Your Spiritual Care Team
Manager
Keith is a certified spiritual care practitioner with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC) and a registered psychotherapist (RP) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Prior to joining the team at St. Joe's Hamilton in 2020, Keith worked at various campuses of the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto, Ontario, since 2014. Keith has a Bachelor of Arts degree, double majoring in sociology and philosophy from King's College at the University of Western Ontario (UWO) and a Master of Divinity from St. Peter's Seminary (also of UWO). Keith enjoys the great outdoors, camping, hiking and running. Most importantly, he is happily married and recently welcomed into the world a baby girl who stole his heart. Since joining the St. Joe's Hamilton team, he has very much enjoyed working with his spiritual care colleagues, as well as the wider healthcare community and looks forward to each opportunity to actively engage and collaborate with members of the St. Joseph's Health System Spiritual Care Community of Practice and many others! Keith is currently working out of the West 5th Campus.
Priest / Chaplain
Fr. Andrew has been working as a priest chaplain at St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton since 2001. Originally from Ukraine where he studied languages, literature, and pedagogy at the University of Lviv, his theological education began in his home country, and later continued at the Westfaelischen Wilhelms University in Muenster, Germany. He is at home in his theologies of both the Christian East and West. His love for hospital work was initiated in Europe, and matured through chaplaincy training here in Canada. Andrew is also a Registered Psychotherapist, and is a member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.
Educators
Klara is excited to join St. Joe’s Spiritual Care Team as a clinician and educator, bringing a passion for education and spiritual care formation. With experience as a mentor, clinician, educator, and leader, she aims to support learners and professionals system-wide. Klara holds a Master of Divinity in Counselling from Tyndale University and a Master of Health Sciences in Bioethics from the University of Toronto. Klara is a Certified Supervisor Educator with the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care and a Registered Psychotherapist.
Previously, she served as Practice Lead for Psycho-Spiritual Care at Hamilton Health Sciences, where she focused on improving patient and family experiences. She also completed a Collaborative Academic Practice fellowship at the University Health Network in Toronto, enhancing patient dignity. Klara is dedicated to clinical excellence and leadership development. Outside work, she enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with family. A lifelong learner, she continually seeks personal and professional growth.
Danielle considers it a pleasure to be part of the Spiritual Care team at St. Joseph’s Health System, as one of the Spiritual Care Educators and Clinicians. Danielle holds a Masters of Theological Studies in Counselling, a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Arts. Danielle has extensive experience working in large hospital networks providing psycho-spiritual support to patients, caregivers, volunteers and staff. She has also held leadership positions and helped both develop and implement a variety of initiatives promoting exceptional patient care and staff resilience.
Danielle finds much meaning in her spiritual care work and is passionate about training and inspiring others in the profession. With a background in education, and as both a Certified Supervisor-Educator in Spiritual Care and a Registered Psychotherapist, Danielle is committed to providing high-quality, meaningful education in spiritual care. Danielle lives in Hamilton with her young family.
Chaplains
Sanjay is a Registered Psychotherapist Qualifying (RP-Q) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Sanjay has a M.Div from St. Vladimir Orthodox Theological Seminary and a MPS (with a certificate on Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy) from Emmanuel College. He has been working in St. Joe's since 2023, and has been assigned to critical care units, where he collaborates with the medical team to facilitate conversation with patients and families regarding treatment options and goal of care. Prior to joining St. Joe's, Sanjay has extensive experience working in palliative care, mental health, and also in acute care. In his personal time, Sanjay loves to travel and explore different cuisines with his wife.
Amna graduated with a Masters in Spiritual Care and Psychotherapy from Wilfrid Laurier University. She successfully completed the Supervised Pastoral Education and is actively pursuing Certification through the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care (CASC). She is also a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO). Amna is passionate about patient care and has gained valuable experience providing Grief Counselling, Narrative Therapy, Bereavement support and Palliative Care. When she is not at work, she enjoys her time with her family, exercising, listening to audiobooks, and traveling.
Stephen will be working at St. Joe's and is assigned to the Satellite Health Facility. He graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Masters in Spiritual Care and Counselling; successfully completed the St. Joe’s Supervised Pastoral Education Residency; became certified as a Spiritual Care Practitioner through the Canadian Association for Spiritual Care, and is a registered member of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. Following two years with St. Leonard’s Addiction Mental Health Crisis Centre in Brantford, Stephen worked as a full time Spiritual Care Psychotherapist at West Park Healthcare Centre in Toronto. Stephen brings a love of music as an agent of healing, interconnectedness and beauty as well as a long standing Zen Buddhist practice to this role. He is passionate about caring for patients, and caring for those who care for patients through providing healthcare staff with innovative, inclusive and clinically validated support. It is an honour to serve the sick.
Heather has been working as a Chaplain in Hamilton since beginning her Spiritual Care training in 2020, having the opportunity to work within both St. Joe's and Hamilton Health Sciences. Heather holds an MA Theology (Spiritual Care & Psychotherapy) from Laurier University and has supported a variety of conditions, such as mental illness, concurrent disorders and general and complex medical care. Heather is also a Registered Psychotherapist, working in private practice and is passionate about ensuring that the spirit is included in all aspects of healthcare. Fun fact - Heather is a trained hypnotherapist.
Jolene fell in love with stories many years ago and pursued an academic career before realizing that the best stories are the very real ones that people live out every day. Now she is dedicated to walking beside and supporting people as they navigate and find meaning in their own stories. Jolene earned an MDiv from McMaster Divinity College with a focus in Counselling and Spiritual Care and was ordained as a minister in the Christian Reformed Church of North America. She currently works bi-vocationally as both a hospital chaplain and congregational pastor. Jolene is a qualifying Spiritual Care Practitioner with the Canadian Association of Spiritual Care as well as a qualifying Registered Psychotherapist with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. These days she works primarily out of the West 5th Campus.
Alex is a Spiritual Care Practitioner at the West 5th Campus focusing on psycho-spiritual care within the mental health context. Alex received his M.Div from St. Peter's Catholic Seminary and is a Registered Psychotherapist. He completed his residency in spiritual care at St. Joe's. Alex has had experience as a spiritual care provider working with a variety of populations including dementia, palliative, general and emergency medicine. He is also a counsellor at Catholic Family Services in Hamilton and works in music and retreat ministry in the Hamilton Diocese. Alex is passionate about those who come for care at St. Joseph's Healthcare. He is grateful for the opportunity to serve others within the St. Joe's team. At home he practices self-care by exploring the world around him through hiking, biking, jazz music and reading.
Andrew has served as a Chaplain for over 15 years in the healthcare and military sectors. In his role, Andrew has worked closely with the Palliative Care, ICU, and Mental Health teams to provide spiritual and emotional support to patients and families from diverse lived experiences, ethnicities, cultures, and faith backgrounds. Since 2018, he has also been a registered psychotherapist and feels privileged to assist individuals and couples seeking his services. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Theology and a Master's degree in Theological Studies. In his spare time, Andrew enjoys spending time with his family, travelling, and learning about life and the world.