"Being there where words fail" - Clinical pastoral care at Zollikerberg Hospital
Pfr. Stefan Morgenthaler
August 6, 2025
5 min
Clinical counselling is more than just a conversation - it means attentive support in times of illness, crises and existential challenges. In this interview, Pastor Stefan Morgenthaler talks about his experiences as a hospital chaplain, about quiet moments of closeness, dealing with powerlessness - and about why it often only takes a little to give people support in difficult situations.
What distinguishes clinical pastoral care from other forms of pastoral counselling - especially in an acute hospital environment?
As these are often one-off encounters, it is particularly important to quickly create a space of trust. This is achieved through a transparent and clear demeanour, a good grasp of the overall situation and looking at things together with the patient: What is needed at the moment? What could strengthen them? Even in brief encounters, a lot of vital energy can be felt - often without many words.
How do you support patients in existential crises - for example after a stressful diagnosis or before a serious operation?
It's about sensing as well as possible where the patient is at the moment: Are they still in a shock phase? What thoughts, fears or hopes are preoccupying them? Pastoral care must be adapted to these individual situations. Anything that provides orientation and support can be helpful - even if this varies greatly from person to person.
Relatives are also often under great pressure. How does counselling help them - and what can you do in such situations?
Firstly, it is important to give them space to tell their story. It is then often a matter of finding out together what their personal contribution could be in the situation. Differentiation helps here: What are their own needs and what are the patient's? I encourage relatives to trust their intuition, not to orientate themselves too much on rigid ideas and to see the good that they are already doing. Sometimes I also offer a ritual or a prayer. And I encourage them to trust that the patient is allowed to find their own way - and that it is not their job to take everything away or solve everything.
How do you deal with spiritual questions, doubts or hopes when people themselves have no religious affiliation?
It can be helpful to look back on biographical experiences together with the patient: What has supported them in difficult times? What helped? This sometimes creates a feeling of security - perhaps the feeling of being under a good star or being accompanied by a guardian angel, even without a religious connection. Sometimes I guide patients to meditate in a personal place of power or to find inner images that convey strength and comfort. It's also about discovering together what is still possible despite everything - and what you can perhaps look forward to again. The aim is to awaken hope and open up new perspectives.
What does the collaboration between pastoral care and other professional groups - such as nursing, doctors or psychology - look like in concrete terms?
Pastoral care is part of interprofessional collaboration, for example in palliative care, acute geriatrics or outpatient oncology rapports. We discuss care at these meetings - always with the aim of supporting patients as holistically as possible and according to their individual wishes. We are also involved in further training and committees such as the Ethics Forum. The more present we are on the wards, the more we are integrated into the treatment team - which creates real added value for everyone involved.
Are there typical misunderstandings about your work in the hospital that you experience time and again - and how do you counter them?
A common misconception is that you have to be religious or belong to a church in order to receive pastoral care. Or that our visit automatically has to do with dying or saying goodbye. Regular education is important here - both for patients and within the team. Pastoral care is open to everyone, including hospital staff - free of charge, confidential and independent. We are not employed by the hospital, but by the cantonal churches - this guarantees a certain distance and a neutral perspective in everyday hospital life.
In an environment that is heavily characterised by time pressure and medical procedures, how do you maintain the space for presence, silence and personal encounters?
You can do this through your own spiritual practice, through conscious breaks and through inner reflection between conversations. It is also important to critically reflect on your own actions: What is motivating me at the moment? Who does it serve? Is it really necessary - and helpful? In this way, it is possible to remain mindful and present despite all the hustle and bustle.
