Nico Calwhite

A Native American chaplain and ordained reverend, Nico is passionate and energetic with extensive experience serving in diverse institutions including the hospital and correctional settings. She Compassionately provides emotional and spiritual support to patients and families of various belief systems and cultural backgrounds and is experienced in trauma-informed care, grief support, and palliative care.

Nico earned her M.A in American Religious History at Florida State, M.Div at Chicago Theological Seminary, and completed a Residency in Clinical Pastoral Education at Tampa General, a Trauma one hospital. She served 3 years at Pinellas County Sheriffs Office as a Corrections Chaplain supporting incarcerated individuals as well as their families offering one-on-one spiritual counseling, group processing, addiction and recovery support, grief counseling, trauma-informed care, and assistance with faith-based housing/sober-living programs.

Nico currently serves at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital as a Palliative Pediatrics Chaplain. Her work includes journeying with children, their families, and caretakers as they negotiate through the trajectory of a life-threatening illness, symptom and pain management, moral injury, and end-of-life. Her interventions include meaning-making, honoring one’s grief, processing through play with grieving children, preserving one’s dignity, and encouraging self-reflection and inner strength.

Aside from her work in hospitals and corrections, Nico is also a volunteer chaplain with All First Responders Matter, a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging men and women in Fire, EMS, Dispatch, and Law Enforcement. She supports those struggling with PTSD, assists in coping with stress and suicide prevention, and offers professional spiritual/emotional counseling. 

Motivated by her indigenous understanding on the power of storytelling, Nico is dedicated to hearing other’s stories and being a compassionate presence for those undergoing the crushing weight of their grief, crisis, and life’s difficult moments.