PASTORAL INTEGRATIVE HEALTHCARE (PIH), PHD

The PIH program prepares the student for chaplain duties that support people travelling the healing journeys in various healthcare system facets such as clinic, assisted living, hospice, and hospital settings.

As a student in the PIH track, you will learn the language of health care, the environments where health care takes place, and how to integrate your support to individuals and their families from discovering the challenge to the movement toward health and healing. Focus is placed on supporting people who are navigating the healing journeys in and out of the health care setting.

As a chaplain candidate, the student makes a covenant to be of service to others. To support this covenant, as a seminary, Holos teaches the PIH candidate to connect with their concept of the Divine and involve this spiritual connection in their work. Understanding how to apply this connection to an individual’s healing journey is stressed through repetition.

Holos utilizes distance learning accomplished by working with instructors using email, conference calls, and webinars. There are a few courses that require attendance at a 1 to 5-day residency. Residency locations and dates are posted on the HU Official Calendar or are arranged at a local health care facility.

Department Goals:

To develop a good working knowledge of medical terminology so that the pastor may understand and appreciate the experience of the individual whom they are supporting.

To develop skills and techniques which support the spiritual connection of someone in a healing journey.

To develop facilitation skills so that families may be supported through compassionate dialogue and meditative techniques when members are in the current healthcare system.

To evolve the understanding, empathy, wisdom, and boundaries of the pastor to appropriately define the spiritual healing space appropriate for a parishioner and their families.

To provide spiritual insight and wisdom in support of the community.