Contract Pastoral Care and Education

The Trend of the Future?

Larry Van De Creek

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317971320
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Medical Theory, Practice & Reference

Create the Pastoral Care Center that your flock needs!Contract Pastoral Care and Education: The Trend of the Future? provides clergy of all faiths and pastoral care students with insight into the shifting role of chaplains in today's health care environment and explains why many of these positions are disappearing. Examining alternatives to working at hospitals and health care agencies, such as establishing independent contract centers that are commissioned by health care organizations, this book examines the many questions that chaplains are more frequently asking about the stability of their profession. Comprehensive and current, Contract Pastoral Care and Education offers suggestions and models to help you plan your own pastoral care center and continue serving individuals with spiritual care. This honest and informative book contains discussions with chaplains and educators about nine of these care centers in operation, as well as the responses of five chaplains who offer compliments and constructive criticism of these organizations. Exploring the reasons for the decrease in opportunities for pastoral caregivers, such as the decrease of rural populations and the increase of community-based services, Contract Pastoral Care and Education provides you with tips and suggestions that other centers use in order to be effective and successful, including:

• raising funds from the community, state, and government for operational fees
• appointing internal, structure-diversified board members who serve without compensation and officers and memberships with specific terms and functions
• responding to the growing numbers of patients by training lay persons under clinical supervision
• generating support groups consisting of patients and family members from multiple bereavement groups or organizations to offer comfort and care to othersFull of insight and immediately useful techniques, Contract Pastoral Care and Education will help you keep serving patients and assist you in pursuing a growing facet of the pastoral care field.

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THE STORIES OF NINE FREESTANDING CENTERS

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The Ecumenical Institute,
Cherokee, Iowa

Gene Sitzmann, MSW

SUMMARY OF MISSION

The mission of the Ecumenical Institute is to provide quality pastoral education through an accredited training center by certified personnel on an ecumenical, non-discriminatory basis in compliance with all local, state, and federal laws and to provide these services primarily on behalf of the people of Northwest Iowa. Special concern is directed to meeting the needs of rural communities and to serving as a public trust in all matters related to the financial support of these educational services.

HISTORY

The CPE program began at the Cherokee Mental Health Institute (CMHI) in 1967 when ACPE Supervisor/Chaplain Robert C. Alexander joined the staff. Cherokee possessed an attractive reputation as an active, progressive treatment center and teaching hospital with a patient census of 450 and an AMA Accredited Residency in Psychiatry. At the peak of the state hospital “warehousing” era, its census reached 1,729 patients (1945). In that era many lived out their lives at the “Insane Asylum” and approximately 829 were buried in a cemetery on the grounds, totally abandoned by their families and communities.

Starting in the early 1950s, progressive administrators and psychoactive medications led to the “de-warehousing” era and by 1977 the census stood at 238 patients. The new active treatment model was allowing more patients to return to their homes.

I joined the staff as a Chaplain-Intern in 1972. Following that year of training under Chaplain Alexander, I continued in pastoral education training and was certified as a CPE Supervisor with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains in 1974. In 1976, I completed a University of Iowa Masters degree in Social Work and have co-supervised CPE programs with Chaplain Alexander since then. Although “retiring” in 1986, Chaplain Alexander has continued his services on a part-time, volunteer basis to this date. Our years together were synergetic because of training we received and then applied to pastoral education, e.g., Gestalt, Transactional Analysis, Latent Language, Symbolism/Myth, and especially, Family Systems.

So, why envision a change in focus and funding? Because, just as anticipated in the planning that first began ten years ago, our daily census now averages just 75 inpatients!

The factors influencing this downsizing were:

• decreasing rural population,

• increasing community-based care services,

• an effective “new generation” of medications,

• an intensive treatment focus, e.g., Managed Care and the expectations and limitations set by both public and private pay resources, and

• higher standards and requirements for psychiatric training centers resulting in the loss of our accredited AMA program.

