Spiritual Health at Emory Healthcare embraces the traditional religious care provided by professional health care chaplains. It also expands beyond to include spiritual and cultural qualities associated with whole person health. Rituals and prayers from particular faith traditions and active listening continue to be important functions in responding to distress.
Spiritual Health also incorporates evidence-based interventions derived from a wide circle of spiritual practices such as mindfulness and Cognitively Based Compassion Training (CBCT), relaxation response, chronic illness group work and various music and art therapies.
Joining the show to discuss why spiritual care may be an important part of cancer care is Caroline Peacock, LCSW, MDiv, ACPE. She is the Manager of Spiritual Health and Community Care at Emory Healthcare.
Spiritual Health: Comprehensive Cancer Care for the Whole Patient and Families
Featuring:
Caroline received her training as a spiritual health educator with Spiritual Health at Emory Healthcare. She has a Master of Divinity from General Theological Seminary, and a Master of Social Work from City University of New York Hunter College.
Caroline Peacock, LCSW, MDiv
Caroline Peacock, LCSW, MDiv, is the Manager of Spiritual Health and Community Care for the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. She is a Certified Associate Educator with the Association for Clinical Pastoral Education, an ordained Episcopal priest, and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has been with Emory Healthcare since 2013, where she received her training as a spiritual health educator. Prior to training in Spiritual Health, she worked as a clinical social worker in New York City. Caroline has a passion for offering compassionate, respectful, and effective patient/family-centered care in a multi-faith, multi-cultural environment.Caroline received her training as a spiritual health educator with Spiritual Health at Emory Healthcare. She has a Master of Divinity from General Theological Seminary, and a Master of Social Work from City University of New York Hunter College.
Transcription:
Bill Klaproth (Host): Cancer and its treatment can have a lasting effect on your physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Here to talk with us about comprehensive cancer care, including spiritual health, is Caroline Peacock, a Chaplain, and a Spiritual Health Educator at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Caroline, thank you so much, for being on with us. A cancer diagnosis can make you feel overwhelmed, frightened, or alone, and of course, you may experience difficulty with your faith or deepest values. And we know that physical treatment is so important, but the spiritual side of treatment should not be overlooked, right?
Caroline Peacock (Guest): Absolutely. Thank you so much, for having me. I’m really glad to address this very important issue. When people have a cancer diagnosis, they may be suffering in so many ways and so often, what is only attended to is the physical treatment that the patient is receiving and any physical side effects that they might be experiencing. When somebody has a cancer diagnosis, they may feel frightened, they may feel alone, they may feel angry. They may have problems with their faith. It can be really overwhelming for somebody. At Winship Cancer Institute, we believe in supporting the whole person in their care so having a Chaplain attend to the patient and family helps them to know that we care about all of them – all of their personhood and that we want to support them in comprehensive care.
Bill: Are people surprised when you talk to them about spiritual health? I know they’re so focused in on the physical health and the physical treatment, are they surprised when you offer spiritual health and guidance?
Caroline: Not often because when somebody is suffering – when they have a cancer diagnosis – for example if I’m visiting a patient in the infusion center and I’m simply introducing myself and saying, “Hi, my name is Caroline. I’m with Spiritual Health. I’m here to see how you’re doing today and how I can support you.” They often immediately enter into some kind of conversation with me because they’re holding so much emotionally and spiritually.
So often when somebody has cancer, their needing to pretend as though they can get through it, that they want to focus on just being strong, people often just want to hear what’s going well. When they speak to a Chaplain, what we can do is allow them to express the fullness of their suffering, for them to say, “You know, this is really hard. This is overwhelming. This is scary.” And so often, they feel a relief to be able to express that. If a person has a particular faith background or spirituality that they ascribe, what we do is support them in the expression of their faith or expression of their spirituality because that really helps them cope when they’re going through a terribly difficult time like this.
Bill: So comforting to have someone like you to be there for them. Caroline, when someone asks you, “Why me, God? How could you let this happen to me – or my son, or my daughter, or my spouse?” What is your answer to that?
Caroline: What I want to do in a situation like that is I want to hear what is behind the statement. I don’t want to prescribe any particular religious framework for them, but I want to help them utilize what their framework is to help them cope. If somebody says, “Why is God doing this to me?” what I might say to them, “I see how confusing this is for you and how frightening this must be.” And also, when I say something like that, the person will further explore how difficult it is for them to be having this crisis of faith and it allows them to often come to their own answer within their own faith framework for how they understand their situation.
Bill: And Caroline, that’s how you counsel people of all different kinds of faith then?
Caroline: Yeah, and what I think about it – the way I think about it is as supporting people in their deepest values. Whatever a person finds value in their life, whatever gives them meaning, whatever gives them hope, whatever gives them a sense of connection, that’s what I want to support them in. For one person that might be a particular religious tradition. For another person, it might be – I don’t know, participation in family or community activities or some kind of meditation practice. It can be different for every single person, and it usually is complex. People often have various aspects that create a spiritual tapestry for them. I want to find out what’s important to them, what helps them cope. If that’s prayer, for example, and if they say, “Gosh, prayer really helps me,” and they say, “Would you pray with me?” I love to pray with them. I love to support them in their faith.
