Chaplains’ Professional Identity and a Structured Approach to Chaplaincy: Mutually Exclusive or Complementary?

The trend towards evidence-based health care challenges chaplains to work with structured—predefined and standardized—interventions that lead to measurable outcomes. However, chaplaincy literature raises various objections against using a structured approach. These include compromising the chaplain-client relationship, standardizing and limiting chaplaincy content, and the instrumentalization of the spiritual dimension. Based on a thematic analysis of 20 interviews and 33 workbooks, the current study investigates the experiences of chaplains in the Netherlands who participated in a structured intervention provided in palliative clients’ homes. The results show that most chaplains did indeed struggle with developing a healing relationship with their clients in which they are attuned to their specific needs. At the same time, the participating chaplains reported that a structured approach enriches and broadens the content of their care, improves the impact on clients, and grasps the spiritual dimension of their work. We found that the chaplains’ experiences differed depending on the professional role they emphasized. When they integrate and balance the roles of companion, counselor, and spiritual guide evenly, a structured approach can complement chaplains’ professional identity.