Mostly, we have been right on track with anticipating the impact of the developments in health care delivery that have occurred during this time and have adjusted both the Mission of the Ecumenical Institute and the timing of its fulfillment accordingly. Our goal has been to develop an alternative source of funding in order to finance the pastoral education needs of the new millennium for this rural area. Programs, as they are developed, will be distinct from those traditionally offered on the CMHI campus. Still, all such community-based activities-in churches, community colleges, hospitals, etc.-are being planned to operate complementarily with the current on-campus CPE programs. We anticipate continued State funding of my position until my retirement a few years from now.

For all of three decades now, our CPE program has remained unchanged in format, consisting of a full-time summer unit and an extended Fall-Spring unit. The summer unit has gathered seminarians and those in other institutional settings that held them fully occupied the other months of the year. The extended unit has typically gathered clergy and non-ordained persons within driving distance (often up to 100 miles or more) who sought entry-level or continuing education. As a result of continuity and the consistency of this programming, the center has developed a cadre of support parishes, institutions and alumni throughout this area who can now be called upon to lend support to the Mission of the Ecumenical Institute.

Fundamentally, we see ourselves by history as well as by current mission as an organization that can serve the pastoral education needs of rural congregations and their geographic communities. Congregations (like all rural school districts) are facing the need to merge-to “cluster”-and to cooperate in order to survive. Often this results in the loss of direct pastoral care services. The enrollment in recent years suggests that many laypersons wish to offer pastoral assistance but they have not been able to claim a pastoral identity. This is available to them primarily through the training and support provided by CPE. The extended units offered at this time serve the unique needs of this group and do so more adequately when the supervisor does the traveling and thereby provides CPE where “the living human document” lives. A pilot program offered recently in the community of Sheldon, Iowa was enormously successful and students continued in proximity to each other for continuing support, ecumenical interaction and pastoral care development at the community level. This is why we are convinced that the community, when more fully advised, engaged and appropriately challenged, will financially support the Mission of this Institute.

We have come a long way since the organizational meeting of the Institute in November 1993. The Board of Directors is now well informed, dedicated and effectively moving to fulfill the Mission. Our funding goal is to establish an endowment of some two million dollars. This would be developed through a baseline of participation, county by county, of $100,000 total in gifts and pledges from the residents of a given county. Planning to serve a network of the 24 counties of Northwest Iowa sets the ultimate goal of full community-based participation at $2,400,000. At this time, we have the first member of the network in place (Sioux County) through a family gift of $100,000. This, together with other assets accrued, builds the Institute's total capital to $160,000. It is calculated that a $2 million (plus) endowment fund would generate enough annual income to run a community-based program largely as it has operated at CMHI, i.e., two supervisors, salary and benefits as well as an adequate budget for other program costs. When the fund's assets have reached $500,000 guaranteeing adequate finances for at least five to seven years, the first supervisor will be hired to commence the “Outreach” program. Currently we hope to initiate this program by the year 2000. Board members have already made long-range commitments that will add a significant amount to the Institute's assets through life insurance beneficiary and other estate plans that members have or are establishing to benefit the endowment. Fund development would continue until a second supervisor could be hired. Both supervisors would be “itinerants” for the area, programming according to the interest and need of student participants. At a later time, after being well-established in the community and probably 10 to 20 years into the new millennium, additional fund-raising would allow possible expansion of programs if needed.

THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• They were recruited for diversity of religious affiliation, economic strata, gender, geographic residence, consumer representation and professional/ personal background.

• They were recruited with the above in mind through personal contacts, interviews and engagements. A high priority was given to involving both “clinical” and “pastoral” representatives.

• Members are active through regular meetings (quarterly) on-site and by serving as the “Professional Consultation Committee” that meets regularly with students for both initial and exit interviews.

• At this point the Board serves in a “transitional” capacity, learning what will be needed to take over the management of both the ongoing funding and the day-to-day operation of an accredited, effective and creative community-based pastoral education program. When adequately funded, the Board will assume the full management of the CPE Program. The current host institution will continue to be a supportive but non-funding institution, thereby bringing to full effect a gradual transition and ultimately a reversal of the roles between the State of Iowa and the Ecumenical Institute.

THE INTERFAITH COMMUNITY

Cued by the goal of providing community services on an ecumenical basis, the name of the organization was chosen to reflect that “ecumenism.” The board represents the major religious denominations of NW Iowa: Lutheran (ELCA and LCMS), United Methodist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Reformed Churches. We have encountered no difficulties with this ecumenical approach and received many benefits, especially in broadening the base of interest and support.