Bill: So, whatever they need, you counsel them on personal values – you mentioned it, beliefs, hopes, and fears. Do you cover all of that with them?
Caroline: Absolutely, because all of that is a part of what a person is living in when they’re going through this. Often, if a person has a particular religious framework, they may feel like they can only express hope, for example, but often, they are feeling a lot of fear. It’s really important for me to make space for them to be able to express the fear as well. And paradoxically, something that sometimes happens is people might go to their faith communities – like for example, their community pastor or to folks in their church, for example – and they might feel like they can’t feel like they can say that they’re struggling with their faith because they don’t want to disappoint anybody within their religious community. Whereas with me or with another Chaplain or Spiritual Health Clinician, we create an environment in which they are able to say whatever is on their mind and we hear them without judgment and we want to support them in that fullness of expression.
Bill: Such an important resource for them. Do you offer support then to survivors, and family members, and loved ones as well as the patient?
Caroline: Absolutely. In fact, when I’m visiting with a patient at Winship or if I receive a phone call from a family member, I consider anyone I’m engaging with as a care-seeker and somebody who is deserving of care. In fact, sometimes, the family member may be the person that I am providing the most care to because of the particular needs. Every single situation I’m assessing. And also, I work with the entire system here at Winship. If somebody comes into the Survivorship Clinic or one of the other clinics and they are requesting to see a Chaplain, they’ll certainly let me know, and I’ll follow up with that patient even if they are in remission for a long time, for example. There can be a sense of living with the uncertainty of what is to come even when a person is a survivor, so there can be a lot of stress associated with that.
Bill: And do you offer spirituality groups, as well?
Caroline: Yes, that is something that we offer because we want to let people know that they can relate to other patients and families who are going through the same thing, that they are not alone. One of the really interesting things that I have seen happen a lot, for example, is in the infusion area. When two patients are receiving treatment right next to each other, and they’re on the same regimen, so they’re there every Tuesday morning, for example, they often strike up conversations with each other, and it’s not uncommon for them to become a source of support. As a Chaplain, what I want to do is support people in the way that they receive support. If that means connecting with their community pastor or connecting with a fellow patient or with people who care about them, I want to nurture those relationships that they’re forming to help them cope.
Bill: And speaking of support then, what about supportive connections to religious resources?
Caroline: Yeah, certainly that’s an important part of what a Spiritual Health Clinician can provide. We certainly make it known that we provide care to all patients and families whether they have a particular faith background or not. Sometimes, a person will request a specific connection to a community religious leader. For example, if somebody has come to Winship and they’re living nearby as they receive their treatment, they might not have somebody from their faith community who is able to visit them to provide support, so we can certainly make calls to faith leaders in the community to visit them and provide that support.
We have lay Eucharistic Ministers from a local Catholic Church that provides communion. We have a community Rabbi who comes in. If somebody wants to see an Imam, we can call an Imam to come in or someone from a local Hindu Temple. We want to support people in their faith expression.
Bill: Caroline, so informative. Thank you so much, for your time today. For more information, please visit EmoryHealthcare.org/Cancer, that’s EmoryHealthcare.org/Cancer. You’re listening to Advancing Your Health with Emory Healthcare. I’m Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.
Bill Klaproth (Host): Cancer and its treatment can have a lasting effect on your physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Here to talk with us about comprehensive cancer care, including spiritual health, is Caroline Peacock, a Chaplain, and a Spiritual Health Educator at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. Caroline, thank you so much, for being on with us. A cancer diagnosis can make you feel overwhelmed, frightened, or alone, and of course, you may experience difficulty with your faith or deepest values. And we know that physical treatment is so important, but the spiritual side of treatment should not be overlooked, right?
Caroline Peacock (Guest): Absolutely. Thank you so much, for having me. I’m really glad to address this very important issue. When people have a cancer diagnosis, they may be suffering in so many ways and so often, what is only attended to is the physical treatment that the patient is receiving and any physical side effects that they might be experiencing. When somebody has a cancer diagnosis, they may feel frightened, they may feel alone, they may feel angry. They may have problems with their faith. It can be really overwhelming for somebody. At Winship Cancer Institute, we believe in supporting the whole person in their care so having a Chaplain attend to the patient and family helps them to know that we care about all of them – all of their personhood and that we want to support them in comprehensive care.
Bill: Are people surprised when you talk to them about spiritual health? I know they’re so focused in on the physical health and the physical treatment, are they surprised when you offer spiritual health and guidance?
Caroline: Not often because when somebody is suffering – when they have a cancer diagnosis – for example if I’m visiting a patient in the infusion center and I’m simply introducing myself and saying, “Hi, my name is Caroline. I’m with Spiritual Health. I’m here to see how you’re doing today and how I can support you.” They often immediately enter into some kind of conversation with me because they’re holding so much emotionally and spiritually.
