For our next class, on 3/31, we will focus our discussion on spirituality in Social Work practice. It is a great chance to visit this topic whether this is an area of much meaning to your or a topic in your life that has not received much attention. Share briefly on something from the article that struck you and how/whether spirituality may or may not be part of your practice.
Hodge, D. & McGrew, C. (2006) Spirituality, Religion,
and the Interrelationship: A Nationally Representative Study. Journal of Social Work Education. 42 (3)
637-654
Barker,S. & Floersch, J. (2010) Practitioner’s
understanding of spirituality: Implications for social work education. Journal of Social Work Education, 46, (3)
357-370
In their article, Barker & Floersch (2010) explain that “ethical use of spirituality in social work requires that practitioners have the ability to understand what spirituality means personally, to understand the potential impacts of beliefs on the practice context, and to separate their own values and beliefs about spirituality from those of their clients”. Until reading these articles, I had not given much thought to how my own understanding of spirituality might affect practice with my clients. The articles allowed me to reflect upon where spirituality fits into my life and how it affects my decision making. My own views on the meaning of life definitely affect my attitude in many situations and this certainly translates to how I interact with clients. For instance, because I am not religious, I tend to stray away from speaking with clients about religion however I am willing to explore aspects of fate. I think it is important for me to explore those decisions as it may be affecting my work with clients. Religion may be an important part of a client’s life and in my avoidance of the subject I may be thinking of my own needs instead of the client’s.
ReplyDeleteThere are many definitions of spirituality given in the readings. I feel like many of the definitions can be counterproductive in many ways. Some definitions include the relationship with higher powers and I feel like this automatically excludes people who don’t believe in such a concept. While trying to discuss spirituality with other individuals I try and describe my experiences as vague as possible as to not send anybody running. The definition I enjoyed most was, "the motivational and emotional foundation for the quest for meaning." I feel like this one can encompass everyone no matter their beliefs, opinions, or political standings. This definition almost anybody could relate to.
ReplyDeleteBarker (2010) states that, “it is interesting to note that very little research on the topic of spirituality and social work explores how clients, in their own words, define and use spirituality and how they might frame the role of spirituality in social work.” This reading teaches me that defining what spirituality means to me plays an essential role while working with others regarding this topic. Throughout the years I have grown exponentially in the field of spirituality and would be glad to discuss this with any of my clients, but do they even know what spirituality is and does their understanding of spirituality look anything like mine?
The topics of religion and spirituality are important to consider in the field of social work. In the Hodge study, it's significant that almost 1,600 studies conducted found that spirituality and religion are important client strengths (Johnson, 2002; Koenig et al., 2001). The issue is that social workers don't yet have adequate guidelines on talking with clients about this issue. I'm glad to see that interest is growing and that there's an increase in incorporating it into the medical fields and other programs.
ReplyDeleteThe method of gathering the data in this study I think could have been much better; people were contacted via phone. It's a personal subject and I think they would have had more significant results if they figured out a way to interview people in person.
These articles are a beginning in looking at how to incorporate spirituality/religion into social work. As noted, a clear definition would be important so that clients and social workers have a clear understanding before starting the conversation. Either way, I believe this can be an important tool for social workers, especially for self care.
Hodge and McGrew (2006) study the definitions of spirituality and religion among gradate level social work students and their findings were quite diverse. Many different themes emerged in their findings which seems to show that we all have a very personal and varied connection to religion and spirituality. I find the two concepts to be important to the profession of social work but also difficult to navigate with clients due to the diversity of beliefs. I think that it is important to be aware of the significance that spirituality and religion have within our clients life, but I also think we need to be aware of our own views of religion and spirituality in our own lives. Also, I believe that it is important to have the understanding that our views may be very different from our clients which is something that I think is important for social workers to reflect on. In my internship I share office space with Clinical Pastoral Ed interns and I have learned how similar social work is to clinical pastoral care. We often work together with clients, referring one another to the residents based on what their needs are. I have been able to see how the roots of social work, some of which began within churches, is easily connected to the profession. I think for social workers to work together with different churches in supporting our communities could be a very powerful partnership and beneficial to many clients.
ReplyDeleteReligion and spirituality has always been something I have found fascinating, but not something I had a personal connection to and often times have feel downright uncomfortable working with clients who have a strong connection to a religion or strong spiritual beliefs. I had a kind of "Ah ha!" moment reading Barker and Floersch (2010) when they spoke about how considering spirituality, as defined by the individual, is important because it is one facet of an individual and as social workers we need to consider the holistic individual. This semester working with a group of teenagers from various cultures, many with strong spiritual beliefs, has challenged me to be more open to addressing spirituality in my work and I think after reading this article I will continue to challenge myself to be more open and comfortable in utilizing spirituality as a strength (or potentially a challenge) for my future clients.
