Life unfolds on many levels. Beneath the static of day to day worries, big questions may tug at the edges of awareness. Chaplains are here to listen as you navigate daily challenges and stitch meaning together from the pieces you’ve been given and others that you’ve found. We are confidential resources which means we will not share anything we hear without permission.

It may be helpful to have a confidential conversation with a chaplain if:

• You need someone to listen to your full  range of emotions
• You feel lonely or overwhelmed
• You feel tensions between familiar and emerging identities
• You’d like to find time for spirituality and self-care
• You are processing a relational change like divorce, marriage, or parenting
• You are grieving the loss of a loved one

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Raymond Clothier has many years of experience as a college chaplain and as a guide for explorations of meaning in life and work. His approach to confidential conversations is to listen carefully for the stories that tell us who we are, and the lesser known ones that may show us who we can be. He has a Master of Social Work and is working toward licensure as a clinical social worker, but as a Chaplain, he uses a narrative approach that emphasizes strengths and skills. He is also trained as a spiritual companion (director).

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How is a Chaplain different from a counselor?

• Therapists can be vitally helpful when you have a problem impinging upon your life. Chaplains are less focused on the functioning of a problem, and more focused on the interconnection, insight, and ingenuity that make you who you are.
• Chaplains are trained to attend to and tend to spirituality. There are many definitions of spirituality, but generally, chaplains pay attention to experiences that make you come alive with wonder, awe, or transcendence. Spirituality can contribute to overall health by opening new ways of seeing and new ways of being.
• Chaplains are confidential resources which means they will not share anything they hear without permission.

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