Who we are

SAM is a community of spiritual care providers who will help you achieve spiritual wellness and create meaning in your life, at all stages.

We understand that our senior years bring questions and situations that ask us to look at life from the spiritual perspective. We walk with you through this new terrain.

We are practiced in the nuances of pastoral care, with experience in chaplaincy, ministry, teaching and the arts.

Why SAM?

Founder Melissa O’Brien has been making visits to senior living and elder care communities for forty years, as a chaplain, pastor, friend and family member

Melissa has an M.Ed. from the University of Vermont and an M.A. in Pastoral Care from Fordham University. She has been a hospital chaplain, a hospice chaplain and a Congregational minister. She hosts Soul Circles and SAM gatherings throughout the northeast and she is a writer and public speaker.

Too often our beloved elders are left alone to cope with challenging situations like

  • displacement from home and community

  • disconnect from family members and

  • relationships that need healing

  • illness or death of a spouse or partner

  • grief

  • loneliness and

  • end of life

SAM has been created to offer spiritual care and companionship so that no one walks these roads in isolation. In talking with a chaplain or spiritual care provider, one can achieve a deeper connection with self, with higher guidance and with community. This is the definition of spiritual wellness and we cannot life a peaceful life without it.

How It Will Work

SAM offers several different ways to access spiritual care:

  • A regular check-in with a spiritual care provider, frequency determined by you

  • Monthly in-person group SAM gatherings

  • Inspiring and peaceful music and messages available at all times

  • AI companionship. This technology is improving daily. We intend to integrate this capability so that you can have a chat friend available whenever you want one.

    SAM is meant to be available to all and so will be offered in an income-sensitive manner with tiered subscription plans.