ReplyDeleteBarker and Floersch seem to suggest that it's important that the clinician have enough experience with spirituality themselves, that they can understand where the client is coming from and not alienate them or push their own beliefs on them.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I personally feel about this. I have had several bad personal encounters with religion and spirituality, but I also had a bad encounter with a therapist who tried to push her beliefs onto me.
I think when it comes to therapy, it's important to remember the age old cliche "live and let live." I don't think that we need to agree with or even be able to fully comprehend what our clients rely on spiritually, in order to help them. I think it's important to use spirituality as a tool when working with them in the same way that we'd use their family and friend supports. We may not particularly like a client's mother, but we could respect that they are a strong support in the client's life and would not try to alienate the client from her. Religion is similar in my opinion. We don't have to like what they believe, we just have to respect what works for them because therapy is all about helping them figure out what works for them.
I think it is important tot be open minded about all spirituality when dealing with our clients. Being raised Catholic and having a religious family I tend to keep that part of myself to myself. As a “lapsed Catholic” I do have a strong sense of my own spirituality different from the traditional insight of a true Catholic. This quote by Barker (2010) really expresses how I view spirituality within our social work practice as, “the relationships between and among self, others, a higher power, and the universe and the quest for meaning and purpose”. I think it is important to understand other people’s view on religion or their own spirituality and be open to their fears about yours as well. When working with current clients I always ask if they have any spiritual resources that they draw on , many of them do not identify with a specific religion but do identify as having a strong spiritual bond to something that they believe in. As with any other resource I may use with a client , if they are religious or spiritual I like to suggest that they add to their tool box of things that can help them better their life or situation.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important tot be open minded about all spirituality when dealing with our clients. Being raised Catholic and having a religious family I tend to keep that part of myself to myself. As a “lapsed Catholic” I do have a strong sense of my own spirituality different from the traditional insight of a true Catholic. This quote by Barker (2010) really expresses how I view spirituality within our social work practice as, “the relationships between and among self, others, a higher power, and the universe and the quest for meaning and purpose”. I think it is important to understand other people’s view on religion or their own spirituality and be open to their fears about yours as well. When working with current clients I always ask if they have any spiritual resources that they draw on , many of them do not identify with a specific religion but do identify as having a strong spiritual bond to something that they believe in. As with any other resource I may use with a client , if they are religious or spiritual I like to suggest that they add to their tool box of things that can help them better their life or situation.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important tot be open minded about all spirituality when dealing with our clients. Being raised Catholic and having a religious family I tend to keep that part of myself to myself. As a “lapsed Catholic” I do have a strong sense of my own spirituality different from the traditional insight of a true Catholic. This quote by Barker (2010) really expresses how I view spirituality within our social work practice as, “the relationships between and among self, others, a higher power, and the universe and the quest for meaning and purpose”. I think it is important to understand other people’s view on religion or their own spirituality and be open to their fears about yours as well. When working with current clients I always ask if they have any spiritual resources that they draw on , many of them do not identify with a specific religion but do identify as having a strong spiritual bond to something that they believe in. As with any other resource I may use with a client , if they are religious or spiritual I like to suggest that they add to their tool box of things that can help them better their life or situation.
ReplyDeleteI think it is important tot be open minded about all spirituality when dealing with our clients. Being raised Catholic and having a religious family I tend to keep that part of myself to myself. As a “lapsed Catholic” I do have a strong sense of my own spirituality different from the traditional insight of a true Catholic. This quote by Barker (2010) really expresses how I view spirituality within our social work practice as, “the relationships between and among self, others, a higher power, and the universe and the quest for meaning and purpose”. I think it is important to understand other people’s view on religion or their own spirituality and be open to their fears about yours as well. When working with current clients I always ask if they have any spiritual resources that they draw on , many of them do not identify with a specific religion but do identify as having a strong spiritual bond to something that they believe in. As with any other resource I may use with a client , if they are religious or spiritual I like to suggest that they add to their tool box of things that can help them better their life or situation.
ReplyDeleteSpirituality is something, as the articles make perfectly clear, that is not easily defined. However, as I read some of the excerpts from participants who participated in the studies, I seemed to keep noticing that many of them were distinguishing between personal and social beliefs to describe their notions of spirituality and religion. We can study religion all we want, know the ins and outs of certain religious beliefs, and identify the ethnicities that ascribe to said religion. Additionally, these religious or spiritual beliefs that are used as a form of social capital are just that, a set of standard and shared spiritual aspects that people of similar beliefs share in order to bond. Conversely, a person's true spirituality or set of spiritual beliefs that people choose to keep private rely less upon the shared beliefs of those around them and more upon a specific set of meaningful and personally validated beliefs.
