| dc.description.abstract | The purpose of this project is to explore ways in which Chaplains can collaborate with mental health professionals by addressing the spiritual dimensions of moral injuries, namely shame and guilt. Those spiritual dimensions tend to create stuck points that hinder further mental health treatments due to the nature of those stuck points. Chaplains can discuss the spiritual points with the Veteran , and thus find a way forward that will allow the Veteran to resume mental health treatments. This project will explore the various rituals that exist within the Roman Catholic tradition, due to the nature of this clinician being a Board-Certified Chaplain, who has been a Roman Catholic Priest for 20-plus years, working in a variety of environments. Ultimately, the goal will be to show that Veterans can heal as they journey through their moral injuries so that they can find a restorative process, that allows the Veteran to become a flourishing member of their community. Rituals will be discussed since they represent tangible things that Veterans can relate to since it was through rituals that they were transitioned from being civilians to warriors, and thus it will be through rituals that one transitions from warrior to civilian. Elements of Catholic theology and tradition can be adapted by other Chaplains to provide such a healing experience as well, and it will be the hope of this writer to show how that can take place in the future, however at this time, the main effort will be with Catholic Veterans, who make up 25% of the United States Veteran population. | |
