How often are you drawn into your most ridiculous, joyful, vibrant, SINGING self?
Do you include Taylor Swift music and the Barbie movie as part of your spiritual practice? This Methodist chaplain does! Meet Melissa Bortnick, mother of three, clinical spiritual expert, and pastor in training. Currently a chaplain fellow with the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Melissa just finished a year of chaplaincy at Harborview Medical Center. (fun fact: this is the hospital in downtown Seattle that inspired the fictional Grey's Anatomy medical center.)
Melissa also happens to be a girlhood friend of mine, who I haven't seen in decades! It's funny how some things (and people) never change. We're the same girls as always :-)
Join us for a fun and meaningful conversation about how to take special care of your own spirit.
Book Recommendations: Here are Melissa's top five!
- Strong and Weak: Embracing a Life of Love, Risk and True Flourishing Paperback February 12, 2016 by Andy Crouch
- The Back Side of the Cross: An Atonement Theology for the Abused and Abandoned by Diane Leclerc , Brent Peterson, et al. | Jun 29, 2022
- Holy Envy: Finding God in the Faith of Others by Barbara Brown Taylor | Mar 24, 2020
- Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. Hardcover – October 9, 2018by Brené Brown
- Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others Paperback – May 4, 2009by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky (Author), Connie Burk
Introduction
Melissa Bortnick is a Clinical Spiritual Chaplain. She works with patients, families, and medical staff to provide spiritual care.
Spiritual care is not limited to religious beliefs, but rather focuses on the whole person's well-being.
Melissa believes that everyone has a spirit that needs to be cared for, regardless of their religious beliefs.
The Work of a Clinical Spiritual Resident
Melissa's work as a chaplain is very diverse.
She may be called to the bedside of a patient who is dying, to provide comfort and support to a family member who has just lost a loved one, or to simply sit with a patient who is feeling scared or alone.
She also works with staff members who are dealing with the emotional and psychological stress of w
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