Spiritually-informed social work interventions – what is happening in practice today?

What is actually happening in the social work profession to infuse spirituality into clinical practice? This question is often asked by our students at The Catholic University of America, as well as those at other schools of social work. We believe that integrating an understanding of religion and spirituality into our work, and harnessing the parts that help with resilience and strengths-building (for those clients who want to), can support behavioral and psychological work. However, there is a lack of focus on evidence-based, spiritually-focused interventions in social work education and scholarly literature (Moffatt et al., 2021). The first research article in this issue, “The Use of Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapies in Mental Health Treatment Centers,” helps to answer this question. Dr. Shannon Johnson, along with doctoral student Lindsay Heaton, and doctoral candidate Patricia Galan-Cisneros from The National Catholic School of Social Service at the Catholic University of America share the results of research they conducted with eight therapists and 128 clients as part of a large data study. Please be sure to turn your attention to this valuable manuscript, as it has a lot to offer for social work education and clinical practice.

This issue continues with variations on the theme of religion and spirituality and social work interventions with the valuable contribution from Abdullah Bin Ahmed Alasmari and colleagues with research on the “Prevalence of intimate partner violence among Saudi Arabian international students and their spouses.” This manuscript has a great deal to offer in addressing culture and appropriate interventions. Robert Chigangaidze and Dr. Patience Chinyenze pair Ubuntu philosophy and Transactional Analysis in “What it means to say, ‘a person is a person through other persons’: Ubuntu through Humanistic-Existential Lenses of Transactional Analysis” to explore relational social work practice that is infused with spirituality and transgenerational connections. This important reminder of human connectedness is more important than ever in an increasingly divided world.

In order for social workers to practice with an understanding of religion and spirituality, we must ensure schools of social work are teaching practice skills and interventions informed thusly. Makinde Omone Bose and colleagues present their work using genograms and biblical stories to teach the assessment of spirituality and religion in “Biblical narratives and the planned change process in social work: assessment tool integration of faith and learning.” These examples can be integrating into teaching and classroom exercises to support efforts to give our students and practitioners more tools. Our final research article from Brittany Turner and colleagues, “Perspectives of survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing with and without PTSD 17 months postdisaster: A qualitative study,” brings a focus on both positive and negative changes regarding religiosity and spirituality following a traumatic event. Understanding the impact of trauma on mental health and spiritual well-being is crucial to the consideration of the whole person, including the religious and spiritual dimensions, in social work practice.

In our quest to continue learning on these topics, this issue presents three book reviews for your consideration. Dr. David Hodge reviews A Christian Approach to Corporate Religious Liberty (David & McMillan, 2020). Patricia Turner shares her thoughts on Spirituality in Clinical Practice: Theory and Practice of Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy, 2nd Ed (Sperry, 2012), and Aynsley Scheffert provides a thoughtful assessment of Holly Oxhandler’s (2022) The Soul of the Helper: Seven Stages to Seeing the Sacred Within Yourself So You Can See It in Others. Many thanks to our Book Editor, Dr. Barbara Early, for her work with our book reviewers!

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.