Counselor has ideas for coping with change

The NACC is a Milwaukee-based organization that provides standards, certification, education and professional development for its members.

The event will be presented by Sister Katie Clauss, IHM, a counselor and therapist who is a vice president at Maxis Health System in Carbondale, Penn. In the following interview with The Evangelist, she shared some of her thoughts on change.

Q: Why is it important for hospital chaplains to study change?

Hospital chaplains often serve as change agents in the work they do with patients and their families. They have a lot to teach the rest of us about change and its power to transform us if we work with it.

Q: Are people naturally opposed to change in their lives?

* Not many people want to be passive recipients of change. We usually don't want to be changed by something outside of ourselves. So when something happens and an individual gets the sense that there is an element of control she or he is losing, the walls go up and the welcome mat is rolled in.

* Generally, we prefer the predictable to the unpredictable. When change has occurred or is imminent, it tends to frighten us because we lose control as we lose predictability. Control is probably an issue for most of us.

* Expectations can be frustrated as situations and the rules change. For folks who tend to be inflexible, change in this regard is very difficult.

People, in general, are going to struggle with losing predictability, giving up control or security, and experiencing unmet expectations. At the same time, we can help ourselves and others in the change process by the act of inclusion. If folks can feel that they are involved in change process at some level, and can influence and understand what is happening, there can be an easing of the frustrations as we embrace and manage change.

We learn about change and how to accept or deny changes in life early on in life. As adults, we manage changes in life with some of the skills we learned from our parents as they encountered change. If we witnessed changes being met with disgust, angry entitlement and hopelessness as children, we probably are meeting change in a somewhat similar fashion today unless someone helped us to re-learn the process along the way.

If, on the other hand, we witnessed change being studied, understood to some extent and managed, we are probably better able to step back, take a deep breath and begin a process of taking a thoughtful look at what is happening and what we can do to work with it.

Q: Chaplains must help families as they deal with major life events like serious illness and death. Is it difficult for people experiencing illness or a death of a loved one to see that change can transform life?

In some cases, chaplains serve as advocates for patients. In collaboration with social services, and nursing and medical staff, they are often able to promote a suggestion or a strategy that brings ease to a particular issue.

Chaplains are often called in to help with ethical decisions. Their ability to be grounded in ethical principles contributes to the taking of a next step that may be very different from what was anticipated.

The spirit of the chaplain's work is rooted in the healing mission of Jesus. When patients are met and accepted where they are and as they are, healing on an affective level as well as a spiritual level can begin. These types of healing can enhance physical healing.

Secondly, chaplains -- by their presence, words and actions -- can help patients and family members through the change process. For example, the use of skills such as validation, attentive listening, thoughtful responding and asking of relevant questions can assist a patient to harvest his or her own strength, and better manage the process of change.

Chaplains take the vantage point of looking at patients as whole -- strengths and vulnerability. When we are approached as whole persons, we respond differently. Often, this is where healing begins -- when we believe that we are whole regardless of what an illness is doing to our bodies.

Q: The events of Sept. 11 were a major change for our nation. There is a sense that we are not safe even in our own country. How can people deal with their feelings about this?

We have been hearing language that suggests a posture we can take that makes sense:

* Resilience -- Remember that we have and can continue to bounce back from difficult situations;

* Resolve -- We can't be wishy-washy or ho-hum ourselves through this; we need to be intentional in the way we choose to approach each day. If we pay attention to what is going on around us, make reasonable decisions, take necessary precautions, rely on God's providential love for us, and have a sense of hope that through prayer and the collaboration of countries around the world this conflict will be resolved, we may be able to better go about life. If, on the other hand, we "catastrophize" everything and spend time in a state of hyper-vigilance, we will miss the good and the safe in our lives -- and even miss the fact that we have a God who stands with us. We have a reminder in the Book of Deuteronomy to "choose life." This is the time for that posture.

* Relationships -- Now is a time for us to support those who have experienced tragic loss, to prayerfully remember those serving in the conflict, and to bring healing to relationships in our own lives that have become fractured. In the end, it will not be the weapons we use or military power that saves us; it will be the coalitions and alliances we have forged with countries around the world that will be the strength we bring to bear together on this conflict.

Q: How can this experience transform us?

Often, I am appalled by the language used by politicians that suggests we are the biggest, best, most powerful nation. This narcissistic language is most unappealing to me in general. In particular, I believe that it conveys the message that we don't need to stand in relationship with other nations because we have it all. This situation has the potential to serve as a powerful reminder that our power will be in the capacity we have to be in healthy relationship with other countries and to harvest together the strength that it takes to resolve the conflict. Perhaps what will be transformed in us is a deeper appreciation for the value of relationships, personal as well as international.

Q: What else would you like people to know about change?

(Sister Katie Clauss will speak on Nov. 13 at the Schuyler Inn in Menands. For information, call Sister Helen Yonkers, 465-1514.)

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