Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Pastoral intervention in a temporary burn unit

  • Articles
  • Published:
Pastoral Psychology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In February, 1978 a tank car exploded in Waverly, Tennessee. Nine of those severely burned in the fire were brought to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The author describes his role as chaplain as defined by the patients' primary and secondary adaptive behaviors. Integrating this basic data in psychodynamics with his own understanding of ministry, he characterizes his ministry as both clinically and community based.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Reference Notes

  1. A more definitive treatment can be found inThe Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, 13th Edition (Rahway, N. J.: Merck Sharp and Dohme Research Laboratories, 1977), pp. 1718–1724.

  2. For an interesting and helpful discussion on “fire” and its philosophical, religious, and symbolic meanings see Gerhard Kittel, Gerhard Friedrich.Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1968), VI, pp. 928–952.

    Google Scholar 

  3. One dimension of this is described by Gary Brock, et. al. “Use of a Multiple Family Group for Crisis Intervention,General Hospital Psychiatry 2 (June, 1980), pp. 95–99.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. David Hamburg, Beatrix Hamburg, Sidney deGoza, “Adaptive Problems and Mechanisms in Severly Burned Patients,”Psychiatry 16 (February, 1953), pp. 1–20.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. David Hamburg, et. al, “Clinical Importance of Emotional Problems in the Care of Patients With Burns,”The New England Journal of Medicine 248 (February 26, 1953), pp. 355–359.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Scripture quotation is fromThe New English Bible (Cambridge: The Cambridge University Press, 1972).

  7. N.J.C. Andreason, et. al. “Factors Influencing Admustment of Burn Patients During Hospitalization,”Psychosomatic Medicine 34 (November–December, 1972), pp. 517–525.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Some recent efforts have been made to assess nurses' individual differences in understanding the patient's suffering. Noted have been such variables as the patient's social class, age, different illnesses and injuries, cultural background of the nurse, etc. See Lois Davitz, Joel R. Davitz,Nurses' Responses to Patients' Suffering (New York: Springer Publishing Company, 1980.).

    Google Scholar 

  9. For one study dealing with the post-hospitalization psychological problems see N.J.C. Andreasen, A. S. Norris, “Long-Term Adjustment and Adaptation Mechanisms in Severely Burned Adults,”Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 154 (May, 1972), pp. 352–362.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. An excellent book dealing with a wide variety of chronic disabilities and their resultant behaviors in Rudolph Moos (ed.).Coping With Physical Illness (New York: Plenum Medical Book Company, 1977).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 37240, Nashville, TN

    Gary Brock M. Div. (Director of Pastoral Services)

Authors
  1. Gary Brock M. Div.
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

He also serves as an adjunct faculty member of The Divinity School, Vanderbilt University.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Brock, G. Pastoral intervention in a temporary burn unit. Pastoral Psychol 29, 270–277 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01771347

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01771347

Keywords

Search

Navigation