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Costs & Consequences: What is the price of full-time chaplaincy? By Chuck Lorrain, D.Min., CMC, BCETS, CTR Newton tells us that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Dalton says “the total pressure is equal to the sum of each partial pressure.” Murphy says “anything that can go wrong-will go wrong.” So what’s the “law” relative to full-time chaplaincy? Maybe it’s “no good deed goes unpunished!” During my 24 years as a law enforcement chaplain, I have heard many people express the desire to become a “full-time” chaplain or they asserted “I could do so much more if I was only full-time.” But very few of these chaplains really took the time to investigate or calculate what the costs and consequences would be to perform that function. In discussing the issue with a few of my closest full-time colleagues, most echoed the same sentiment: “I’m not sure anyone should do this full-time.” Now at the risk of sounding like a bunch of burned-out, cynical chaplains let me say this……we probably are! Throughout our careers we didn’t know all that we know today and we probably didn’t always do things right. But through our collective “paying our dues”, we have gleaned a great deal of knowledge and wisdom over the 200 years of combined chaplaincy experience we have amassed, so we must have figured out something by now! But seriously, there is a price to pay to do this job full-time and there are consequences to you, your family, and those closest to you. The problem is; we’re just not exactly sure of the full extent yet. But we do know this—we’re probably going to pay for it on the “back nine” of our live-cycle. So, now that I’ve got you all scratching your heads—why am I sounding like Chicken Little sounding the alarm about full-time chaplaincy? Conventional wisdom might suggest that I know something I think you might need to know if you’re contemplating going full-time. Let’s find out what some of those things are……… Scope of Chaplaincy One of the first “factors,” I believe, that one must consider when evaluating going full-time is; what is the “scope” of that particular chaplaincy program? What do they do? How do they operate? Why is that even important? I remember listening to a chaplain from a small rural town in the mid-west telling a group of chaplains how busy he was and how burned-out he was becoming. It ends up that he had handled two death notifications and three fatal accidents in a three-month period and was feeling overwhelmed. Now before I get any nasty letters, I’m not saying there is anything wrong with being a chaplain in a small rural area in the mid-west, and I’m not saying they are any less of a chaplain, and I’m sure these were traumatic events…….but trauma is relative. His five callouts in a 3 month span are much different than a chaplaincy program handling 60-100 emergency callouts every month. The saturation factor of accumulated trauma is very real and potentially very damaging. As a full-time person, you are most likely going to be right in the mix. Most chaplains working in large, active chaplaincy programs will see more trauma in one year than most law enforcement officers will see in their careers. So the “costs” you are going to pay and the “consequences” you are going to realize by working full-time in an agency of this scope have to be contemplated. Saturation and accumulated trauma of this magnitude can lead to burn-out, compassion fatigue, vicarious traumaization, or secondary traumatic stress--all potentially career ending issues. Obviously there are many factors involved in this process. I neither want to sensationalize nor minimize the potentials. However, they are very real and must be addressed, or the ruin can be great. I can put you in contact with enough veteran chaplains to substantiate the concerns. An understanding of the issues and a proactive response is critical to mitigate the impact of this kind of program. Buyer beware! Schedule Here is a fact: Most full-time chaplains work way too many hours to maintain any semblance of health! On-call 24/7, 60-80 hour work weeks are common. So, what are the costs of working this kind of schedule? First, if you are working this much then you aren’t getting enough sleep, and sleep deprivation is insidious! Glucose-PET studies in individuals deprived of sleep have shown that after 24 hours of sustained wakefulness, the metabolic activity of the brain decreases significantly (up to 6% for the whole brain and up to 11% for specific cortical and basal ganglionic areas). In humans, sleep deprivation also results in a decrease in core body temperature, a decrease in immune system function as measured by white cell count and activity, and a decrease in the release of growth hormone. Sleep deprivation also has been implicated as a cause of increased heart rate variability. Additionally, with decreased sleep, higher-order cognitive tasks are affected early and disproportionately. When you are sleep deprived your body does not have a chance to heal and regenerate itself, therefore slow deterioration is occurring. Over a period of years you are probably going “down