ReplyDeleteAs social workers, we can study religion, which may help us have a better overall picture of who our client is, but this can also be detrimental if we go about assuming that even people of similar religions are spiritually the same. Also, I believe that recent studies have shown that more people than ever are claiming to be spiritual but not religious. Does this mean that they want to be understood by what makes them spiritually unique and not identified with a set of rigid doctrines? Either way I believe that in future practice it is best to strive for a deeper knowledge and better understanding of our clients' spirituality by learning what beliefs are most important to them.
I had not considered that if I say the word spiritual, clients may perceive it the same as if I had said the word religion. In the Hodge and McGrew (2006) article, "spirituality has been defined as the human search for purpose and meaning of life experiences." I really appreciate the broadness of this definition, as it is the definition with which I identify.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of religion in clinical work began at the start of my internship in September. I was unfamiliar with Alcoholics Anonymous and there were large banners of the twelve steps and twelve traditions posted up in the common area. G-d is referred to in the steps many times. For example, the third step is "made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." Initially, I felt very uncomfortable with the reference of 'G-d' and I discussed this concern with my supervisor. She was very clear that it is a representation of a higher power, and it did not have to be religious. A lot of the clients I have worked with share a similar opinion about religion, and I have explained that it is not religious. I have also given examples of what other people use to represent 'G-d' such as nature.
Since I am Jewish, a religious minority in the United States, I have been exposed to uncomfortable circumstances related to religious intolerance and beliefs. I lived in a small town in Eastern North Carolina for three years and it is saturated with Christianity. All of my co-workers at the time would refer to church and G-d and ask me what church I went to, and it was the first time in my life that I felt the deep presence of a religious majority that was not my own. It is important to consider these feelings and beliefs with clients as a social worker.
Another aspect of religion and spirituality that has shifted for me within the last year is the idea of prayer. The idea of praying was a bit foreign to me and I associated it with Christianity. I didn't pray, but I do a lot of thinking. I try to incorporate positive mantras and positive self-talk in my thoughts. When I was talking to my supervisor about being stressed, she told me to pray. I immediately felt uncomfortable. I told her I wasn't religious and she said that doesn't matter. Over the past few months, the meaning of prayer has shifted for me and I feel more comfortable with it. This relates to the ambiguity of religion and spirituality.
It is essential to consider the connotations associated with religion and spirituality for our clients as social workers. Discussing this may be uncomfortable, especially if I don't agree or feel a client's negative judgment of another person based around religious beliefs, but it is important to consider and reflect on their meanings and implications.
After reading the Barker and Floersch (2010) article, I also believe that spirituality is an essential topic for social work education. However, I have just begun to be aware and understand what spirituality truly means and its impact. After taking the Student Self-Assessment Tool: Exploring Spirituality, I became aware that I need more education around the phenomenon and the understanding that everyone may perceive it differently. I believe this is important to be aware of when incorporating spirituality into practice.
ReplyDeleteAt my internship, part of the Hospice House team is spiritual counselors, who are chaplains. My understand is that chaplains have no specific education on one particular religion or spirituality but instead have a general understanding of all religions or spiritualties. Spirituality tends to be an overwhelming theme during the end of life. Many people are embracing it and many people are questioning it. It is their responsibility to support and facilitate this conversation with patients at the end of their life. I have learned a great deal about various and religions and have begun to work on identifying how and what I define at my spirituality.
I am a believer that spirituality is a very individual thing. As Barker & Floersch (2010) state in their article, spirituality is a relationship between self, the universe, a higher power and the universe. We all have different interpretations of how that looks. I grew up Catholic yet I don't really consider myself Catholic. I have chosen to take the good things from my religion and combine them with more spiritual aspects. For me believing in a higher power is very important. I think spirituality is a valuable tool for social workers to implement into their practice. I think believing in something greater than ourselves can help us remain grounded. I also think it's important to meet the client where they are with their own spirituality or religion. Anything that will help a client see outside themselves and keep them grounded is a wonderful gift. I think there is a lot of pressure in our society to be careful sharing our beliefs on spirituality or religion. Hopefully we as social workers can be respectful of what our clients believe in and support whatever higher power they have chosen. The important message is finding inner peace within ourselves and using that in our everyday life. If we can do that for ourselves as well as our clients we are making a difference.
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