How Rehabilitation Professionals Define the Concepts of Spirituality and Religion When Working with Individuals with Disabilities

ABSTRACT

Recently, some helping professionals have called for the inclusion of spirituality and religion in practice. This has created an important debate. As a result, it has become apparent that individual educators and practitioners are unclear about what is meant by these concepts as they relate to practice. This study utilized in-depth interviews to understand the essential meanings that fifteen rehabilitation professionals assigned to the concepts of spirituality and religion in their practices with individuals with disabilities. Two essential themes developed for spirituality, and three developed for religion. Implications for the future use of these concepts in practice are discussed.     

Integrating Religion and Social Work in Dual Degree Programs

Abstract

This article offers challenges, suggestions and examples for integrating insights from religion and social work in the context of masters level dual degree programs that link social work and other fields of study about religion, such as theology, pastoral counseling, and religious studies. The author first relates some personal and professional experiences regarding his own journey during the past 30 years in trying to find ways to connect religious studies, pastoral counseling, and social work. Next, the article presents suggestions for mutually beneficial ways that fields for studying religion and social work can challenge each other. Finally, several practical suggestions are given for designing integrated religion and social work dual degree programs.     

The evolution of spirituality and religion in international social work discourse: Strengths and limitations of the contemporary understanding

ABSTRACT

As the profession’s interest in spirituality and religion has grown, new understandings of these two constructs have emerged. As in other areas of academic discourse, it is important to be informed about diverse understandings. Toward this end, the present article describes the emergence of the contemporary understanding of spirituality and religion in social work discourse and, perhaps more importantly, the strengths and limitations associated with the contemporary perspective. By illuminating some of the diverse arguments in favor of and against contemporary conceptualizations, the profession is better equipped to understand and work with these concepts in a professional and ethical manner.     

Development of a Spiritual Support Scale for Use with Older Adults

SUMMARY

This study reports the development and empirical test of a measure of spiritual supports used by older adults in managing life challenge. The Spiritual Strategies Scale (SSS) consists of 18 items. Cronbach's coefficient alpha reliability for the measure was .86. The sample, gathered from interviews at four sites, consisted of 79 older adults who were predominantly Jewish European American and African American. Concurrent validity analyses suggest that this measure warrants further testing. This scale also has potential for clinical use in social work practice by counselors for older adults.     

Winnicott’s “Potential Space” and the Jewish Study Hall for social work students,faculty and practitioners

Abstract

The article addresses the potential interface and dialogue between academic and quasi-academic spaces. In particular, it examines the space of the Jewish Study Hall (Beit Midrash) as facilitative of the professional as well as personal development of social work students and practitioners in an Israeli college. We examine how Winnicott’s potential space concept contributes to understanding the Study Hall’s uniqueness as an extracurricular learning space within the School of Social Work. Twenty participants in the Beit Midrash for Judaism and Social Work took part in the study. Thematic analysis of transcribed sessions revealed three themes: (1) The Beit Midrash as a peaceful, safe and inclusive physical space; (2) The Beit Midrash as a space for playing out different realities; and (3) The Beit Midrash as contributing to social work training. Findings indicate that potential spaces that embrace the metaphysical world can help students engaged in religion and spirituality to complement and expand their academic training. We conclude by recommending that Winnicottian potential spaces that embrace the metaphysical world be integrated in social work programmes.     

When Religion Enters the Dialogue: A Guide for Practitioners

Several factors, including Freud's debunking of religion and social work's discomfort with its religious roots, have resulted in a trend of avoiding religious issues in social work education. The result is compromised care. In this paper, clinical vignettes are utilized to illustrate some of the difficulties which may occur. A series of guidelines is offered, with the aim of increasing therapists' comfort level in negotiating religious issues in practice. Areas of discussion include assessment, resistances, object relations, and countertransference. Case examples demonstrate application of guidelines.     

Spiritual Interventions in Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention

Abstract

This article reviews the recent research literature related to the use of spiritual interventions in the prevention and treatment of substance abuse. Empirical outcome studies are critically reviewed and a brief overview is given of spiritual interventions which have yet to be studied empirically. Areas for further research are delineated and philosophical and methodological issues related to the study of spiritual interventions are discussed.     