hill” steadily, but the slowness of the process will not make it very noticeable—at least, not at first. It’s like throwing a frog in a pot of water and slowly turning up the heat….he will just sit there until he is cooked to death. One day you will wake up with the realization that you seem to be growing old very quickly, and not realize why….sad, but true. Studies have also shown that disruption of our natural circadian rhythms can wreak havoc on our bodies and its ability to function efficiently and correctly. Circadian rhythms are regular changes in mental and physical characteristics that occur during the course of the day (circadian is Latin for “around the day”). People whose sleep is disturbed, like those who work at night, shift work, or sleep deprived, are more at risk for heart problems, digestive disturbances, mental and emotional problems, all of which may be related to their sleeping problems. Other recent studies have shown that people in which chronic sleep restriction is prevalent, changes in appetite regulatory hormones with sleep curtailment may contribute to obesity which, suffice to say, is a terrible health risk. Finally, we also know that people dealing with traumatic stress need adequate rest in order that their bodies can handle the stress they are under. Lack of sleep once again, does not promote health and healing, but adds to dis-stress. Now one could say that most people in today’s busy society deal with disrupted sleep at some point, however, sleep deprivation while working under intense stress is all too common to the full-time law enforcement chaplain. It raises the stakes and takes it to a whole new level. These are just a few more issues that come with working full-time. Since these issues are mainly “physical” in nature, you may think they only affect you. But I assure you, they will not only impact you, but your spouse, your children, and those you love around you. If you are working as a full-time chaplain presently, you are probably paying a much higher price to do your job than you imagine. If you really want to find out—start by slowing down long enough to ask your spouse for an honest evaluation……but just be ready for the answer! Prolonged Stress/Traumatic Stress Since we have already touched on the traumatic stress issues, let’s expand the scope a little more. Anyone working in full-time chaplaincy in an active program is most likely under a great deal of stress. This coupled with long-term saturation of traumatic stress can have an adverse effect on the chaplain. [Note] Although I want to keep this fairly rudimentary, if you would like to fully understand the physiological responses of stress—I would recommend the following book: “A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response” by Dr. George Everly—ISBN 0306430681. To begin, a review of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) is in order. Hans Selye proposed a three-phased integrated model for the stress response way back in 1956. He called it the General Adaptation Syndrome or GAS. The first phase of this model is called the “alarm” phase. This is where the body’s defense mechanisms are called into action. The second phase is called the “resistance” phase. This is where the body fights to reestablish and maintain homeostasis (balance). Both stages 1 and 2 can be repeated throughout one’s life. If the stress continues however, the adaptive mechanisms in the second stage may become depleted. This is where the body enters the last phase called the “exhaustion” phase. This is where exhaustion of activated target-organs and disease symptoms may become manifest. When this stage is applied to the entire body, life itself may be in jeopardy. Most chronic and prolonged responses to stress are the result of the four endocrine axes. To view just one example of what prolonged stress can do, let us take a look at the effects of just one of those axes, the adrenal cortical axis, and one of the products of the stress response: Coritsol. Cortisol is one of two glucocorticoids the body produces in response to stressful stimuli. Although this is a normal process in the stress response, long-term effects of cortisol can be extremely harmful. Some of the negative effects of cortisol are;
So what does that all mean? Well, it means things like: peptic ulcers, ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, esophageal reflux. It means hypertension and vasospastic phenomena. It means a compromised immune system, musculoskeletal disorders, respiratory disorders, skin disorders, physiological disorders, etc., etc. Do I have your attention yet? This is just one of many effects that long-term stress can have, and there are many others. Is there a cost for doing this full-time? You be the judge. Expectations/Perceptions If you talk to many in law enforcement, they will tell you that the stress they face on the streets usually isn’t as bad as is that caused by their own departments! Two big monsters that can cause you great stress as a full-time chaplain are “perceptions” and “expectations.” Both of these can manifest internally or externally. As a full-time chaplain, members of the department will have expectations of you as their chaplain. First, you will have to pay your dues—individually and probably corporately as a program, before you are going to be trusted or used much. They will test you and they want to see what you’re all about……are you there for them? Can you be trusted? Are you an “agent” of administration? Are you a “wanna-be?” Are you going to be there for the long-haul?