By: Jesse Size
Spiritual care in a hospital setting regularly involves joining with people in the “betwixt and between” of life. This paper considers Michael White’s (2016) rite of passage metaphor and the way that it supports double-story development by acknowledging the difficulties people experience while also recognising that a hospital admission can include the possibility that one might arrive at a new place. This paper also explores ways that narrative approaches such as re–membering conversations, outsider-witnessing practices and enabling contribution can support meaningful spiritual care when joining with people at the end of their lives. These narrative approaches enrich the act of joining with people in the betwixt and between and beyond as part of a spiritual care presence.
Key words: chaplaincy; spiritual care; narrative pastoral therapy; spirituality; hospital; rites of passage; re-membering; documentation; enabling contribution; end of life care; narrative practice.
Size, J. (2025). Meegan’s story with a big-ass mirror: Joining people in the “betwixt and between” and beyond. International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work, (1), 55–63. https://doi.org/10.4320/CPUT5272
