When patients at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) receive life-changing news - a devastating diagnosis, the aftermath of a stroke or the overwhelming weight of grief - Suzanne Robertson, a spiritual health practitioner and registered psychotherapist, is often called to the bedside.
“Our work encompasses the spiritual, emotional, psychological and mental health needs of patients and families. We journey alongside people in some of their most difficult moments to help them process what’s happening, find meaning and connect with their own sense of purpose.”
Robertson, who has been part of KHSC since 2022, works primarily on internal medicine, neurology and psychiatry, but she and her colleagues can be called anywhere to support the well-being of patients, families or even staff members with a trauma-informed approach.
“There’s a misconception that spiritual health is only religious care, or only for end-of-life situations - that’s not the case,” she explained. “We support people across their entire health-care journey, whether they identify with a faith tradition, see themselves as spiritual but not religious, or don’t identify with religion at all. It’s about the whole person and their well-being.”
Robertson is part of a small but dedicated team of five spiritual health practitioners who serve both Kingston General Hospital (KGH) and Hotel Dieu Hospital (HDH). Together, they provide one-on-one spiritual care, grief and bereavement support, and safe spaces for emotional reflection. By building therapeutic relationships, practitioners create space for honest conversations that can improve communication between patients, families and their teams, and lead to better patient-centred care health outcomes.
“Our team is small, but deeply collaborative. We want people to know that spiritual health is available throughout the entire health-care journey - not just at the end of life.”
As part of their work, practitioners also connect people to dedicated spaces within the hospitals, including the Spiritual Centre at KGH for prayer, reflection and meditation, a chapel and an inter-faith centre at HDH, and the Mamawi Room - designed for Indigenous patients, families and staff.
As KHSC marks Spiritual Health Awareness Week, Robertson says she is proud to work in a field that continues to grow while remaining deeply human.
“Spiritual health is about honouring the dignity and wholeness of every person we serve. It’s a privilege to do this work.”
For Robertson, it all comes down to connection.
“At the heart of spiritual health is the belief that everyone deserves to be seen in their full humanity,” she says. “That’s what I hope people feel when I walk into the room.”
