Cheryl A. Giles

Francis Greenwood Peabody Senior Lecturer on Pastoral Care and Counseling

Education

BA with honors, 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 a licensed clinical psychologist. She has been a member of the HDS faculty since 1997.

Professor Giles has extensive experience in the treatment of children, adolescents, and their families with significant mental illness, high-risk behaviors, and traumatic stress. Prior to coming to HDS, she was director of the Lighthouse Program, a residential facility in Brighton, Massachusetts, that treated adolescents who were newly discharged from psychiatric hospitals and needed time for stabilization before returning home. Her primary research interests are identifying the role of risk and resilience in developing healthy adolescents, exploring the impact of contemplative care for the dying, and increasing awareness of healthcare disparities of African-Americans.

A core faculty member of the Buddhist Ministry Initiative, Professor Giles received training and certification in end-of-life care from the Being With Dying program and G.R.A.C.E.: Training in Compassion-Based Interactions in the Clinical/Patient Encounter at Upaya Zen Center. She teaches courses on spiritual counseling, contemplative care of the dying, and anti-racism practices for ministry, and mentors students who are preparing for healthcare chaplaincy, social justice, and research on the psychology of contemplative care.

Professor Giles is the co-editor of The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work (Wisdom Press, 2012). She has authored articles on contemplative care of the dying and preparing clinicians to become compassionate caregivers.