Our team of chaplains offer spiritual accompaniment to people of all faiths, and to those who are uncertain or have none.
We believe people's needs can be physical, emotional and spiritual. We welcome and support the rich diversity of our UK faith and spiritual communities.
If our chaplains aren't the right fit for you, we will work with you and with our chaplaincy networks to find the support that meets your needs.
Sessions take place by phone, Skype or Zoom (face to face appointments and home visits are not currently available) and are normally held monthly.
This service is open to people with ME and carers age 18 and over.
One of our recent clients told us:
“The chaplain gave me the opportunity to be listened to, heard, respected in what I needed to say, by a non-judgemental person outside of my everyday life.”
The focus of chaplaincy work is not so much on resolving specific problems/issues as on working towards personal and spiritual growth.
Chaplaincy offers pastoral care and spiritual accompaniment, focusing on each person’s wellbeing in their spiritual or faith journey. This is a safe space to engage with the challenges, change and growth that are part of living with ME.
If you'd like to find out more, read our interview with Ruth, one of our experienced chaplains.
Spiritual accompaniment happens when the chaplain ‘sits’ alongside and enables the patient to explore all that is spiritually life-giving for them.
A person’s spirituality (the part of us which is beyond words and deeply who we are / our ‘soul’) plays a vital part in any improvement in health, or ability to live well within ongoing limitations.
The spiritual accompaniment does not have to be related to any one religious belief. If appropriate the religious beliefs and practices of a patient may helpfully feature in conversations, as well as other broader spiritual practices (eg. mindfulness meditation, creative activities, communing with nature)
Read about our chaplains on our clinical team page.
You can make a self-referral by:
When we receive your completed self-referral form, our Healthcare Administrator will contact you to confirm receipt.
You will then be contacted by a chaplain who will offer a free initial telephone conversation lasting up to 30 minutes.
This one-off session is designed to explore your particular circumstances in order to get an understanding of how we can effectively work together.
During the free initial telephone conversation, we will discuss:
As a charity, we charge fees only to cover our costs.
Fees for chaplaincy are as follows:
Please let us know as soon as possible if you cannot attend an appointment.
Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice will be charged at 50% of the full appointment fee. Failure to attend an appointment without notice will be charged in full.
If you receive a bursary, the cancellation fee will include the proportionate part of your bursary award, and one bursary‑funded session will be counted as used.
Action for ME provides bursaries, when able, to help make services more accessible to those who might otherwise be unable to afford them. The organisation charges fees only to cover costs and all services are subsidised by the charity.
Maintaining reasonable costs whilst ensuring the long-term sustainability of healthcare services is a priority for Action for ME.
Action for ME can only offer bursaries if we have the financial resources to do so.
Please visit our Bursary support page to find out more information and check on the availability of financial support.
