The Importance of Safety for the Practice of Spiritual Care

Authors

  • Darren Kleinberg

Keywords:

ontological safety, polyvagal theory, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), personal mythologies

Abstract

This paper argues for the explicit integration of safety—particularly ontological safety—into spiritual care. Drawing on Maslow, Rogers, Porges, and Wimberly, it explores how chaplains can cultivate safety through presence, co-regulation, and reauthoring personal mythologies. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is proposed as a framework for fostering ontological safety in chaplaincy and beyond.

Downloads

Published

2025-04-12

Issue

Vol. 45 No. 45 (2025): Educational Cornerstones and Adaptation in Changing Landscapes of Practice

Section

ARTICLES

License

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

    1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

    1. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

    1. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).