Education

• BA, Boston College
• MDiv, Harvard Divinity School
• PsyD, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology

Profile

Cheryl A. Giles is the Francis Greenwood Peabody Senior Lecturer on Pastoral Care and Counseling and core faculty for the Buddhist Ministry Initiative. She joined the faculty in 1997 and teaches courses on spiritual care, trauma, and contemplative care of the dying.

Cheryl enjoys mentoring students who are preparing for chaplaincy, racial justice and healing ministry, and those interested in research on trauma psychology and meditation practices. Since 2020, she has been a Visiting Research Scholar in the Department of Sociology at Brandeis University focused on chaplaincy innovation and training.

In 2012, Cheryl was co-editor of The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work with Willa Miller. Her most recent book is Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom co-edited with Pamela Ayo Yetunde.

Selected publications

• "The Changing Landscape of Spiritual Care: Implications for the Theological Education of Chaplains" published in the Journal of Pastoral Theology, Volume 32, Issue 1
• "The Invisible Lives of Chaplains of Color" published in the Journal of Pastoral Theology, Volume 32, Issue 1
• Research Report: Mapping Buddhist Chaplains in North America

Support

To reach Harvard Divinity School's faculty coordinators, email div-faculty_coordinators@calists.harvard.edu.

See also

• Buddhist Ministry Initiative
• Buddhist Arts of Ministry and Leadership: Teaching and Adapting Meditative Skills (PDF)
• "Stepping to the Fore: Faith Leaders Address Sexual and Gender Based Violence" (HDS News)
• "Wisdom on Self-Care from Gregory the Great,"The Christian Century
• "Self-care for the Beloved Community," The Christian Century
• "What We Want at the End of Life," UU World
• Chaplaincy at a Distance: The Art of Spiritual Care During COVID-19 (HDS News)

For media inquiries or requests, please contact Michael Naughton in the Office of Communications.