Pastoral Care and Counseling at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas

Chaplains visit with patients and family members at the hospital and elsewhere providing spiritual care, counseling and education to people of all faiths.

• Religious services and Holy Communion are offered on Sundays at Baylor University Medical Center. Chaplains also regularly lead services for special occasions, such as weddings, memorial services, adoption and blessing ceremonies and national observances.
• Community seminars on the spiritual and emotional elements of patient care, crisis ministry, bereavement and grief support.
• Baylor's Healing Environment helps soothe and care for patients through music, art, drama, clowns, and a meditation television channel.
• Education and mentoring for our more than 100 pastoral care volunteers takes place through the Clergy Partnership Program, which brings local clergy to Baylor. Authorities in spirituality, medicine, and pastoral ministry visit Baylor as part of the James Lectureship Program to help clergy cultivate their ministry skills.
• Community involvement is important to chaplains at Baylor. Each week, chaplains teach, consult, and lead worship at local churches and community agencies. Chaplains offer knowledge and experience in such areas as grief support and dealing with the effects of illness and treatment on people and their families. Chaplains also help churches develop effective ministries for their members who need emotional support.
• Baylor offers ministers, seminarians, and qualified lay people education through intensive clinical experience, individual and group supervision, teaching seminars and interpersonal relations seminars through our Clinical Pastoral Education program.

Issues Surrounding Critical Illness

There may come a time when you or a member of your family is seriously injured or becomes gravely ill. In the midst of your shock and grief, you may be asked to make difficult decisions about the intensity of medical care administered, or whether life-support systems should be used or withdrawn. It is important for you to learn about the levels and types of medical care available, your or your family member's health status and prognosis, and to discuss the treatment with which you would feel comfortable before you or your family member need to make these decisions. This section of our web site is designed to help you better understand these issues.