Welcome to The Accompaniment Collaborative

EDUCATION & CONSULTATION

Expert project consultation, training, talks, and education for healthcare, business, and community organizations. This work helps organizations build the infrastructure, skills, and culture needed to support people through profound transitions and sustain excellence in demanding environments.

Naomi and her collaborators partner with healthcare institutions and community organizations to strengthen clinical competencies and improve care quality for patients, families, and care communities through curriculum development, workshops, educational sessions, and strategic consultation.

We equip healthcare professionals, teams, and departments with evidence-based practices and critical clinical skills in palliative care, spirituality in healthcare, interprofessional collaboration, serious illness and end-of-life care, and individual and systemic professional wellbeing.

Schedule

Podcasts

The Nature of Suffering

Naomi and BJ Miller discuss the nature of suffering, spiritual screening in healthcare, and how chaplains address existential distress (UCSF GeriPal Podcast)

Well-being & Resilience

Naomi discusses wellbeing for healthcare workers and mindfulness practices for resilience (UCSF GeriPal

Intentionally Interprofessional Palliative Care

Naomi and co-editors discuss their book, "Intentionally Interprofessional Palliative Care"and why collaboration is essential in healthcare (UCSF GeriPal Podcast).

Webinars & Videos

Chaplaincy Across Fields: Nurturing Resilience and Compassion

Naomi discusses her chaplaincy work, defines what chaplaincy means to her, and explores fostering resilience and compassion in healthcare (Harvard Divinity School Alumni Webinar.

Early Stage Palliative Care: Assumptions & Interventions

Naomi presents on why integrating spiritual screening into routine palliative care is essential for addressing patient needs (Chaplaincy Innovation Lab)

Interprofessional Palliative Care

Naomi and Paul Galchutt discuss their book "Intentionally Interprofessional Palliative Care" and why collaboration is essential in healthcare (Harvard Divinity School)

Chaplaincy Innovation Lab

Naomi and co-authors celebrate their book discussing how chaplains, social workers, physicians, and nurses can collaborate effectively (Chaplaincy Innovation Lab).

Easing the Challenges of Living With Dementia: How Palliative Care Hospice Can Improve Quality of Life

Naomi joins a interprofessional panel on dementia care discussing how palliative care and hospice can improve quality of life for individuals with dementia (Stanford & UCSF partnership with Kensington Senior Living).

Death Anxiety Workshop

Naomi participates in an interdisciplinary workshop panel on death anxiety, exploring how to recognize and therapeutically support patients experiencing death anxiety (American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine - AAHPM).

Publications

2025

Death Anxiety: Ubiquitous Yet Unspoken, J Pain Symptom Manage, March 24, 2025.
Developing and Implementing Spiritual Screening in Healthcare: Six Successful Models, J Health Care Chaplain, 2025.
Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Intentionally Interprofessional Collaboration, J Palliat Med, September 9, 2025.

2024

Intentionally Interprofessional Palliative Care: Synergy in Education and Practice, Oxford University Press; 2024.

2023

A Statement on the Role and Qualifications of Health Care Chaplains for Research and Quality, J Pain Symptom Manage, 2023.

2021

Attitudes on Physician Aid-in-Dying Among Muslim Chaplains: A Qualitative Study, Published March, 2021. [Conference presentation/abstract]

2020

Rapid Implementation of Inpatient Telepalliative Medicine Consultations During COVID-19 Pandemic, J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020.
COVID-19 Lessons: The Alignment of Palliative Medicine and Trauma-Informed Care, J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020.
Proactive Identification of Palliative Care Needs Among Patients With COVID-19 in the ICU, J Pain Symptom Manage. 2020.

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News Articles Featuring Naomi

Specialty Roles of the Palliative Care Chaplain and Social Worker: Differentiation and Overlap, J Pain Symptom Manage, April 28, 2026. article

Naomi discusses how UCSF palliative care chaplaincy adapted during COVID-19 using telemedicine to help dying patients and families connect. article

Naomi shares how UCSF chaplains faced COVID-19 with creativity, adapting spiritual care through telemedicine and exploring how it transcends physical presence. article

Naomi discusses grief and ambiguous loss in an article about a boy swept into the ocean by a sneaker wave, explaining how difficult it is to heal without a body to mourn. article

Naomi discusses practicing mindfulness from within and compassionate care in healthcare, article in: Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare

Naomi reflects on how her chaplaincy work helps her remember what is essential about being human through accompanying vulnerable people, article in: Working in America

Stories

"One way of acknowledging Naomi Saks’ gift for spiritual accompaniment would be to point out that she has been preparing for this role all her life – from her spiritual awakening as a young woman, to her divinity degree from Harvard, to her many years of service as a hospital chaplain. Throughout her life, Naomi has courageously opened to both human anguish and beauty. But an even more significant way to acknowledge Naomi’s skill is to experience her vulnerable and compassionate presence for yourself. What a gift." - T. B.

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"Naomi imbues a calming presence and knowing that immediately sets one at ease. Throughout our session together she insightfully guided me towards what I needed to see and gave next step practices to help center me in my body. I trust Naomi's wisdom and guidance and would definitely participate in another session with her." - L.M.

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"The conversation was like a warm hug for my soul. I didn’t know what to expect, but the spiritual accompaniment session turned out to be a spiritual check-up – an exploration of what’s working well, as well as an opportunity to gently examine areas that could use more attention. What a great addition to my self-care tool box!" - D.D.

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"Naomi is one of the rare beings who is able to accompany us into the greater depths of our own inner experience. She is greatly intuitive and swiftly attunes to what arises energetically in our interactions. She just has a way of helping us to come 'home' and what a splendid gift." - K.S.

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"Naomi has a gift of listening, unpacking and delivering insights into my personal situation. Her suggestions are conveyed with kindness and deep thoughtfulness to illuminate how I can take action for myself to better my situation. It was the thought time of an hour that allowed me space to take care of myself through a thoughtful, calm process." - C.K.

EDUCATION & CONSULTATION

EDUCATION & CONSULTATION

Podcasts​​​​​​​

Webinars & Videos

Publications

News Articles Featuring Naomi

Stories

Podcasts