Who Owns Spiritual Care, and Why Does It Matter?

Abstract

At our unique juncture in history, challenged by a global pandemic, the impact of climate change, and a polarized political landscape, more and more people are seeking mental health assistance (Mochari-Greenberger & Pande, 2021), and a larger proportion of those who seek help are describing existential or spiritual concerns (Chirico, 2021; Kondrath, 2022). Many psychologists may be experiencing themselves as insufficiently prepared to help with spiritual concerns (Vogel et al., 2013); the mission of this special section is to facilitate discourse and dissemination of resources among chaplains and psychologists to explore the interdisciplinary dynamics of spiritual care and to establish a foundation for the expansion of ethically appropriate, spiritually integrated care where needed. All of the articles presented in this special section were reviewed by both chaplains and psychologists, and often by professionals cross-trained in both fields. Our hope is that this special section will serve to increase interdisciplinary collaboration so that both chaplains and psychologists can provide appropriate services to rise to the present constellation of crises.