Keynote Speakers

Prof. Harold G. Koenig

MD, MHSc
Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

Research on Spiritual Care Interventions – what do we know?

Will review what is known about spiritual care interventions, and discuss clinical applications, as well as provide further resources for more information.

Here you can watch the recording of the session

Dr. Michael Balboni
Instructor
Harvard University, USA

Hostility to Hospitality: Recovering the Spirit of Care

Modern medicine is sick. Unchecked impersonal social forces bind and blind our capacity to care for the patient. We need to recover a theological vision of care that believes again in the sacredness of patient care, and thus reestablishes hospitality as the deep spiritual energy empowering medical care.

Here you can watch the recording of session

Prof. Tracy Balboni

Harvard Medical School

Clinical and Research Perspectives on Spirituality, Spiritual Care and Spiritual Care Interventions

Here you can watch the recording of the session

Prof. Sílvia Caldeira

Associate Professor
Catholic University of Lisbon

Boundaries and Commitment: Spiritual Interventions in an Evidence-Based Nursing Practice

Here you can watch the recording of the session

Prof. Lindsay B. Carey, MAppSc, PhD, CSM
La Trobe University, Australia

Moral Injury, Pastoral and Spiritual Care: Utilizing the WHO Spiritual Care Interventions

This session will present an introduction to the development and utilization of the World Health Organization 'Spiritual Intervention Codings' (abbrev. "WHO-SPICs") for clinical, educational and research purposes across different health and community contexts. It will explain and use the syndrome of 'moral injury' and preliminary data as a contemporary example.

Here you can watch the recording of the session

Dr. Riya Patel CPsychol.
Assistant Professor
University of Leicester

R/S Integrated Healthcare Interventions within a Digital Age: Development and Evaluation

Here you can watch the recording of the session

Prof. Rogier Hoenders
Psychiatrist, Director, Professor
Center for Integrative Psychiatry, Lentis and University of Groningen

Spiritual Interventions in Psychiatry: Scientific, Moral and Clinical Perspectives

Many people think that spirituality is about vague mystical rituals in which the participants try to get ‘out-of-this-world’ experiences. Maybe this sometimes happens, but it certainly does not have to be this way. Just like we systematically explore the outer world in a scientific way (as astronauts) we can also systematically explore our inner world (as psychonauts) in meditation. This has not only measurable effects on our mind (like less mental disorders and more wellbeing, compassion, attention, wisdom), but also on our body (immune system, blood pressure) including the brain. Body and mind cannot be separated because they are two manifestations of the same thing: ourselves. Similarly, science and spirituality are two perspectives on reality, which need not be separated; they can complement each other. In this talk we will look at spiritual interventions in psychiatry from scientific, ehtical and clinical perspectives, with examples from the Center of Integrative Psychiatry of Lentis.

Here you can watch the recording of the session

Prof. Stefan Lorenzl
Palliative Care, Paracelsus Medical University

Spiritual Care Interventions in Neurological Disorders

Here you can watch the recording of the session

Prof. Piret Paal
Medical Anthropologist
University of Tartu

The Importance of Self-Understanding in Spiritual Care Education and Training

Spiritual care is fundamental in modern healthcare, addressing bodily, emotional, and social aspects of human lives. Within healthcare education, self-understanding holds immense importance for spiritual care providers. This lecture examines the critical role of self-understanding in their education, emphasizing its impact on patient care and professional advancement. Four key areas will be explored: (1) Self-reflection and Introspection; (2) Cultural Competence and Sensitivity; (3) Prevention of Harm; and (4) Professional Growth and Resilience. The cultivation of self-understanding is essential, fostering authentic connections, cultural safety, harm prevention, and professional development. Prioritizing self-understanding in education and practice leads to a healthcare ethos characterized by empathy, cultural humility, and comprehensive healing.

Here you can watch the recording of the session

Dr. Zeinab Ghaem Panah
Department of Psychology, Georgetown University

Spiritual Care Interventions in Islam - what is the Difference?

Breast cancer may be associated with religious/spiritual problems for women. This multimethod qualitative study aims to show the components of religious/spiritual intervention strategies in breast cancer cases in Iran. The religious/spiritual intervention strategies were arranged according to the patient’s religious/spiritual problems based on the proposed tree diagram. This working model includes answering questions regarding the religious/spiritual cause(s) of the disease; distinguishing between divine justice and getting sick; describing the patient’s attitude toward God and its effect on viewing the disease; explaining the patient’s feelings and emotional relationship with God; identifying weakened religious/spiritual beliefs and replacing them with accepted beliefs; and using daily practices to communicate with God. Implications of the findings and usefulness of this model are discussed. Spiritual care providers can use this model to provide religious/spiritual care services to Iranian Muslim women with breast cancer.

Here you can watch the recording of the session

Dr. Fabian Winiger
Senior Research Fellow
University of Zurich

Clinical Spiritual Care and the Digitalization of Healthcare: A Critical Reflection on Current Developments

The digitalization of the healthcare system is progressing rapidly. New models of care are emerging that respond to long-term demographic, epidemiological and economic changes, in the course of which outpatient care is becoming increasingly important. Based on current research and practical examples from Europe and the U.S., this presentation asks whether and how hospital chaplaincy is responding to this development. While in the U.S., “telechaplains” constructively understand digitalization as an opportunity to orient healthcare chaplaincy towards patients and their needs, European developments are slow and confronted with considerable challenges.

Here you can watch the recording of the session