rationalskepticism.org

Weaver wrote:There are no atheist/humanist chaplains or counselors (other than those employed in the mental health arena as psychologists or the like, and most of them are religious to some degree, some severely); to my knowledge there never have been.

British Humanist Association Website wrote:From the many requests that the BHA receives for it, the BHA recognises that there is a demand for humanist ‘chaplaincy’ equivalents, in particular in closed environments such as hospitals, the armed services, prisons and (to some extent) tertiary and further education. Such services need to be distinguished from

* psychotherapy (where a trained professional treats 'disorders of the mind or personality by psychological or psychophysiological methods' [OED])

* counselling (a form of psychotherapy where a trained 'counsellor adopts a permissive and supportive role in enabling a client to solve his or her own problems' [OED])

* and from plain befriending or contact, as in prison visiting.

When referring to these services, the BHA prefers not to use the word 'chaplaincy', which retains sufficient religious connotations to be inappropriate as a meaningful description. Whatever it is called, pastoral care specifically for the non-religious in this sense needs to give advice and reassurance on an existential level, helping with questions relating to beliefs and ethics and to a person’s worldview or lifestance. There are successful examples of humanist 'moral counsellors' performing this function for the non-religious in prisons, hospitals and the armed forces in Belgium, Norway, the Netherlands and elsewhere, alongside religious chaplains.