Volunteers in Spiritual Care: Barriers, Benefits and Best Practices

As spiritual care has become increasingly professionalized as a discipline, the ethics and wisdom of utilizing volunteers to perform services typically provided by clinical professionals has come into question. As agency budgets are stretched thin, many managers have sought to maximize services by using volunteers to support all disciplines, including spiritual care.  This presentation will examine the potential barriers and benefits of using volunteers in spiritual care and discuss best practices for supporting patients and families in ways that benefit all involved while maintaining the highest degree of professionalism and maximize team cohesion.  Dialogue and gentle, respectful debate will be encouraged throughout the presentation.