Every therapist serves as a container for stories and feelings that are both distressing and wonderful as our clients strive for their full potential.  How we receive and hold these is important for our own and our client's growth.

In the latter stages of life, a more concentrated desire to find meaning in ones life, to forgive and heal old hurts, and to celebrate these increases the burden or gift we receive. Often the dramatic insights and sometimes transformation that occur during the last stages of life are especially meaningful.  I have come to realize that being with another at this time is probably the most intimate experience one can share.  What we will learn from the experiences of one who lives with and grows through this work will awaken (spiritual) hope for all of us as we work with our clients.

Marguerite Patricia Gilner is the Director of the HOPE Palliative Care Services Program at St. Agnes Hospital  in Baltimore, MD.  A graduate of the College of Notre Dame of Maryland, Marguerite holds a MS from the Johns Hopkins University in Adult Education, a MS and Certificate of Advanced Study in Pastoral Counseling
from Loyola College, and a Graduate Certificate and  MS in Health Sciences in Clinical Leadership with a specialization in End-of-Life Care from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences.