Healthcare Providers' Perceptions about the Role of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Services in Substance Use Outpatient Treatment.

Addressing patients' religion and spirituality (R/S) needs has been associated with positive health outcomes. However, despite receiving extensive training in spiritual assessment and care, chaplaincy services are primarily confined to inpatient settings, with few studies occurring in outpatient settings. The study sought to understand mental health providers' views about what shaped provider and patient motivation to engage in R/S discussions and seek referrals to chaplaincy services. We conducted five one-hour focus group sessions with a total of 38 staff members and thematically analyzed the resulting session and field notes. We identified four themes concerning provider knowledge and attitudes about R/S and chaplaincy services: Staff Information Needs, Staff Motivation to Discuss R/S and Refer, Patient Motivation to Use Chaplaincy Services, and Chaplain Accessibility. The study findings suggest that providers in outpatient substance use treatment clinics in the Veterans Health Administration are receptive to learning about R/S care and the possibility of expanding chaplaincy services. However, staff have misconceptions about the roles and responsibilities of chaplains. Attitudes about and experiences with R/S discussions varied. Trust and confidence in the benefits of chaplaincy services may be improved among both providers and patients by increasing chaplains' accessibility and visibility within these outpatient settings.

Beyond the 12 steps: Integrating chaplaincy services into Veteran Affairs substance use specialty care.

Background: Interprofessional training is increasing in focus within medical education. Although substance use treatment has long been interprofessional in nature, chaplaincy has been relatively absent in outpatient settings. Since 2013, the Veterans Health Administration has supported an Interprofessional Advanced Fellowship in Addiction Treatment (IAFAT), with 7 sites nationally recruiting across multiple health care disciplines. In the fall of 2017, Veteran Affairs Connecticut Healthcare System (VACHS) became the first such fellowship to expand its recruitment to include chaplain fellows. We seek to share rationale for recruiting chaplains, current curriculum and curricular needs, and the potential roles of chaplains in outpatient addiction treatment. Methods: Collaborating with the office of chaplaincy education, we describe the process of chaplain recruitment, incorporation into a new treatment setting, and supervision, and we report on the feasibility of this innovative training initiative. Results: During the first year, the chaplain fellow has developed and maintained a new clinical service in an outpatient substance use disorder (SUD) specialty care setting, delivering over 150 hours of group and individual treatment to veterans. He has provided 12 presentations to staff on the role of a chaplain and other related topics, as well as written an article on the topic of addiction for a clergy audience. Anecdotally, staff satisfaction has been high, and the current chaplain is helping to recruit for his replacement. Limitations: As a feasibility pilot project, there is no outcome and very limited quantitative data. Conclusions: Chaplain fellows can be successfully incorporated into outpatient SUD clinics with a noticeable degree of fellow, staff, and patient satisfaction.