The Nurse’s Handbook of Spiritual Care helps nurses develop a high level of competence in spiritual and existential care as an important part of holistic nursing.
Every patient and situation a nurse encounters is unique, and spiritual relationships can be expressed and met in a variety of ways. This handbook covers the fundamentals of spiritual care, written to inspire and challenge the reader. It provides a space for reflection and encourages lifelong learning. The authors present a new teaching-learning theory - the learning spiral - to enable and empower readers to ‘tune in’ to patients and work to soothe spiritual suffering and existential pain, ultimately facilitating patient well-being.
Sample topics covered in The Nurse’s Handbook of Spiritual Care include:
- What is spiritual care, the spiritual as part of whole person care including existential challenges, value based matters, and religious considerations and practices
- Exercises to get better acquainted with yourself, such as working with your own view of life and personal story, and how to prepare yourself to go outside your comfort zone
- Spiritual care skills and competencies, features and qualifications of the helper, and moving from student to lifelong learning as a nurse
Table of Contents
Acknowledgement sxi
Preface xii
About the Authors xvi
Chapter 1 Basics of Spirituality and Spiritual Care 1
What is Spiritual Care? 1
Spirit - Breath of Life 4
Spiritual Care 7
The Spiritual as Part of Whole Person Care 12
Existential Questions 14
Religion, Rituals, and Faith Practices 16
Life- View 25
Why Spiritual Care is Important in Nursing Care 26
Our Professional Responsibility for Spiritual Care 30
Spiritual Care as a Difficult Topic 34
One Learning Spiral in Three Phases 36
References 38
Chapter 2 Preparing for Spiritual Care 45
Knowing Yourself and Your Own History 46
Background and Context Matter 49
Knowing Yourself at a Deeper Level 51
Exercises to get Better Acquainted with Yourself 53
Drawing Your Life Tree 54
Working With Your Own View of Life and Personal Story 55
Becoming Aware of Values in Your Own Life 57
The Art of Asking Good Questions 60
Two Simple Questions 62
Question Guides for Spiritual Care 63
Preparing for the “I- Don’t- Know- What- To- Do” Situations 69
What Signal Do You Send Out? 71
General and Special Competence in Spiritual Care 74
References 78
Chapter 3 Connecting: Recognizing and Following up Spiritual Encounters 83
The Importance of Rapport Building 84
Determining the Need for Spiritual Care 86
Willing to go Outside Your Comfort Zone 87
Building Trusting Relationships 89
Tuning in to the Spiritual Domain 92
Unveiling Important Concerns 94
Facilitating the Healing Process 100
Documenting Spiritual Concerns 105
Different Conditions That Affect Spirituality 107
From Connection to Reflection 110
References 111
Chapter 4 Reflecting and Growing Personally and Professionally 115
Dimensions and Levels of Reflection 116
Reflecting on What Went Well 118
Reflecting on What Did Not Go Well 123
Developing Self- Understanding Through Reflection 124
Activity for Internal Reflection and Dialogue 125
From Storytelling to Critical Reflection 130
Ending Unfinished Stories 135
Reflecting on What You Know and What You Need to Learn 138
Spiritual Care Skills and Competencies 138
Features and Qualifications of the Helper 143
Moving from Student to Nurse 146
References 147
Chapter 5 Lifelong Learning, Self-Care, and Workplace Care 151
Lifelong Learning 152
Spiritual Care Educational Standard for Nursing Competency in Spiritual Care 153
Tips for Nursing Educators 156
Self- Care for Nurses 162
Self- Care Skills and Strategies 163
Avoid Burnout 169
Develop Coping Strategies 172
Learn Assertiveness 174
Mitigate Bullying 175
Workplace Care: Creating a Welcoming and Healing Environment 178
Suggested Resources 181
Online Resources 183
Bullying in Nursing 183
Creating a Healing Environment 183
Self- Care in Nursing 183
EPICC Spiritual Care Competency Self- Assessment Tool 184
References 188
Further Readings 194
Index 196
