Religion and spirituality in social work practice and education in a cross-cultural context: findings from a Norwegian and UK study

As service populations have changed, social workers in Norway and the UK have responded to the needs of diverse cultures, which often include issues of religion and spirituality. Members of the Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers (FO) and the British Association of Social Workers (BASW) were sampled to explore attitudes regarding the placement of religion and spirituality in practice and education. UK workers were generally more accepting of religion and spirituality than their Norwegian colleagues. Factors such as secularism, differences in the educational systems, and different historical trajectories in the profession's development may contribute to differences between the UK and Norway. The authors recommend additional research in each country regarding the role of religion and spirituality in social work education and practice, the general culture, the bureaucratic delivery of social services, client and social worker interactions, and in the stratification of social class.     

SPIRITUALITY,RELIGION, AND THE INTERRELATIONSHIP: A NATIONALLY REPRESENTATIVE STUDY

How do people define spirituality and religion and what, if any, relationship do they see between the 2 constructs? In this study, we answer these questions using a qualitative methodology with a nationally representative sample of graduate-level social work students affiliated with the National Association of Social Workers (N=303). A relatively diverse array of definitions for both spirituality and religion emerged. Most respondents believed some form of relationship existed between spirituality and religion. A significant minority, however, reported that no or a minimal relationship existed between the 2 concepts. We conclude by discussing the implications of these findings.     

Personal Religiosity and Spirituality Associated with Social Work Practitioners' Use of Religious-Based Intervention Practices

Abstract

Social workers (N = 221) in the Southeastern USA responded to survey questions measuring 3 outcome variables, attitude toward religion in social work, the appropriateness of 15 religious-based interventions, utilization of these practices, and 3 dimensions of spirituality: spiritual experiences (spirituality), religious practices (organized religiosity), and religious affiliation. Attitude was generally favorable, and more than half of the interventions were judged appropriate and utilized by over 50% of the respondents. Beyond identifying with no religion, which predicted lower outcome scores, high spirituality strongly predicted attitude and utilization, whereas extrinsic organized religiosity was unimportant. A process model utilizing path analysis suggested that personal spirituality increases utilization resulting in corresponding perceptions of appropriateness and attitude toward religion in practice. More research was recommended on (1) utilization prevalence in other and diverse samples, and (2) the efficacy of religious-based practice.     

Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Practice with Children and Adolescents: A Survey of Canadian Practitioners

Empirical evidence about the relevance of religion/spirituality for children and adolescents contrasts with the limited number of studies inquiring about the role of religion/spirituality when working with this population. In response to this lack of knowledge, this study explored the professional attitudes, experiences, and practice behaviors of social workers and social service workers working with youth and determined the predictive factors for using spiritually-derived interventions. A cross-sectional survey design, with proportionate stratified sampling, was used to gather data from 307 Canadian social workers and social service workers working with youth in Ontario (response rate was 40%, with 5.06% margin of error). Respondents reported favorable views toward the role of religion/spirituality in social work practice, in general. They also reported positive attitudes about the relevancy of religion/spirituality for this population and somewhat frequent encounters with religious/spiritual abuse and neglect. They used a wide variety of spiritually-derived interventions; however, over two-thirds (69%) reported their formal education “never” or “rarely” included content on the topic. Barriers to using spiritually-derived interventions included: lack of knowledge/experience, concern about presenting one's own bias, disapproval from caregivers, and lack of agency/supervisor support. Multiple regression analysis revealed two assessment variables, two attitudinal variables, one education/training variable, and one personal religious/spiritual variable predictive of the use of spiritually-derived interventions, accounting for 55% of the variance. Findings suggest a need for emphasizing spiritually-sensitive practice guidelines and for social work education and continuing education to include content about religious/spiritual diversity as well as content about spiritual development that includes spirituality in childhood.     

Practitioners’ Personal and Professional Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Religion and Spirituality

This article presents findings from a study that examined the attitudes and behaviors toward religion and spirituality held by 328 randomly selected Virginia licensed clinical social workers, psychologists, and professional counselors. Significant differences were found among the three groups, with social workers generally holding a middle position in comparison with psychologists and professional counselors. As a whole, respondents were found to value the religious or spiritual dimension in their own lives, to respect the function it serves for people in general, and to address, to some extent, religious and spiritual issues in practice. Limited professional training in this area was reported, however, with 79% (n = 259) of the respondents stating that religious or spiritual issues were rarely or never addressed during the course of their graduate education and training. Implications for social work education and practice are discussed.     

