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The Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion, and Public Life at the University of California, Santa Barbara, is excited to present a panel on “Chaplaincy & Spiritual Care in the 21st Century: A Healthcare Perspective” on February 18, 2025, at 5:00pm at the Santa Barbara Public Library (Faulkner Gallery). This event is part of the Capps Forum on Ethics and Public Policy series. It is free and open to the public.
About 1 in 4 Americans report having interacted with professional spiritual caregivers known as chaplains. Most of these interactions occurred in healthcare settings, and most were reported to have provided much-needed comfort, support, or guidance. In a dramatically shifting landscape of religiosity, what does spiritual care look like today? Who does it? Who benefits from it? This roundtable panel composed of local hospital chaplains will discuss a relational and psychologically-informed model of spiritual care, the changing face of chaplaincy, and the importance of spiritual care.
Featuring members of the Spiritual Care Team at Santa Barbara Cottage Health: Rev. Randall Day, D.Min., is a Clinical Chaplain at Santa Barbara Cottage Health. He has been practicing pastoral ministry in a variety of settings for nearly 40 years. A priest of the Episcopal Church, he has served on the boards of many church, community, and governmental organizations and developed a range of programs to address community needs. He received his D.Min. from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary in Evanston, Illinois.
Michael Kinsella, Ph.D., is a Clinical Chaplain at Santa Barbara Cottage Health. He has authored or co-authored two books and several articles about spiritual beliefs and experiences. His work has received various prestigious awards, including grants from the Immortality Project and the John Templeton Foundation. He earned his Ph.D. in Religious Studies from UCSB.
Rev. Dr. Pam Washburn has served as the Director of Spiritual Care at Cottage Health for 20 years and is co-chair of the Bioethics Committee. As a Board Certified Clinical Chaplain with the College of Pastoral Supervision and Psychotherapy, Dr. Washburn initiated a Clinical Pastoral Training program at Cottage Health which offers chaplains a path to certification. Dr. Washburn has served as a chaplain with pediatric and adult patients and their families in trauma, hospice, palliative, acute care, psychiatric, addiction, and emergency settings for 30+ years. Dr. Washburn trained with the American Red Cross and the Association of Professional Chaplains in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) and as a result was deployed to Ground Zero during the events of 9/11.
Kathleen M. Moore (moderator) is Director of UCSB’s Health Humanities Initiative and Professor of Religious Studies at UCSB. This event is co-sponsored by the Department of Religious Studies and the Health Humanities Initiative at UCSB.
For more information about this lecture, visit: https://www.cappscenter.ucsb.edu/news/event/496