FUNDING

We started with a “piggy bank” amount that has grown to major significance:

• A portion of student tuition ($25) was placed in a Development Account.

• Gifts/pledges of several thousand dollars were made by the two chaplain-supervisors.

• Board members began to give gifts and make pledges.

• We established Support Outreach Services (S.O.S.). Club Memberships (gift categories) are:

Charthouse Club $250,000 and up

Beacon Club $100,000-$249,999

Rescuers Club $10,000-$99,999

Signal Corps Club $l,000-$9,999

Lamplighters Club $100-$999

Sparks Club $0-$99.

• A major gift was received from a consumer board member and his extended family totaling $100,000 in land transfer value and in cash.

• Through mailings to all 825 attorneys of NW Iowa, each was advised of the mission of the Institute and each provided with a complete file for reference in serving their clients as estate and planned-giving agents. As a result, additional gifts and bequests are now being received from individuals in various other counties.

The Board has invested most of the cash assets in highly rated mutual funds that have increased handsomely during the Wall Street Bull Market. The only expenditures at this time are related to the fund-raising phase now under way so that the program can begin by the new millennium.

GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES

The keys here are: communication-patience, communication-time, communication-assurance giving. Governmental agencies are directly responsible to the citizenry and as such are appropriately circumspect, cautious and conservative. We have fully and successfully committed the Mission of the Institute to the use of these three ‘key’ combinations by:

• securing the interest and support of the executive officers of the institution (CMHI) and the state officers in Des Moines,

• obtaining an incorporated status with the State of Iowa as a not-for-profit organization and an IRS (501c) tax exempt status, and by

• selecting and engaging board members who are persons of high visibility and public trust.

There is no possibility for either public or private support without these assurances being in place and actively cultivated.

THE PRODUCT

The “product” is stated in the Mission Statement noted above. The “consumers” are persons who seek to learn basic pastoral care skills or to enhance their current level of pastoral functioning.

INTERNAL STRUCTURE

The internal structure of the Institute at this time consists of:

• a constitution and by-laws (incorporation requirements),

• diversified board members who serve without compensation,

• officers and membership with specified terms and functions, and

• regular meetings with agendas directed to the fulfillment of the Mission Statement.

At this time, no one (including the supervisor) is compensated nor derives any benefit from organizational funds. When funding is adequate, the Board will hire employees (supervisors and support staff) and establish their compensation and benefit packages. Five years from now the transition should be complete. The Ecumenical Institute will have hired the staff to initiate, creatively organize and effectively operate a community-based and community-funded clinical pastoral education program designed to serve the needs of the rural communities of Northwest Iowa. Any needed expansion of the program will be achieved by establishing an Office of Development that will conduct Annual Appeals and develop an attractive format for Planned Giving.

GENERAL ADVICE (DO'S AND DON'TS)

Do

• Believe in your “product.” For us, this constitutes our belief in effective pastoral care.

• Be patient.

• Dream “what might be” (my colleague calls this “think wild!”).

• For assurance sake, be detailed, thorough and concise, yet visionary.

• Believe that people care about their caregivers and will support their pastoral formation and growth.

• Elect and engage diversity.

• Remember: “Rome wasn't built in a day”; still, “Carpe diem!”

• Demonstrate optimism because “Attitude is Everything.”

Don't

• Lose heart nor forget the goal; it will keep you-and the mission-going.

• Succumb to nay-sayers, the faint-hearted or lackluster.

• Forget to thank and express appreciation for each and every word or action of support.

• Forget to “write home”; keep in touch with the community through timely and informational media coverage.

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The logo chosen for The Ecumenical Institute is the Lighthouse.

“Together let us BRIGHTEN the lamp in the Lighthouse of Pastoral Care”

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Father Gene Sitzmann is Chaplain-Educator, The Ecumenical Institute, 1251 West Cedar Loop, Cherokee, IA 51012 (E-mail...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• About the Editor
• Introduction
• The Stories of Nine Freestanding Centers
• Responses to: Contract Pastoral Care and Education: The Trend of the Future?
• Index