ABOUT THIS BOOK

The recent body of case-study work on chaplaincy care synthesizes the inherent narrative nature of chaplaincy with the structured rigors of contemporary care research. This volume is composed of contributions from both practitioners and academic researchers, joining reflections on the challenges of case studies in chaplaincy care with specific results. Drawing on reflections on methodology and professionalization in chaplaincy, the volume hopes to contribute to answering the question of how and why chaplaincy works.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Renske Kruizinga is an assistant professor at the University of Humanistic Studies. Jacques Körver is associate professor of practical theology, pastoral supervisor, and supervisor of Clinical Pastoral Education at Tilburg University. Martin Walton is professor emeritus of spiritual care and chaplaincy studies at Protestant Theological University in Groningen, the Netherlands. Martjin Stoutjesdijk is a PhD candidate at Tilburg School of Catholic Theology.

REVIEWS

“This book is a valuable Western European contribution to the international emerging field of chaplaincy research.” (Prof. dr. Anne Vandenhoeck, Director of the European Research, Institute for Chaplains in Health Care, KU Leuven, Belgium)

“This significant book represents a step-change in research into effective chaplaincy practice. Building on previous work, led by Fitchett and Nolan, chaplains and academics offer new case studies, but also develop this critically reflective approach together. Chapters on methodology show how case studies, especially when analysed comparatively, provide important evidence for how and why chaplaincy works.” (Rev. Dr. Andrew Todd, Director of the Professional Doctorate in Practical Theology, Anglia Ruskin University, England)

“At the heart of chaplaincy are stories, and this collection combines reverence for the stories themselves alongside a critical exploration of how these cases engage with the important issues of our times: what it means to be a profession and to have a professional identity and the need for research that recognises the integral relationship between practice and evidence. This book provides a significant contribution to the current conversations in the spiritual care field.” (Cheryl Holmes, OAM, CEO Spiritual Health Association, Australia)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction. Researching Living Human Encounters; I. Methodology in Case Study Research; 2. The State of the Art in Chaplaincy Research; Needs, Resources and Hopes; 3. Putting Chaplaincy Research into the Picture. The Dutch Case Studies Project; 4. Researching Practices. Lessons from Dutch Youth Care; 5. Up and Down the Participation Ladder. The Use of Narratives in Collaborative Research; 6. The Science of the Particular; II. From Methodology to Initial Findings; 7. Chaplains’ Case Study Research. Building Towards a Theory of Chaplaincy Care? 8. Comparing Multiple Case Studies of (Military) Chaplaincy Care. Methodological issues; 9. Professional Proximity. Seeking a Balance between Relation and Content in Spiritual Counseling; 10. Effects of Health Care Chaplaincy. A Qualitative Study with Case Reports; III. Case Studies and Critical Issues; 11. Personal Experiences in Writing a Case Study; 12. With an Open Mind for the Unexpected. Prison Chaplaincy: a Case Study. 13. Is MacDonald’s Freedom? 14. Agreement is Agreement? Moral Counseling in a Life-Threatening Dilemma; 15. You Can Remove a Person from the War, But Not the War from a Person; IV. Case Studies Research and Professionalism; 16. What Does Participation in the Case Studies Project Mean for One’s Professionalism? Preliminary Findings and Topics; 17. Interdisciplinary Work in Chaplaincy Care; 18. Towards a Distinct Professional Identity. What Chaplains Have Learned in Flanders Case Study Research; 19. What Are Chaplains Learning by Producing Case Studies? 20. ‘Oneself as Another’. Combining the Roles of Chaplain and Researcher in the Dutch Case Studies Project; 21. Epilogue. Developing the Case;