Background

Who are we?

The University Center for Chaplaincy Studies (UCGV) is a partnership between the academic institutions that offer the vocational training in Spiritual Care (see Education). The UCGV wants to make Spiritual Care visible and conduct research in an academic context on the tasks that spiritual caregivers perform and how they do this. In addition, research is being conducted into the outcomes of Spiritual Care.

Background

The idea for a University Center for Chaplaincy Studies arose from the projects in which there was already collaboration between the Tilburg School of Catholic Theology (TST) and the Protestant Theological University (PThU). Existing collaborations in the field of spiritual care in the defence and the Center for Justice Pastoral Care were also included. The UCGV served as a platform for the Case Studies Project from 2017-2022 (see Research), in which several universities have already participated.

Since 2023, the collaboration with other universities has been structurally anchored because the boards of directors have committed to making time and resources available to the UCGV. The Vrije Universiteit, Radboud University, the University of Humanistic Studies, and the University of Groningen are now officially part of the UCGV. With this broad collaboration, the UCGV wants to be the face of knowledge, education, and research in the field of spiritual care and to be a sparring partner for government agencies, the business community, and healthcare.