Spiritual Care Program projects

The US branch of Spiritual Care offers two volunteer service programs in the Northern California Bay Area. These "Visiting Projects" offer participants the opportunity to become caring companions for elderly or terminally ill people in the local community. The aim of the projects is to bring together the two streams of skillful means and wisdom--the practices of the modern hospice movement with the spiritual insights and mindful presence of Buddhist practitioners.

Before entering the project, new volunteers attend an in-depth training course based on The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Courses are offered once or twice a year and focus on teaching volunteers how to respond to the spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of their sick and elderly companions. The projects collaborate with Maitri, a residential care facility for people with AIDS in San Francisco, and the Over 60 Health Center in Berkeley. See the Visiting Projects on the SCP USA website for more information and dates of upcoming trainings.

We are currently developing an international spiritual care and training center in West Cork, Ireland. It is part of the Dzogchen Beara Retreat Center situated on the wild and beautiful Beara Peninsula. In addition to regular trainings and study groups for health care professionals, the center also organizes special retreats for people diagnosed with a life-threatening illness and those coping with major life changes and grief. Read more...

Monthly events for health care professionals and members of the public. The value of these weekend events is that they bring together a range of professional and volunteer caregivers who can exchange experience of their work with the dying. Through presentations, guided spiritual practices and experiential work we aim to deepen participants' understanding of the emotional and spiritual needs of the dying, sick, and bereaved.

SCP offers in-service training for hospitals, hospice and palliative care programs. These trainings will focus on the needs of caregivers. Our aim is to show how the spiritual dimension of care is nourishing to the caregiver as well as to the receiver. We are happy to discuss the specific needs of a workplace and design our training appropriately. For information on upcoming trainings in Europe and North America see Events by country. If you would like to invite SCP to do a training in your area, please contact the SCP director in your country.

Participants in study groups follow a structured course of study and practice over a period of one or two years. The aim of the groups is to enable professional caregivers to explore the integration of spiritual practice and understanding in their workplace. Participants need to have attended a Spiritual Care seminar or Rigpa course or retreat before joining a study group. To find out if there is a study group in your area, see Events by country.

Seminars and workshops on specific topics, provide a way for professional and volunteer caregivers to broaden their knowledge and exchange information with colleagues. Through presentations, guided spiritual practices and experiential work we aim to deepen participants understanding of the emotional and spiritual needs of the dying, sick and bereaved. To find out about upcoming trainings and workshops see Events by date.