Centre for the Study of Spirituality and Health

Integrating Spirituality into Healthcare Practices
Remembering the “Forgotten Dimension”

A multidisciplinary conference on spirituality and healthcare hosted by the University of Aberdeen, 12 – 13 January, 2004

• Keynote Speakers
• About the conference
• Who is the conference for?
• Postgraduate Education Allowance (PGEA)
• About the Speakers
• Poster presentations
• Bursaries
• Booking form
• Contact

Keynote speakers

About the conference

This conference is about furthering good practice in spiritual care. This interactive conference brings together an internationally recognised group of practitioners and researchers from a variety of disciplines – medicine, nursing, social science, chaplaincy, alternative medicine and practical theology - to explore how spirituality (understood in its broadest sense) can be creatively incorporated into a multidisciplinary healthcare setting. It will provide a creative blend of keynote speakers, interactive workshops and poster presentations that will enable delegates to reflect on what spirituality means for their particular area of professional practice.

Who is the conference for?

This conference will be of relevance to all in the caring professions who seek to incorporate this vital dimension into their practices. It will also be of relevance to management and administrators who seek to understand and work through the significance of this dimension of care for the development and maintenance of a holistic, person-centred National Health Service. Religious leaders and lay people who wish to work out what their role may be within a healthcare context will also find this conference relevant and enriching.

Postgraduate Education Allowance (PGEA)

The conference programme has been approved for 11 hours PGEA under the category of health promotion.

About the speakers

Dr. David Hay is an internationally recognised expert on contemporary spirituality and has researched extensively within this area. He is a former director of the Alister Hardy Research Centre in Oxford and is currently an honorary senior lecturer in the School of Divinity, Religious Studies at the University of Aberdeen.

Professor David Aldridge is Professor of Qualitative Research in the Faculty of Medicine at the University Witten-Herdecke, Germany. He has researched and practised extensively within the area of spirituality and health and has particular expertise within the area of complementary medicine.

Professor John Swinton is Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care at the University of Aberdeen. He has a background in mental health nursing and mental health chaplaincy and has researched and published widely within the area of spirituality and health.

Chaplain Mark Cobb is an ordained priest in the Anglican Church with experience in parochial ministry, healthcare Chaplaincy and palliative care. His research focus is the role of spirituality in health care. He is a Research Associate of the Lincoln Theological Institute and was appointed as Clinical Director of Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust in 2002.

Wilfred McSherry is a Lecturer in Adult Nursing Studies, Department of Health Studies, University of Hull. He has a particular interest in spirituality and nursing and has written extensively within this area both with regard to nursing practice and nursing education. His publications include his important text on spirituality: Making Sense of Spirituality in Nursing Practice.

Dr. Christina Puchalski is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Medicine and Health Care Sciences at the George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington D.C. She is the Founder and Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health. (Gwish.org) Dr Puchalski currently heads up the Templeton Foundation’s US initiative to introduce spirituality to the medical school curriculum.

Professor Steve Wright is the Director of the Sacred Space Foundation. The Foundation seeks to provide peaceful rest, retreat and recuperation facilities for doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. It seeks to provide – “Sacred Space” – for those who have become exhausted, burned out and stressed in their work. Professor Wright is an acknowledged expert in therapeutic touch and his book Sacred Space - Right Relationship in Spirituality and Healthcareis one of the few texts which seeks to address the significance of the spirituality for pressurised healthcare professionals.

Fr Stavros Kofinas is a priest (protopresbyter) of the Orthodox Church. He is a psychotherapist , hospital chaplain supervisor in Athens and the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on the European Network of Healthcare Chaplaincy of which he is the Co-ordinator.

Poster presentations: call for abstracts

Delegates are invited to offer a proposal for a poster presentation focused within the area of spirituality and health. Submissions can concentrate on any appropriate area including: clinical practice, chaplaincy, education, research, ministry, theory or administration. All submissions will be reviewed by a selection committee for quality, relevance and merit. Structured abstracts of 200 words or less are required for each submission and can be sent along with the attached booking form (Word format | PDF format)

Bursaries

The Centre for the Study of Spirituality and Health has a partial bursaries system for those who have a particular interest in this conference but are unable to afford the total costs. Bursaries will be provided on the basis of particular needs and will provide partial funding to cover conference fees only. Bursaries are not granted for accommodation, travel or subsistence. Applicants must show that they have been unable to gain institutional support. Applicants should complete the form below and return it to the conference organisers. As bursaries are limited and will be granted on the basis of need. The decision of the bursary committee will normally be given within 14 days of the receipt of an application.

• Bursary form as Microsoft Word
• Bursary form as Adobe PDF

Booking form

To reserve a place at the conference, please download the booking form, print it out and return it with the appropriate remittance to John Swinton, School of Divinity, History and Philosophy, King's College, University of Aberdeen, AB24 3UB, Scotland. It is advisable to book early, as places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first serve basis:

• Booking form as Microsoft Word
• Booking form as Adobe PDF

Contact

Email queries should be sent to to John Swinton at j.swinton@abdn.ac.uk