Spiritual Health Practitioner

Cancer Care Alberta’s (CCA) Psychosocial Services program is growing as we move to the new Arthur Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre (ACCC). We are looking for an experienced Spiritual Health Practitioner (SHP) to join our dedicated team in a full-time role to support inpatient and outpatient programming at the ACCC. Why Join CCA? Meaningful Impact in a Collaborative Environment: Assist patients and families in finding meaning, hope, and comfort during their cancer experience while working on multidisciplinary teams committed to holistic, patient-centred care. Professional Growth: Access ongoing oncology and palliative care training. The key SHP responsibilities include: Addressing emotional, psycho-social, and spiritual needs through various interventions including psychospiritual counselling (supportive, problem-focused, and grief counselling) to promote healing and spiritual growth. Facilitating spiritual practices, rituals, and ceremonies upon request. Conducting referral triage, screening for mental health conditions, and refer to other providers as needed. Providing crisis intervention, safety planning, and disaster psychosocial-spiritual services. Leading or co-facilitating therapeutic groups (e.g., spirituality, loss, and grief support). Sharing expertise/resources to foster a spiritually integrated healthcare culture. Developing/ maintaining collaborative partnerships (e.g. with religious community visitors for access to religion-cultural services. Offering peer, staff, and physician support, consultation, and mentoring. Equipping healthcare staff with tools and skills for basic spiritual screening and referrals. Participating in post-trauma support and promoting trauma-informed care. Engaging in quality improvement, research initiatives, and program development/evaluation. Managing the Sacred Space in collaboration with site and program leadership/ teams.

As a Clinical Psychospiritual Education (CPE) trained Spiritual Health Practitioner (SHP), you will be equipped with the necessary skills to provide patient-centred spiritual health care: screening, assessment and interventions. As an evidence-based practitioner, you will address spiritual distress (experiences of loss of meaning and connection about self, others, and what one considers ultimate/transcendent) and promote spiritual well-being (experiences of meaning and connection about self, others, and what one considers ultimate/transcendent). Aligned with the AHS mandate of a patient and family-centered approach to care, you will be accountable for providing leadership in the profession for the assigned site(s), consultation, expertise, and direct service delivery in all matters related to spiritual health care in the context of health and care delivered at/ out of the Arthur Child Cancer Centre.

Master's in theology and/or Spirituality/Religion or a clinically related field with confirmation of educational equivalency obtained from the Academic Assessment Committee of the national professional association, Canadian Association for Spiritual Care/Association Canadienne de Soins Spirituels, (CASC/ACSS). Minimum of clinical experience at 2nd Advanced level CPE or equivalent. 5 years of relevant spiritual health care experience with at least 2 years of experience working with adult oncology patients.

Knowledge of and skills to address the needs of people encountering trauma, loss, palliative and end-of-life care and bereavement. Demonstrated ability to work effectively with people of diverse spiritualities in a culturally competent and sensitive manner. Engaged in self-reflective practice: Ongoing assessment of the impact of one’s spirituality, beliefs, values, assumptions, and power dynamics in relationships with others. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills: demonstrated ability to collaborate respectfully and work effectively with various spiritual, religious, and cultural groups, physicians, staff and volunteers. Comfortable and confident in public speaking. Demonstrated competency in reflective and collaborative practice, active listening, negotiation, advocacy, and conflict resolution. Demonstrated professional leadership skills. Demonstrated understanding of the impacts of Indigenous people’s history, culture and reconciliation on clinical assessment and intervention. Ability to identify situational conflicting emotions, beliefs, and cultural values and to facilitate understanding between individuals. Demonstrated ability to establish external partnerships. Intermediate computer skills: MS Office Suite and Epic (Connect Care). Can work autonomously in high-intensity situations.

3 years of relevant spiritual health care experience with at least 1 year of cancer care experience. Formal training, experience, and supervision in administering and interpreting assessment instruments. Knowledge of cancer-specific community resources including palliative care and end-of-life. Experience providing virtual care. Professional development courses in Counselling, Oncology and/ or Palliative Care. Involvement with psychospiritual education students (preceptorship).