….. just to name a few. With that comes great stress—externally from the members of the department, and internally with what you put on yourself. The internal stress can be problematic if you don’t have good boundaries as it may cause you to get out-of-balance to achieve the “goal.” You also have to be very careful here or you will create situations that you cannot easily undo. It’s kind of like trying to get toothpaste back in the tube…..it’s just doesn’t happen easily, if at all. When these “expectations,” problem situations can be created then “perceptions” become a problem, again, causing internal stress. For example, you work in a multiple-department situation and the first year you were there you worked 70 hours a week to make sure you visited all the departments, all the shifts, administration, detectives, dispatch, the jail, did ride-alongs, etc. and people have become used to seeing you. Now a year later because you have done such a great job, everyone is expecting you to come by to see them and give them the little treats you used to. However, because of the stellar job you have done and what you have created, coupled with increased callouts, increased responses, calls for counseling, etc. you can’t come by as often. When they don’t see you, they have the “perception” you don’t care about them any longer….its the out-of-sight, out-of-mind mentality. When you start to hear the grumbling from one of the departments in which you haven’t been seen as much, you pick up the pace and spend additional hours to try to compensate—all at the expense of someone (you, your health, your spouse, your family, your church, the other departments, etc.). You can see how quickly this becomes a death-spiral, one where you will ultimately pay a price on some level. Think this is an unrealistic scenario? I assure you it is not, and this and others happen all too often. “Delivering the Goods”: Chaplain Wellness The profession of law enforcement is a difficult one at best. Very few of us have to put on a bullet proof vest, strap on a gun, and go work each day for a society that is seldom thankful—usually critical of what they do. We as chaplains are there to bring a balance to all that they endure and experience. If we allow ourselves to be so impacted by what we do—how can we possibly help them? We have to ask ourselves “Are we part of the solution or are we crossing over into becoming part of the problem?” We must therefore have the courage, wisdom and ability to self evaluate and have an honest appraisal of who we are and what we can do. One officer once told me that he thought I could jump tall buildings in a single bound, to which I jokingly replied “No, it takes 2 or 3 jumps.” We are called upon to do seemingly superhuman things most of the time, but if we lose sight of how utterly human we really are—then we have already lost the battle. My associate’s wife once told him that as a chaplain he worked in the midst of a shipwreck—then she admonished him that he needed to realistically calculate how big his lifeboat was, or he would just be creating another shipwreck! Sage advice from a very wise woman. I often use the analogy of a large gas tanker going down the road delivering thousands of gallons of gas that will ultimately help many people…..but if the tractor truck runs out of gas, he can’t deliver the load and therefore helps no one. You have to be able to deliver the load if you are going to be an asset to a program. As a full-time chaplain you must calculate the cost and examine the consequences before attempting to do this job and then maintain healthy boundaries. If we follow the biblical example of counting the cost before we build—we show ourselves wise. But the cost of miscalculation could be great. So, I’ve given you several potentials now that can come with working as a full-time chaplain. So what do we do about it you ask? Here are some straight-talk recommendations for chaplains either seeking to become full-time chaplains or ones already there.
Okay, there you have it. Obviously, this is not meant to be exhaustive and there are many other factors that must be considered before doing this ministry full-time. Hopefully this brief exposé has raised your level of consciousness relative to the issue and you will continue to give it due consideration. As you probably have also noticed, there are many aspects of what we have been talking about that translate into chaplaincy at any level. Chaplain wellness is something we must all be concerned with if we are going to continue to work at a high level of proficiency. Should you have questions about any of these things, we would be glad to discuss them with you. We are all in this together! References
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