-informed care. My role/stance, is not unlike the concept of universal precautions, i.e. I err on the side of assuming this person comes to me with pain and trauma rather than not. I, and those I serve, may be better served because I come from a place of support, safety, compassion. As the protagonist in “A Woman’s Tale” said, “it takes so little to be kind.”
If indeed I assume the person sitting across from me has gone through some trauma, either a single event of multiple events over an extended period of time, there is a better chance that I will remember that trauma by its nature leaves one feeling at risk and out-of-control. What is my heart response to someone about whom I care who may be feeling at risk or out-of-control?
And I work with the homeless:
Homelessness deprives individuals of…basic needs, exposing them to risky, unpredictable environments. In short, homelessness is more than the absence of physical shelter; it is a stress-filled, dehumanizing, dangerous circumstance in which individuals are at high risk of being witness to or victims of a wide range of violent events. (Shelter from the Storm: Trauma-Informed Care in Homelessness Service Settings, Elizabeth K Hopper, Elle Bassuk, and Jeffrey Olivet)
Talk about feeling at risk and often out-of-control!
There are other stresses these men and women experience including poverty, discrimination, separation from family, frequent moving, problems relating to various agencies, immigration, health, legal trouble, and lack of resources. Put on top of that substance abuse, mental health, promiscuity, and criminal behavior.
Wow! What is needed; what is helpful; what is most generative: support and compassion or impatience and criticism? How much is too much? How much can any of us take before our cup is full and we cannot tolerate one more drop? This is the place for the pastor. This is the place to “bear ye one another’s burdens.” Spiritual care may be supporting the other at emptying that cup, even just a few drops. Just a few drops; a little more hope; a little more energy.
Pastoral presence: as in trauma informed care – asks what happened to you instead of what is wrong with you. It is being supportive, compassionate, patient, receptive, and helpful. It is about losing the labels and letting the other tell her/his story. It is about giving time and space for the telling of that story and letting her/him lead. It is respecting her/his voice and choice and recognizing her/his comfort level. Can I see the world and events through that person’s eyes, the eyes of her/his culture?
I offer support and validation – no judgment. I ask questions – inviting the telling. I listen – resisting interrupting and having body language that is receptive. And yes I may get more directive, giving information and resources as appropriate and giving a warm hand-off if possible. I let the one across from me know that I am available in the future.
I also respect her/him enough to manage my own trauma and stress.
It is not the load that breaks us down…it’s the way we carry it. -Anonymous
And so I use this post to continue to look at being pastoral in my setting. In my setting that means, among other things, pay attention: this person across from me has a history that makes today make sense; remember that the other holds the key to her/his life; empower her/him to use it. And be sure to practice in my life what I offer.
Resources:
- Trauma Informed Care & Effective Screening, Christine Heyen, MA, Crime Victims’ Services Division, Oregon Department of Justice, Association of Public Health Nursing Supervisors Annual Conference, May 9, 2012
- Texas, Department of Family and Protective Services training
- Trauma-Informed Care at Milwaukee County BHD, Barbara Barnes, Claudia Meyer & Martha Williamson
- The National Child Traumatic Support Network
Chaplainesque's Blog 