Chaplain Laura Pratt
About My Work
About My Work
I am an interfaith chaplain and spiritual director with a Master of Divinity (specializing in Interfaith Chaplaincy) from Claremont School of Theology.
Chaplain Laura Pratt
About My Work
About My Work
I am an interfaith chaplain and spiritual director with a Master of Divinity (specializing in Interfaith Chaplaincy) from Claremont School of Theology.
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I didn’t know that chaplaincy was something I’d do. I thought I’d retire from my IT career and do whatever it is retired people do. I also knew that wouldn’t be enough for me. I have always enjoyed teaching, even developing my own spiritually-based classes for women that I held in my home for years. I loved facilitating these sessions and seeing how women ached to find their power within themselves. Helping women tap into their spiritual core and edify each other along the way is a mission that continues to speak to me. I continue gathering new tools and methods to enhance the workbooks and classes I started developing years ago.
My clinical training started in hospital chaplaincy at Los Angeles General Hospital. During the Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) internship, I sat with people in their most vulnerable moments. There is no greater privilege than to bear witness to a person’s grief and uncertainty. In those times, religious beliefs and traditions melt away, leaving only a person’s humanity. There is no such thing as social status, wealth, or ethnicity.
I learned how to offer grounded presence. Solutions are not needed or wanted; only presence and companionship. What I learned in chaplaincy is the foundation of spiritual direction and companionship. Spiritual direction allows that care to continue in a slower, more reflective way over time. Together, these practices shape how I listen and accompany others.
APPROACH
I welcome people from all backgrounds, including those who are spiritually curious, between traditions, or unsure how to name their beliefs. You do not need to be religious or have a defined spiritual practice to engage in this work.
My approach is:
Non-directive — I do not offer advice or solutions
Interfaith — honoring diverse spiritual languages and experiences with a pluralistic direction.”
I BELIEVE IN…
I believe in equitable and just treatment and inclusion in the diversity found in today’s world. My work focuses on decreasing the margins and supporting social justice.
COMPASSION
As a spiritual care leader, I strive to be moved by and act with compassion to alleviate suffering in the world.
BELONGING
Our biological hardwiring thrives when we are able to be deeply connected with others.
Bio & Background
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<img src=”https://laurajpratt.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/DSC_0141-edit-scaled.jpg#242″ alt=”Laura Pratt Chaplain”/>
Who I Am
About Me
<p data-start=”482″ data-end=”1075″>I’m an interfaith chaplain and spiritual director rooted in the conviction that spiritual care begins with presence—steady, compassionate, and free of judgment. I’m the youngest of six children, “the caboose” at the end of a long family train. From my parents, I learned the values that still shape my work: hard work, independence, and creating a place of welcome for people who need it. As an adult, I’ve also built a “family of choice,” composed of deep friendships marked by practical care, shared meals, mutual loyalty, and the kind of commitment that carries people through illness, grief, and change.</p>
<p data-start=”1077″ data-end=”1519″>My faith has been enlarged by a lifelong pluralistic instinct: I believe we are all children of God and held in divine lov, across traditions, backgrounds, and beliefs. A formative season of my life was serving in Chile, where immersion in another language and culture deepened my reverence for people’s stories and awakened my love of teaching and scripture.</p>
<p data-start=”1521″ data-end=”1935″>When I returned from Chile, I finished my undergraduate degree in Spanish Literature. My goal was to teach high school Spanish, but I wound up working for a software company instead. I have worked in Information Technology for 35 years. For some time I’ve considered what my “retirement” years will look like and where they’ll be. One day, Heaven whispered “chaplain” to me, and that started me on a new chapter in my life. </p>
<p data-start=”1521″ data-end=”1935″>I have now graduated with a Master of Divinity in Interfaith Chaplaincy from Claremont School of Theology. I have been ordained and endorsed as a chaplain by my faith tradition. My clinical formation includes hospital-based CPE, and my professional life also includes decades of work in complex, high-responsibility environments—experience that strengthens my capacity for calm presence, clear communication, and thoughtful care.</p>
<p data-start=”1937″ data-end=”2371″>In spiritual direction and chaplaincy, I accompany people through transitions, grief, spiritual questioning, vocational discernment, and seasons when life asks more questions than it answers. I welcome people who are devoted, doubtful, between traditions, or unsure how to name what they believe. My aim is not to fix you or steer you, but to offer a grounded space where what matters most can be spoken slowly—and listened to deeply.</p>
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Certifications
Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Los Angeles General Hospital through St. Camillus Interfaith Chaplaincy Center
Master of Divinity, Claremont School of Theology
Certified in meditation guidance
Certified in grief counseling
Endorsed/ordainsed as chaplain November 2024
I can help you unlock your full potential and achieve your goals.
As a life coach, my goal is to help you identify your strengths, clarify your goals, and develop a plan to achieve them with guidance and support.
