Includes bibliographical references.

Introduction : researching living human encounters / Martin Walton -- 1. Methodology in case study research -- The state of the art in chaplaincy research : needs, resources and hopes / George Fitchett -- Putting chaplaincy research into the picture : the Dutch case studies project / Jacques Korver -- Researching practices : lessons from Dutch youth care / Jan Willem Veerman -- Up and down the participation ladder : the use of narratives in collaborative research / Gaby Jacobs -- The science of the particular / Jacques Korver -- 2. From methodology to initial findings -- Chaplains' case study research : building towards a theory of chaplaincy care? / Steve Nolan -- Comparing multiple case studies of (military) chaplaincy care : methodological issues / Theo Pleizier, Carmen Schuhmann -- Professional proximity : seeking a balance between relation and content in spiritual counseling / Myriam Braakhuis -- Effects of health care chaplaincy : a qualitative study with case reports / Nika Hofler, Traugott Roser -- 3. Case studies and critical issues -- Personal experiences in writing a case study / Paul Galchutt -- With an open mind for the unexpected : prison chaplaincy : a case study / Reijer J. de Vries, Marja Went, Martin van Hemert, Soerish Jaggan, Geerhard Kloppenburg -- Is MacDonald's freedom? / Tjeerd van der Meer -- Agreement is agreement? : moral counseling in a life-threatening dilemma / Monique van Hoof, Hanneke Muthert, Jacques Korver, Martin Walton -- You can remove a person from the war, but not the war from a person / Gertjan Jorissen, Carmen Schuhmann, Theo Pleizier, Jacques Korver, Martin Walton -- 4. Case studies research and professionalism -- What does participation in the case studies project mean for one's professionalism? : preliminary findings and topics / Jacqueline Weeda, Hanneke Muthert -- Interdisciplinary work in chaplaincy care / Loes Berkhout -- Towards a distinct professional identity : what chaplains have learned in Flanders case study research / Lindsy Desmet -- What are chaplains learning by producing case studies? / Frieda Boeykens -- 'Oneself as another' : combining the roles of chaplain and researcher in the Dutch case studies project / Niels den Toom -- Epilogue : developing the case / Jacques Korver, Renske Kruizinga, Niels den Toom, Martin Walton.

The recent production of case studies in chaplaincy care combines the narrative nature of chaplaincy with the rigors of research demanded in contemporary care settings. The contributions in this volume from both practitioners and academic researchers join reflections on the challenges and promises of case study research in chaplaincy care with the results of specific case studies. Based on reflections on methodology and professionalization in chaplaincy, the volume hopes to contribute to answering the question of how and why chaplaincy works. As such, the book aims for a wide readership of scholars, chaplains and policy makers. 'Learning from Case Studies' originated from the first international conference on case study research in chaplaincy care that was held in Amsterdam in 2019.