Magic happens: Revisiting the spirituality and social work debate

Abstract

The social work profession is currently undergoing a resurgence of interest regarding the issue of spirituality in social work. This article attempts to summarise and explore the debate so far and to discuss the implications of this in a practice context. Current issues including definitions of spirituality and the key concerns in the areas of both practice and education are addressed. The article concludes with an overview of a model of spiritually sensitive social work practice, and poses options for further professional reflection on the place of spirituality in social work practice.     

Strategies to Foster the Career Development of People with Disabilities

Abstract

This paper addresses career development strategy within the context of social work practice in rehabilitation and disability. The author outlines the career development needs of people with disabilities and identifies contemporary ways of thinking about career development. Four specific career development tactics are discussed involving the provision of vicarious experiences, identification and appreciation of performance accomplishments, verbal persuasion to support appropriate risk-taking, and emotional arousal that facilitates the expression of feelings and the motivation to act. These tactics are promising avenues for strengthening vocational and career self-efficacy with the aim of helping people with disabilities to augment their career maturity and increase their personal flexibility.     

Spiritual Programmes for Prisoners in India: Insights for Criminological Social Work Practice

This study is based on 198 prisoners in prisons of three Indian cities – Mumbai, Pune and Delhi, who had undergone spiritual programs conducted by the Art of Living and Brahmakumaris. The main objectives were to understand the prisoners’ perceived implication of the programs for themselves and the future use. Results showed that younger prisoners, the religious minorities, those who personally engaged with the programs by doing some self-practice and those who had at least matriculation level education, were more likely to see the spiritual programs as personally positive, i.e. as giving a sense of personal peace and also see its continuous use as a way of life for the future. They also did better on parameters of hope, well-being, coherence, happiness and peace. This has implications for criminological social work practice, where a case is made for spiritual interventions, geared towards increasing the chances of prisoners to turn their lives around.     

Constructing a Place for Religion and Spirituality in Psychodynamic Practice

A focus on spirituality has become in vogue for the media as well as for professional conferences, journals, and schools of social work. Likewise, our clients are struggling with how to integrate religion and/or spirituality with their therapy. The premise of this paper is that we have a role in assisting our clients with this integration and to consider some of the current postmodern approaches. However, in attempting such an integration it is important to retain certain parameters and guidelines that have been helpful to our clinical work. This paper will examine how to make room for religion and spirituality in psychodynamic psychotherapy and the ways in which constructivism can be helpful in this process. The influences of psychodynamic theories and postmodernism shape the discussion in the following areas: definition of terms, self-awareness, deconstruction of clients' narrative, assessment of strengths and vulnerabilities, and reconstruction of a useful narrative.     

Religion,spirituality & chronic illness: A scoping review and implications for health care practitioners

ABSTRACT

While the influence of institutional religion has decreased over the last 40–50 years, research suggests that a substantial proportion of those not attending religious services continue to engage in religious and spiritual practices on their own and refer to religion as a very important aspect in their lives, and as linked to more positive health outcomes, particularly for those living with chronic conditions. This article provides a scoping review to not only highlight the research that views religion and spirituality as valuable tools for coping with chronic illness conditions, but also to highlight research that explores those who may experience some religious/spiritual doubts or a gradual loss of religiosity or spirituality with the diagnosis of chronic conditions. Regardless of a clinician’s beliefs, the authors argue that some awareness training of the value of religion and spirituality for some patients, can be beneficial. In a society facing an increasing plurality of faiths, this is deemed to be an invaluable discussion. In the end, clinical implications will be discussed.     

Strategies for enhancing online teaching in social work education

ABSTRACT

In response to the growing importance of online education in social work education, this article describes the context of online teaching and learning in social work education. Online teaching and learning are further discussed in the context of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). We emphasize the importance and need for trained faculty to teach in an online environment, particularly in HBCUs; offer an example of how the University of the District of Columbia, an HBCU, prepares its faculty to teach online; and conclude with specific strategies for online teaching and social work faculty. Finally, we provide recommendations for social work education.     

