Integrating religion/spirituality into professional social work practice

ABSTRACT

Due to its significant influence on the human experience, acknowledgment of religion/spirituality has been recognized by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) as a core component of diversity competence. Whether a client associates with a certain faith dogma or they identify with a more atheistic or agnostic lifestyle, exploration into the role of religion/spirituality in a client’s life can provide key insights into behavioral motivators, root causes of problems, and important sources of strength and resilience. In spite of this, research reveals that a majority of practicing social workers report little-to-no educational or professional preparation around religion/spirituality, leaving them unprepared and therefore unlikely to incorporate these factors into the therapeutic process. This article aims to outline the important impacts of religion/spirituality on micro, mezzo, and macro levels, explore the social worker’s professional mandates around inclusion of these elements into clinical work, and then offer recommendations for how to effectively and ethically integrate religion/spirituality into professional practice. The four main principles of knowledge, awareness, education, and use of decision-making models can be applied to a wide range of ethical practice dilemmas and should be incorporated into any professional social work repertoire.

KEYWORDS:

• Spirituality
• religion
• social work practice
• ethics
• mental health/health

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. HOPE questions refer to the spiritual assessment tool whose mnemonic covers the following areas: H- sources of hope; O- the role of organized religion in a person’s life; P- “personal spirituality and practices;” E- how beliefs effect medical care/end-of-life decisions (Anandarajah & Hight, 2001).