Manitoba Health

How Does Spiritual Health Care Contribute to Healing?

Every person involved in the care of an individual has concern for a patient’s spiritual well-being. However, there is often need for more in-depth expertise and guidance in order for a person to find a way to sources of inner strength, peace and hope. 

Spiritual health care is different from the care provided by religious professionals or spiritual practitioners in the community. The spiritual health care specialist/practitioner is part of the health care team. The spiritual health specialist provides an essential service in cooperation with providers from other health care disciplines. 

The spiritual health specialist has the opportunity to sit with individuals and families in the present. Their primary role is to help not only the person seeking care and the family that supports them, but to also support other health care staff on the journey into healing and wholeness.

Spiritual health care providers offer compassion, invest time to listen and come to know the patient beyond their particular presenting health concern. Studies evaluating this health care service have shown that the greatest benefit from spiritual health care is a renewed sense of calm and hope which becomes the energy needed to face whatever the future holds.