So often when somebody has cancer, their needing to pretend as though they can get through it, that they want to focus on just being strong, people often just want to hear what’s going well. When they speak to a Chaplain, what we can do is allow them to express the fullness of their suffering, for them to say, “You know, this is really hard. This is overwhelming. This is scary.” And so often, they feel a relief to be able to express that. If a person has a particular faith background or spirituality that they ascribe, what we do is support them in the expression of their faith or expression of their spirituality because that really helps them cope when they’re going through a terribly difficult time like this.
Bill: So comforting to have someone like you to be there for them. Caroline, when someone asks you, “Why me, God? How could you let this happen to me – or my son, or my daughter, or my spouse?” What is your answer to that?
Caroline: What I want to do in a situation like that is I want to hear what is behind the statement. I don’t want to prescribe any particular religious framework for them, but I want to help them utilize what their framework is to help them cope. If somebody says, “Why is God doing this to me?” what I might say to them, “I see how confusing this is for you and how frightening this must be.” And also, when I say something like that, the person will further explore how difficult it is for them to be having this crisis of faith and it allows them to often come to their own answer within their own faith framework for how they understand their situation.
Bill: And Caroline, that’s how you counsel people of all different kinds of faith then?
Caroline: Yeah, and what I think about it – the way I think about it is as supporting people in their deepest values. Whatever a person finds value in their life, whatever gives them meaning, whatever gives them hope, whatever gives them a sense of connection, that’s what I want to support them in. For one person that might be a particular religious tradition. For another person, it might be – I don’t know, participation in family or community activities or some kind of meditation practice. It can be different for every single person, and it usually is complex. People often have various aspects that create a spiritual tapestry for them. I want to find out what’s important to them, what helps them cope. If that’s prayer, for example, and if they say, “Gosh, prayer really helps me,” and they say, “Would you pray with me?” I love to pray with them. I love to support them in their faith.
Bill: So, whatever they need, you counsel them on personal values – you mentioned it, beliefs, hopes, and fears. Do you cover all of that with them?
Caroline: Absolutely, because all of that is a part of what a person is living in when they’re going through this. Often, if a person has a particular religious framework, they may feel like they can only express hope, for example, but often, they are feeling a lot of fear. It’s really important for me to make space for them to be able to express the fear as well. And paradoxically, something that sometimes happens is people might go to their faith communities – like for example, their community pastor or to folks in their church, for example – and they might feel like they can’t feel like they can say that they’re struggling with their faith because they don’t want to disappoint anybody within their religious community. Whereas with me or with another Chaplain or Spiritual Health Clinician, we create an environment in which they are able to say whatever is on their mind and we hear them without judgment and we want to support them in that fullness of expression.
Bill: Such an important resource for them. Do you offer support then to survivors, and family members, and loved ones as well as the patient?
Caroline: Absolutely. In fact, when I’m visiting with a patient at Winship or if I receive a phone call from a family member, I consider anyone I’m engaging with as a care-seeker and somebody who is deserving of care. In fact, sometimes, the family member may be the person that I am providing the most care to because of the particular needs. Every single situation I’m assessing. And also, I work with the entire system here at Winship. If somebody comes into the Survivorship Clinic or one of the other clinics and they are requesting to see a Chaplain, they’ll certainly let me know, and I’ll follow up with that patient even if they are in remission for a long time, for example. There can be a sense of living with the uncertainty of what is to come even when a person is a survivor, so there can be a lot of stress associated with that.
Bill: And do you offer spirituality groups, as well?
Caroline: Yes, that is something that we offer because we want to let people know that they can relate to other patients and families who are going through the same thing, that they are not alone. One of the really interesting things that I have seen happen a lot, for example, is in the infusion area. When two patients are receiving treatment right next to each other, and they’re on the same regimen, so they’re there every Tuesday morning, for example, they often strike up conversations with each other, and it’s not uncommon for them to become a source of support. As a Chaplain, what I want to do is support people in the way that they receive support. If that means connecting with their community pastor or connecting with a fellow patient or with people who care about them, I want to nurture those relationships that they’re forming to help them cope.
Bill: And speaking of support then, what about supportive connections to religious resources?
Caroline: Yeah, certainly that’s an important part of what a Spiritual Health Clinician can provide. We certainly make it known that we provide care to all patients and families whether they have a particular faith background or not. Sometimes, a person will request a specific connection to a community religious leader. For example, if somebody has come to Winship and they’re living nearby as they receive their treatment, they might not have somebody from their faith community who is able to visit them to provide support, so we can certainly make calls to faith leaders in the community to visit them and provide that support.
We have lay Eucharistic Ministers from a local Catholic Church that provides communion. We have a community Rabbi who comes in. If somebody wants to see an Imam, we can call an Imam to come in or someone from a local Hindu Temple. We want to support people in their faith expression.
Bill: Caroline, so informative. Thank you so much, for your time today. For more information, please visit EmoryHealthcare.org/Cancer, that’s EmoryHealthcare.org/Cancer. You’re listening to Advancing Your Health with Emory Healthcare. I’m Bill Klaproth. Thanks for listening.