top of page

Agenda

All Times US Eastern Time

Day One

Monday, April 28, 2025

11:00 am

Welcome and Opening Remarks

Welcome to the Caring for the Human Spirit Conference! We are excited to kick off this transformative event and set the tone for the next three days of growth and inspiration. Get ready to unleash the power of spiritual care and connect with  other professionals. 

11:30 am

Plenary 1: Should Healthcare Chaplains Have Their Own Degree? Exploring the future of Chaplaincy Education

The Rev. David Fleenor, Ph.D.(c), BCC, ACPE Certified Educator
Manager of Clinical Pastoral Education
Stony Brook University Hospital
President, Fleenor Consulting, LLC

David Fleenor_headshot1_edited.jpg

This question guides an exploration of groundbreaking research from a Delphi panel study aimed at establishing curriculum standards for healthcare chaplaincy education. Participants will learn about key domains, knowledge, and skills identified by experts and examine how these standards can transform both academic and clinical pastoral education. We'll delve into whether healthcare chaplaincy should become a distinct profession backed by a specialized degree, providing attendees with practical insights and strategies for advancing chaplaincy education and practice

1:30 pm

Plenary 2: Compassion Fatigue:  Prevention and Recovery in Healthcare Chaplains

Heidi Kraft, PhD, ABPP
U.S. Navy Combat Veteran
Board Certified Clinical Psychologist

Based in storytelling, Dr. Kraft will explore resiliency in healthcare chaplains as it relates to compassion fatigue, with emphasis on prevention and recovery through the principles of coping proven to protect us from the effects of stress in our lives.  

Heidi Kraft headshot_edited.jpg

3:15 pm

Workshop Series A

A1 - Reducing Emotional Loneliness Using Spiritual Care Interventions

​​

A2 - Navigating Grief and Bereavement Calls

​​

A3 - Expertise Meets Empathy

​​

A4 - Providing End-of-Life Spiritual Care in Long-term Care Settings

​

A5 - Psychodynamic Chaplaincy with Adult Psychiatric Inpatients

​

A6 - Who Wants to Live Forever? Longevity and Sacrifice in Science Fiction

​​

Click here for workshop summaries and more information.

​

4:30 pm

Workshop Series B

B1 - Healing Soul Injury When Trauma Collides with Faith

​

B2 - Navigating Family Readiness: The Role of the Chaplain in Transition to In-Patient Hospice

​

B3 - Don't Forget to Document!

​

B4 - Chaplaincy for Dementia Caregivers

​

B5 - The Role of Evidence-Based Spiritual Care for Increased IDT Effectiveness

​

B6 - The Healing Role of Spiritual Care in Making Mind-Body Connections

​

​

Click here for workshop summaries and more information.

​

Day Two

Tuesday, April 29, 2025

All Times US Eastern Time

9:30 am

Westberg Educators Meeting (by invitation only)

10:30 am

Awards Ceremony, Board Certifications and Capstone University Virtual Graduation

Join us to celebrate the chaplains who have achieved Credentialing (CC), Board Certification (BCC), and Advanced Practice Board Certification (APBCC), and to congratulate the 2025 graduating class of Capstone University.

11:30 am

Plenary 3: If Jesus Cared So Much About People's Health, How Can We Encourage Churches to "Go and Do Likewise"

Revd. Dr. Helen Wordsworth, RN, RM, RHV, RNT, MTh, DMin, QN

International Church Liason Specialist

Westberg Institute for Faith Community Nursing
 

Rev. Helen Wordsworth.png

In the 1960’s the Christian Medical Commission of the World Council of Churches (W.C.C.) recommended that health should be included as an integral part of a local church’s mission programme. Since then, that focus has been sharpened through the development of Faith Community Nursing in various countries around the world. It is now being envisioned by the health and healing department of the W.C.C., as they seek to promote the concept of health-promoting congregations. But how can we help to take this forward?

1:30 pm

Plenary 4: The Why and What of Questions We Ask: Spiritual Screening & Assessment

Allison Kestenbaum, MA, MPA, BCC-PCHAC, ACPE Certified Educator
Supervisor of Spiritual Care & Clinical Pastoral Education
Associate Clinical Professor,Department of Medicine, UC San Diego Health Sciences

 

Allison Kestenbaum.jpeg

The past decade has brought unparalleled research and development of tools for spiritual screening and assessment.   This presentation will explore why and how we screen and assess spiritual needs and the ways in which evidence-based assessment drives spiritual care outcomes.  Efficient and effective spiritual care adds value for all stakeholders in our complex and ever-changing care contexts.  

3:15 pm

Workshop Series C

C1 - From Validation to Implementation: The PC7 Spiritual Assessment Tool Journey

​​

C2 - The Legacy of Florence Nightingale on Calling, Nursing Practice, and Education

​​

C3 - Transforming Our Lives Through the Practice of Spiritual Gratitude

​

C4 - Fostering Collaborative Care: The Synergy of Veterinary Social Work and Veterinary Chaplaincy

​

C5 - Spiritual Care in the Community Health Center Setting

​

C6 - From Confusion to Confidence: Gender in the 21st Century

​​​

Click here for workshop summaries and more information.

​

4:30 pm

Workshop Series D

D1 - Difference-Focused Dialogue Practices for Trust-based Relationships

​

D2 - Embracing Spirituality as a Social Driver of Health: How Hospitals and Health Systems Can Advance Health Equity through Faith Community Nursing

​

D3 - Research Workshop - FCN Position Statements

​

D4 - Spiritual Care of LGBTQ+ Patients, Families, and Team Members

​

D5 - Strategies to Health the Dis-ease of the Spirit-Body Disconnect

​​

D6 - Story and the Soul: Transforming Lives through Interdisciplinary Care

​​

Click here for workshop summaries and more information.

​

5:45 pm

Westberg Institute's World Forum

Join us to celebrate and hear the amazing stories of Faith Community Nurses working across the globe.

Day Three

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

All Times US Eastern Time

10:00 am

SCA Annual Meeting of the Membership 
(SCA Members only)

11:00 am

Workshop Series E

E1 - Chaplains Too Can Document Decline

​​

E2 - Chaplaincy Education to Pastors and Lay Ministers in Ukraine

​

E3 - Burning the Candle at Both Ends: Examining the Impact of Healthy Calling and Likelihood of Burnout

​

E4 - Online Wellness Support for Caregivers and Helpers

​

E5 - Expanding the Reach of Spiritual Care

​

E6 - Use of TIMS (This is My Story) Audio Files in Clinical Settings​

​

E7 - A Doctor of Nursing Practice Project to Enhance Mental Health in Teens

​

Click here for workshop summaries and more information.

​

12:30 pm

Plenary 5: Supporting the Ups and Downs of Family Caregiving

Mitzi M. Saunders, PhD, APRN, ACNS-BC
Professor, Graduate Coordinator

 

Learn how to care for the needs of family caregivers, the silent and often forgotten patient. Supporting the "ups" is as important as mitigating the "downs" for a positive caregiving experience.

Mitzi Saunders Head shot_edited.jpg

2:00 pm

Closing Remarks

Note: Agenda subject to change. Changes will be announced in advance.
All times listed are Eastern Time (US).

bottom of page