Towards Employment: What Research Says About Support-to-Work in Relation to Psychiatric and Intellectual Disabilities

This article presents an overview of research about support-to-work in relation to psychiatric and intellectual disabilities. The overview shows that support-to-work services are multifaceted, and that work can be seen as a tool for individual rehabilitation or as a set of goals to achieve. Providers are presented with specific components, which are characterized by systematic, targeted, and individualized interventions. The overview illustrates a need for long-term engagement and cooperation of and between welfare services and agents within the labor market to dissolve the Gordian knot that the transition from welfare interventions to employment seems to be.     

Religion, social mobility and education in Scotland

The relationship among religion, education and social mobility in Scotland is analysed statistically using the Scottish Household Survey of 2001 . The large sample size allows much greater statistical power for this purpose than any previous source, and thus allows a more reliable assessment of claims that the stratifying effect of religion in Scotland may have declined. The questions investigated are as follows. What are the religious differences in the distributions of class origins and class destinations, in the movement between these (absolute mobility), and in the association of these (relative mobility, or social fluidity)? Do changes in social fluidity across cohorts vary among people with different religious affiliation? Are there religious differences in the association of origins and education, in the association of education and destinations, or in the role of education in social fluidity, and do any of these vary over cohorts? The conclusions are that, in younger cohorts, there is no religious difference in social status, and that in older cohorts Catholics are generally of lower status than Protestants and the non‐religious. Social fluidity does not, however, vary among religious groups, even for older cohorts, and does not change over time. The reason for convergence in social status of religious groups over time is probably the equalizing of educational attainment among the groups: there is no evidence for any of the cohorts that the labour‐market rewards to education differ by religion.     

State,profession, and religion: Reflecting on spirituality and indigenous social work in China in the Yushu Earthquake Relief

ABSTRACT

On April 14, 2010, a massive earthquake measuring 7.1M_s struck the Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, China. Its scale notwithstanding, it has received much less national and international attention than the also immense Wenchun quake of 2008 in Sichun Province. This field report discusses the contribution of religion and spirituality in postdisaster relief in Yushu. It also calls for critical reflection on the issue of homogenization in the discussion of indigenous social work in China, and perhaps in other multiethnic countries in the world.     

Seven Rules to Live by: Accommodations in Social Work Education and the Field

Students with disabilities are a growing population in higher education (National Center for Education Statistics, 2009 National Center for Education Statistics . ( 2009 ). Number and percentage distribution of students enrolled in post-secondary institutions, by level, disability status, and selected student characteristics: 2003–04 and 2007–08 . Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d09/tables/dt09_231.asp  [Google Scholar]). Providing accommodations for students with disabilities can raise ethical and social justice questions and pose challenges for social work faculty, administrators, and field instructors. Social work educators must balance the legal mandates for nondiscrimination and reasonable accommodation against ethical obligations around protection of clients and preparation for practice. This article presents case examples in the context of legal analysis to help social work educators make difficult decisions about student academic performance.     

Social Workers' Personal Spiritual Characteristics and Their Conceptualizations of Spirituality and Religion

Abstract

Do social workers' personal spiritual characteristics affect their conceptualizations of spirituality and religion? In light of growing professional interest in spirituality and religion, we attempt to answer this question using a mixed methods approach in conjunction with a nationally representative sample of NASW-affiliated graduate students (N = 303). The results suggest that respondents' faith tradition, orthodoxy, and degree of spiritual motivation have a relatively minor effect upon how they defined (1) spirituality, (2) religion, and (3) their understanding of the relationship between spirituality and religion. We conclude by discussing the implications of the findings and suggesting avenues for further research.     

Impact of Social Work Spirituality Courses on Student Attitudes,Values, and Spiritual Wellness

Abstract

This paper describes the development and evaluation of two courses in spirituality offered at the graduate and undergraduate levels. The courses have been offered for the last three years and an evaluative instrument, the Spiritual Wellness Inventory (SWI), was utilized as a pre- and post-test for each class. Results showed a significant increase in five dimensions of spiritual wellness and will be described in detail.