Spiritual Support at Southeastern
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Receiving a cancer diagnosis may challenge your beliefs and cause a great deal of distress. For some, faith can help carry you through these difficult times. Getting in touch with your spirituality may help you cope better with the psychological and emotional effects of cancer.
At Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA), your spirituality is embraced.
“No matter what your religion or beliefs, we can help you explore ways that spirituality can play a part in your healing,” says Pastor Chip Gordon, MDiv, Director of Pastoral Care at Southeastern Regional Medical Center (Southeastern). “Whether you’re looking for comfort, spiritual guidance or just someone to talk to, we are here for you and our desire it to give you hope.”
Our Pastoral Care Department at Southeastern has more than 20 years of experience ministering to people living with cancer. We strive to provide a universal umbrella of spiritual support for you and your family.
Spiritual Assessment and Support
If you choose to take advantage of the center's spiritual support services, you will meet with a member of our pastoral care team, typically within the first day or two of your arrival at the hospital. Your chaplain will conduct a spiritual assessment regarding your particular beliefs, what you are going through and how she/he may be of help.
“We like to spend a lot of time getting to know each of our patients personally,” says Pastor Gordon. “We like to hear about their family and their life, and talk about the support they can receive from Pastoral Care. We touch on advance directives, and always ask if we can close our time in prayer.”
Throughout your cancer care, your chaplain will meet with you and members of your family upon request. Your chaplain will monitor you to make sure you are focusing on positive emotions as you deal with the challenges of cancer.
CTCA hospitals are not affiliated with a particular religion and therefore, provide services to individuals of any faith background.
Goals and Services
There are many goals pertaining to spiritual counseling. A few of them are as follows:
- Maintain a peaceful spirit in the midst of a difficult time
- Promote forgiveness
- Reduce feelings of isolation and restore connectedness
- Develop a positive outlook on life and a sense of empowerment to face the world
What We Offer
If you choose to incorporate spiritual support into your cancer care plan, we offer different avenues to support you throughout your journey. Southeastern offers inter-faith worship services every Wednesday at 11am, faith-based classes and individual or group counseling.
Our chaplains are available to you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If there is an emergency, they can be reached via pager.
We also offer:
- A place of refuge
- Visitation and counsel
- Group and individual prayer
- Telephone consultation
- Worship services
- Patient rights issues
- Grief and bereavement counseling
- Assistance with developing advanced directives and/or living wills
- Catholic communion
- Crisis intervention
- Support with end-of-life issues and decisions
Continuous Care
After you leave Southeastern, our chaplains will continue to provide spiritual support by phone and through the Our Journey of Hope® Program.
Our Journey of Hope® is an outreach program providing spiritual support for cancer patients and their families, regardless of whether or not they are CTCA patients. The website unites a community of believers and provides inspirational stories, devotionals and ways to connect with others dealing with cancer. Patients and caregivers can also find ways to access spiritual support staff members on the website.
Another component of the Our Journey of Hope® Program featured on the website is lay ministry training. Members of the Pastoral Care Team at CTCA travel across the country to provide eight hours of training to church staff and congregants - free of charge. These spiritual counselors teach methods for supporting cancer patients and their loved ones throughout their journey.
Southeastern Pastoral Care Mission
To create a safe and compassionate environment to restore hope and wellness for the whole person, spirit, mind and body. The doors to our home are open to all faiths and beliefs. We respect and accept each person’s spiritual needs and wants. We will always walk alongside you, trust and believe in you. We will help empower your faith, as you journey with cancer. It is our intention to openly and warmly support and serve all of those who seek spiritual healing and believe that part of their healing process includes having their spiritual needs met.
Pastoral Care Covenant
Your spiritual wholeness is at the center of your mental, emotional and physical healing. And, therefore, is at the center of our hearts, minds and actions, every day. We rally our team around you, walk alongside you, trusting and believing in you. We offer powerful spiritual options, all based on your needs. We honor your courage, and respect your faith, beliefs and affiliations. We offer our unrelenting prayers, always having good and hopeful expectations, for you.
