Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability

The Centre focuses on:

• Theology and mental health
• The theology of dementia
• The theology of disability
• The relationship between spirituality, health, and healing, and the significance of the spiritual dimension for contemporary health care practices

The centre aims to enable academics, researches, practitioners, people with disabilities, people with mental health challenges, and people with dementia to work together to develop innovative and creative research projects, new ways of practising, and fresh teaching initiatives.

The Centre:

• provides a focal point for developing innovative, action oriented research programs exploring the centre's foci
• produces research of international standing
• develops new and innovative educational initiatives aimed at church leaders, pastoral carers, and those working within health and social care services
• brings together multidisciplinary teams of researchers to develop networks that will produce exciting and innovative collaborative projects
• encourages formal creative affiliations with other centres, institutions, and organisations involved in similar work throughout the world

Director

The Reverend Professor John Swinton FBA, FRSE, FISSR, RMN, RNMD
Professor in Practical Theology and Pastoral Care

School of Divinity with Religious Studies and Philosophy
King's College
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen
AB24 3UB
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 1224 27 3224
Email: j.swinton@abdn.ac.uk

The Centre for Spirituality, Health and Disability exists to help individuals and organisations address pressing spiritual and theological issues and needs within religious communities, health and social care professions, and the field of disability theology. It seeks to achieve this task through:

1. Careful reflection on key theological issues within the field;
2. The development of a rigorous, evidence-based empirical research program, with a particular focus on research that informs practice; and,
3. Consultation and professional guidance.

Areas of activity include: the theology of disability, dementia, mental health, intellectual disabilities, health and healing, oncology, end of life care, genetics and disability, parish nursing, ethics, staff support, chaplaincy, and suicide.

The Centre is self-funding and receives no external public money. It generates income purely through research grants and donations from supportive parties. The Centre thus far has managed research projects funded by, amongst others:

• The Arts and Humanities Research Council
• The British Academy
• The Sir Halley Stewart Trust
• The Kirby Laing Foundation
• The Scottish Executive
• The Mental Health Foundation
• Highland NHS Trust
• The Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities
• The Church of Scotland
• Aberdeen City Council
• The Camphill Trust
• The Jerusalem Trust
• The Porticus Trust