The College of Pastoral Supervision & Psychotherapy is a theologically based covenant community, dedicated to "recovery of the soul" and promoting competency in the clinical pastoral field.
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JHull@uams.edu
Being There: The Art of Clinical Pastoral Care is an article written by
By Jon Parham for the Fall 2011 edition of the UAMS Magazine. It features Susan McDougal, George Hankins-Hull and George Buck, clinical chaplains at the University of Arkansas Medical Center (UAMS).
UMAS is an accredited CPSP CPE training center with a large number of CPE Residents and Interns. There is a lot of pastoral care and counseling taking place in this medical institution. The article speaks of how clinical chaplains at UAMS are integrated into the total care of patients and families. George Buck, CPE Supervisor notes that chaplains ...play a supportive role to help the patient call upon their own faith or philosophy of life as a source of comfort...
The auhtor provides a graphic and touching snapshot of Susan McDougal, a CPSP Board Certified Clinical Chaplain at UAMS:
McDougal, a Quaker, is the newest full-time chaplain at the Medical Center, joining the team in June 2011 after completing the UAMS Clinical Pastoral Education program. Her interest in becoming a chaplain was kindled by 18 months spent in prison for refusing to answer grand jury questions related to the Whitewater investigation of then-President Bill Clinton. “I was frightened in jail,” said McDougal. “These were women at the worst time in their lives, yet they embraced me and cared about me. “It changed me and made me want to live up to that by offering a personal connection, comfort and caring to those who are in a time of trauma.”
From Left to Right: George Hankins Hull, Susan McDougal and George Buck
George Hankins Hull, director of the department and the CPE clinical training program, speaks of the unique role of chaplain as the "interpreter of "metaphors and connections":
Pastoral care at UAMS is primarily about relationships and the stories people tell about illness. “The least known role of the clinical chaplain is as interpreter of the metaphors and the connections people make while telling their stories that allows them to navigate their hospitalization.
Please read the full article that is in a very readable magazine format by clicking here.
Perry Miller, Editor
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For more information about UAMS's program contact:
George Hankins Hull, Director
Director of Pastoral Care and Clinical Pastoral Education
University of Arkansas Medical Center
JHull@uams.edu
Posted by Perry Miller, Editor at December 22, 2011 1:35 PM
