The Board-Certified Chaplain is a member of the interdisciplinary healthcare team who delivers trauma informed and compassionate spiritual care to patients, families and staff across Kennedy Krieger Institute. This role acknowledges the spiritual, emotional and cultural dimensions of health and healing, and gives meaningful care to individuals of all faith traditions, belief systems and cultural backgrounds.
With a supportive presence, the Board-Certified Chaplain helps patients and families draw strength from their personal values, beliefs, and sense of purpose during times of illness, uncertainty, grief, loss, and life transition. The Board-Certified Chaplain also facilitates access to faith communities, spiritual practices, rituals, and resources that support individual preferences and needs.
Working collaboratively within complex healthcare environments, the Board-Certified Chaplain serves as a consultant on matters of moral distress, ethical concern, grief, suffering, resilience, and meaning making. The position promotes patient and family-centered care by fostering dignity, acceptance, hope, and connection while supporting the emotional and spiritual well-being of those served.
The Board-Certified Chaplain supports employees through staff support and resilience initiatives. In addition, the Board-Certified Chaplain contributes to organizational excellence through clinical education, program development, quality improvement activities, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Practice is guided by professional standards for board-certified chaplains and incorporates evidence-based spiritual care models that advance whole-person care, ethical practice, and organizational well-being.