Tell Me Where It Hurts: The Role of Chaplains in Addressing Chronic Pain and Grief
Reverend Doctor Elizabeth Hulford, DMin, BCC; and Chaplain Alyssa Foll, MA, AMITA Health
“I live in a state of active mourning.” —Sonya Huber, Pain Woman Takes Your Keys: And Other Essays From a Nervous System
Where there is chronic pain, there is grief. Author and chronic pain sufferer, Sonya Huber, bears this out in her work (cited above), connecting pain and grief as a part of her daily existence. There is grief over the ways in which she cannot mother her son, grief because pain is an unwelcome third-party in her sex life, grief that she cannot travel for work and to further her academic career, grief for the body that she used to inhabit, grief for the person that she was before pain took up residence in her skin. Pain, says Sonya Huber, keeps her in a state of active mourning.
Sonya’s experience of chronic pain is raw, real, and devastating. And it is only one story. Research suggests there are one-hundred million people, like Sonya, who are experiencing chronic pain in the United States. If Sonya’s linkage between pain and grief is indicative for all chronic pain sufferers, then the question must be asked: is this grief addressed as a part of pain management? And if so, by whom?
Enter healthcare chaplains.
Chaplains have long been viewed as grief specialists — when a patient receives a devastating diagnosis, when a patient cannot be resuscitated and the family is inconsolable, when a staff member’s grief is affecting their work, the common response is, “Call the chaplain!” With their skillsets of grief support, empathic listening, and non-judgmental presence, chaplains seem most equipped to address the grief of chronic pain sufferers.
In light of the connections between chronic pain and grief and chaplains being equipped to address grief, the Spiritual Care Research team at a Chicago hospital system conducted a study to bear out further data on this topic. The study was conducted under the medical supervision of a pain management physician and participants were adults, 18 and older, who were seeking medical treatment for their chronic pain.
The presenters for this workshop are two healthcare chaplains. The first, who was the principal investigator for the research study, has twelve years of experience, holds a Doctorate of Ministry degree, and is board-certified chaplain through Association of Professional Chaplains. The second presenter, who was the research chaplain for the study, has five years of experience, particularly in the area of mental health, and holds a Masters of Arts degree in Systematic Theology.
During the first half of the workshop, the first speaker, the principal investigator, will speak to the impetus for the research question and about the design of the study; the second speaker, the research chaplain, will address the survey questions and the methodology of identifying patients to survey. Together, both presenters will explore the research findings and the implications for pain management treatment and for chaplaincy practice. In the second half of the workshop, the presenters will model three forms of grief support and will allow for the participants to practice such interventions, should they wish to. With the second part of the workshop being more practice-oriented, this format will also allow for questions, comments, and for best practices to be shared by all workshop participants.
This workshop targets chaplains, Clinical Pastoral Education supervisors, researchers, physicians, and other healthcare professionals involved in pain management. Workshop attendees will leave with handouts on the research study, grief support practices, and recommended reading. Attendees will also be asked to write down two ways in which they can incorporate grief support into their care for chronic pain sufferers.
Where there is chronic pain, there is grief. Author and chronic pain sufferer, Sonya Huber, bears this out in her work (cited above), connecting pain and grief as a part of her daily existence. There is grief over the ways in which she cannot mother her son, grief because pain is an unwelcome third-party in her sex life, grief that she cannot travel for work and to further her academic career, grief for the body that she used to inhabit, grief for the person that she was before pain took up residence in her skin. Pain, says Sonya Huber, keeps her in a state of active mourning.
Sonya’s experience of chronic pain is raw, real, and devastating. And it is only one story. Research suggests there are one-hundred million people, like Sonya, who are experiencing chronic pain in the United States. If Sonya’s linkage between pain and grief is indicative for all chronic pain sufferers, then the question must be asked: is this grief addressed as a part of pain management? And if so, by whom?
Enter healthcare chaplains.
Chaplains have long been viewed as grief specialists — when a patient receives a devastating diagnosis, when a patient cannot be resuscitated and the family is inconsolable, when a staff member’s grief is affecting their work, the common response is, “Call the chaplain!” With their skillsets of grief support, empathic listening, and non-judgmental presence, chaplains seem most equipped to address the grief of chronic pain sufferers.
In light of the connections between chronic pain and grief and chaplains being equipped to address grief, the Spiritual Care Research team at a Chicago hospital system conducted a study to bear out further data on this topic. The study was conducted under the medical supervision of a pain management physician and participants were adults, 18 and older, who were seeking medical treatment for their chronic pain.
The presenters for this workshop are two healthcare chaplains. The first, who was the principal investigator for the research study, has twelve years of experience, holds a Doctorate of Ministry degree, and is board-certified chaplain through Association of Professional Chaplains. The second presenter, who was the research chaplain for the study, has five years of experience, particularly in the area of mental health, and holds a Masters of Arts degree in Systematic Theology.
During the first half of the workshop, the first speaker, the principal investigator, will speak to the impetus for the research question and about the design of the study; the second speaker, the research chaplain, will address the survey questions and the methodology of identifying patients to survey. Together, both presenters will explore the research findings and the implications for pain management treatment and for chaplaincy practice. In the second half of the workshop, the presenters will model three forms of grief support and will allow for the participants to practice such interventions, should they wish to. With the second part of the workshop being more practice-oriented, this format will also allow for questions, comments, and for best practices to be shared by all workshop participants.
This workshop targets chaplains, Clinical Pastoral Education supervisors, researchers, physicians, and other healthcare professionals involved in pain management. Workshop attendees will leave with handouts on the research study, grief support practices, and recommended reading. Attendees will also be asked to write down two ways in which they can incorporate grief support into their care for chronic pain sufferers.