Healing the Whole Person: Integrating Spiritual and Emotional Care in Clinical Practice - Paperback

by Mary Pamela Eke (Author), Mario Garcia (Foreword by)

Healing the Whole Person was born out of the realization that many patients today are treated with exceptional clinical expertise but without the needed spiritual and emotional support to make sense of their suffering. In the midst of illness, most patients face questions bigger than their diagnosis: Who am I now? How do I make sense of this? Where is God in this? What does healing even mean for me? These are not theoretical questions. They shape how a person experiences illness, copes with fear, and finds the courage to move forward.



This book explores the integration of spiritual and emotional care within healthcare, rooted in a holistic understanding of healing. It examines how spiritual support, compassionate presence, communication, cultural competence, and collaborative care can contribute to the recovery and well-being of patients. Through interdisciplinary engagement, interviews, and educational intervention, this book highlights the significance and the challenges of addressing spiritual needs in diverse clinical settings. By offering practical strategies for education, collaboration, and ongoing care improvement, this book provides a model for integrating spiritual care into everyday clinical practice. It invites pastoral and spiritual care leaders, clinicians, and healthcare leaders to reimagine healing as a shared journey toward wholeness.

Author Biography

Mary Pamela Eke is a full-time chaplain at Swedish Hospital, Chicago, and a member of the Daughters of Divine Love Congregation--a religious community of women founded in Nigeria in 1969. Eke joined the Congregation in August 1995 and has remained in good standing. She has a doctorate in pastoral counseling and is a board-certified chaplain with the National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC).