Zachary Wiener is a full-time Masters Student at ICSW beginning this fall. He comes to counseling with a background as a rabbi and a hospital chaplain. Throughout his career, he has provided support to patients and families facing existential and spiritual distress in various healthcare settings, including COVID ICUs, psychiatric hospitals, trauma centers, and drug and alcohol residential treatment centers. Currently, he is a chaplain at Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, which specializes in care for patients in rehabilitation after spinal cord injuries. In his application for the Thornhill Memorial Scholarship, he explained his aspiration to provide long-term depth counseling for “superusers” of hospital services—those frequently visiting emergency rooms due to severe chronic medical, behavioral health, and social needs.

Zack is a graduate of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Swarthmore College. Before beginning his rabbinic studies, Zack conducted educational field research in Mongolia, taught English in Malaysia as a Fulbright Scholar, and studied Language and Literacy Education at the University of British Columbia.