When Addison Schmitt Morgan entered the Post-baccalaureate Graduate Certificate in Patient Counseling program at VCU in the summer of 2023, she wasn’t entirely sure what lay ahead. She was midway through her Master of Divinity studies at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania and wanted to discern whether chaplaincy was truly her calling. The program gave her the clarity she had been looking for.

“The certificate program was my first direct experience with chaplaincy. It’s designed as an opportunity for you to dip your toes in the water and figure out if this is really what you want to do,” Schmitt Morgan said. “Those 10 weeks were incredibly transformative. It really made me see that this is something I want to do long term.”

Growing up in Richmond, Schmitt Morgan was keenly aware of the central role VCU Health and VCU Medical Center played in the city’s health care landscape. As she discerned her call into ministry and specifically chaplaincy, she felt the pull to participate in an often high-activity medical environment.

“I wanted to have a wide breadth of experience, and that was the place to get it,” she said.

During the certificate program – offered by the VCU College of Health Professions Department of Patient Counseling – Schmitt Morgan experienced firsthand what it meant to provide spiritual care in moments of acute crisis. One defining moment came during her clinical hours when she was called to support a family grieving the sudden loss of a child.

“I had to navigate being a chaplain and caregiver for everyone involved – not only the family, but also the other staff members and even the police officer on the scene, who really struggled with being in that room,” she said. “That helped me realize that chaplaincy is so much more than just going into rooms and being with patients.”

The experience shaped a ministry philosophy Schmitt Morgan continues to carry with her.

“I believe very deeply that God does not cause suffering and evil in the world. Nevertheless, suffering and evil exist, and God travels alongside us through the bad times,” she said. “I feel deeply called to stand in the breach with someone on the worst day of their life.”

After completing her seminary degree in 2024, Schmitt Morgan returned to VCU to enroll in the Master of Science in Patient Counseling program. This longer, more intensive post-graduate experience expanded her training across multiple hospital units, from pediatrics to palliative care to oncology.

Schmitt Morgan finished her residency in the summer of 2025 and now serves as a chaplain on an as-needed basis at VCU Health. The role keeps her closely connected to the place she has long regarded as her professional home while also balancing the rhythms of newly married life with her husband, a Presbyterian pastor serving a church in Goochland County.

The hands-on, personal experiences offered by the Department of Patient Counseling have helped to affirm Schmitt Morgan’s calling: to walk faithfully with people through both suffering and joy.

“Sometimes, patients and families are celebrating mountaintops, but they usually only rush to call us when things are bad,” she said. “I feel very called to be in those moments with people, whether they feel really close to God or very far away.”

-by John Battiston