I want to thank you for Joan Furman's article, "Healing the Mind and Spirit as the Body Fails" (April 2004). I was glad that she suggested referring terminally ill patients to a mental health professional, if appropriate, but disappointed that she didn't also suggest a referral to a professional health care chaplain. Addressing issues of "guilt, blame, and forgiveness" may call for one who is fully trained to separate his own issues from those of the patient. Professional certified chaplains undergo rigorous training, including a 2- to 3-year graduate degree program, a minimum of 1,600 hours of supervised clinical training, and multiple competencies to ensure that they can provide a nonsectarian and compassionate approach to spiritual care. For more information, visit http://www.professionalchaplains.org

MARK LAROCCA-PITTS, MDIV, PHD

Athens, Ga.