Office of Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy
Welcome to the Office of Spiritual Care (OSC) at Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC). The Reverend Hiram L. Brett is the Chaplain and Coordinator of Spiritual Care at CMHC.
The OSC provides meaningful and impactful spiritual care services to patients, their families and support networks, and staff members. Our aim is to create a sacred space for people of all faiths and cultural beliefs as they navigate stressful, life-changing or transitional moments and seek to find meaning, hope, connection, and comfort. We endeavor to help those we serve to identify and draw upon their own sources of inner strength.
Our goal is to affirm your humanity by using active and empathic listening, so you’re sure you are seen and heard. You may want to contact us if you:
- Question whether your God or Higher Power cares
- Feel anxious, sad, scared, frustrated or lonely
- Question why this is happening
- Want to receive, prayer, a sacrament, a ritual, a sacred text or religious object
- Feel abandoned or punished by a Higher Power
- Want someone to listen to you
The OSC has developed a library of spiritual resources that you can access online at any time. These curated resources are available to help you navigate your journey. We provide several categories of resources as shown below. Please click on the link below to be directed to a specific spiritual resource.
- Prayer
- Pray As You Go Site: This site offers daily 10-minute guided audio prayers, with instrumental music in the background.
- A document of selected prayers from CMHC Chaplain.
- Poetry
- Meditations
- Free mobile apps we like:
- Smiling Mind App: This app has programs for sleep, work, and school. Once you download it (links at the bottom of the page), you only need to spend 10 minutes a day, and should see benefits.
- UCLA Mindful App: This app has basic meditations in English and Spanish, as well as special meditations for those suffering from challenging health conditions. Download links are at the bottom of the page.
- Insight Timer App: This app has 70,000 guided meditations and a free seven-day meditations course. Once you put in your phone number, you’ll get a text message with the download link.
- Calm's Resource Page: This page includes free meditations, stories, music, talks, and podcasts that target mental and emotional wellness.
- Music
- We’ve put together several playlists, including “Salt of the Sound,” Nature, Gospel, and Jazz, and Soundscapes. Click here to access our YouTube spiritual sound channel.
- Grief Resources
- Grief and the Holidays
- Five Stages of Grief
- Misconceptions About the Five Stages of Grief
- 10 Best and Worst Things to Say to Someone in Grief
- Brief History of the Five Stages of Grief
- Waking up to Gratitude
- Mustering the Courage to Mourn
- Grief and Mourning Basics
- The Importance of Hope
- Exploring Your Feelings of Loss
- Wellness Activity Page
- Integrative Medicine Weekly Events (from the Smilow Cancer Center): Includes a list of weekly virtual events open to community members including Meditation, T’ai Chi, Zumba, Yoga, and Creative Expression Projects.
- Chaplain Messages
- "Faith Matters" columns written by CMHC Chaplain Reverend Hiram Brett for the New Haven Register:
- Jesus and the Jungle: (November 20, 2020)
- A Path Forward: (June 5, 2020)
- Live the Questions: (December 15, 2019)
- Chaplain’s Messages to the CMHC community:
- Hope: Your Superpower: (December 10, 2020)
- Thanksgiving Message: (November 24, 2020)
We hope that these resources help you to find peace, solace, comfort, calm, and strength.
To schedule a 30- minute visit with our chaplain, please contact:
Rev. Hiram L. Brett, MBA, MDiv
203-974-7860 (office) / 475-261-6747 (mobile)
hiram.brett@yale.edu