Social workers' views of parents of emotionally disturbed children: Replicating a US study

Abstract

This article reports the results of a survey of Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) members in relation to their views of parents of emotionally disturbed children. The survey involved a random sample of AASW members. It replicates a US study of members of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) conducted by Johnson, Renaud, Schmidt and Stanek (1998). The study was conducted in order to see if there was any similarity in the views of United States (US) and Australian social workers in regard to their view of these parents. The data from the Australian sample using the US Providers' Beliefs About Parents (PBAP) instrument did not support the conclusions of the study in the US. This result emphasises the importance of replication studies when transferring measurement instruments from one country to another.     

Spirituality,Religion, and Social Work

Abstract

Social work scholars and practitioners have approached the question of how to integrate religion and/or spirituality into their profession in one of four typical ways: (1) resistance or avoidance; (2) an overly-generalized syncretism; (3) radical separation of the terms spirituality and religion; or (4) a genuinely interdisciplinary conversation between the disciplines of social work and religious studies. This latter approach not only identifies social work's conflictual founding legacy, but also recognizes broader contemporary intellectual traditions which do not easily separate “religion” from “spirituality.” Such awareness and common grounding allow social work to more substantively and creatively partake in cross-disciplinary research and discussion.     

Integrating Spirituality,Faith, and Social Justice in Social Work Practice and Education: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Significant progress has been made toward incorporating spiritual and religious diversity into professional discourse. The extent to which the profession is complying with its ethical standards that address religion, however, remains largely unexamined. Consequently, this study explores the relationship between conceptualizations of (1) spirituality, (2) religion, and (3) the nature of the relationship between spirituality and religion, and perceptions of the profession's level of ethical compliance. The results of this exploratory study indicate that perceptions of ethical compliance are generally unrelated to how respondents conceptualized either spirituality or the nature of the relationship between spirituality and religion. A more nuanced picture emerged with religion, with respondents who defined religion in personally constructed terms, without reference to the transcendent, reporting higher levels of ethical compliance, while those who defined religion in terms of community, reported lower levels of ethical compliance.     

The Social Policy Context of the Norma Parker Addresses

Abstract

Little is currently known about the social policy history and activism of the Australian Association of Social Workers. This paper addresses that gap in knowledge by examining the social policy context and Australian Association of Social Workers policy activism identified in 20 Norma Parker Addresses from 1969 to 2012. A number of key themes are identified including a concern that social workers take a structural or social justice approach to policy debates, a belief that social workers should be more prominent in policy activism, challenges or barriers to social work activism, and a growing engagement with Indigenous issues. Further research on the detail and history of Australian Association of Social Workers policy activism beyond this exploratory study is recommended.     

Predicting the Use of Spiritually-Derived Interventions in Social Work Practice

Abstract

Although research has grown considerably on spirituality and social work practice in recent years, there has been little investigation of what practitioners actually do with their clients and what influences their practice behaviors. Current findings from a random sample of 204 licensed clinical social workers indicate considerable focus on religion and spirituality in both assessment and intervention, with over two-thirds of the sample reporting that they had utilized 14 different spiritually-derived techniques with clients. In addition, analyses reveal four factors most predictive of the use of such techniques including: practitioner attitudes, the percentage of clients presenting religious/spiritual issues, the percentage of clients for whom religion plays a detrimental role, and the level of practitioner participation in religious or spiritual services.     

A STUDY OF BACCALAUREATE SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS' BELIEFS ABOUT THE INCLUSION OF RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL CONTENT IN SOCIAL WORK

This exploratory quantitative study employs a 4-page Religion/Spirituality and Social Work Questionnaire that focuses on the beliefs and perceptions of 324 undergraduate social work students in 7 Council on Social Work Education–accredited schools of social work in the state of Texas about the role of religion and spirituality in social work practice and education. The vast majority of students in this sample (80.6%) are practicing Christians who have strong personal religious/spiritual beliefs and are relatively open to incorporating at least some religious/spiritual content into their practice with clients. More than 82% indicate that they want their social work courses to include content on religious/spiritual diversity, and 87.6% indicate interest in content on how to effectively deal with religious/spiritual issues in practice.     

Religious Discrimination in Social Work

Abstract

Using quantitative and qualitative methods, this study explored perceptions of compliance with the ethical standards related to religion (N = 222). As posited, perceptions of ethical compliance were lower among social workers who affirmed a conservative or orthodox theological orientation compared to those who affirmed a liberal or progressive theology. Standards of particular concern were those related to (a) social work education about religious diversity and the oppression religious people encounter and (b) efforts to prevent and eliminate religious discrimination. In concert with these findings, qualitative analysis indicated two areas of major concern: institutional settings, such as academia, and colleagues. Respondents reported being demeaned, denigrated, ridiculed, and scorned by social work colleagues due to their religious beliefs, particularly in educational settings. Interestingly, 44% of both orthodox and progressive respondents knew of clients who had experienced discrimination due to their religious beliefs at the hands of social work colleagues.     

Are Codes of Ethics Promoting Religious Literacy for Social Work Practice?

ABSTRACT

As codes of ethics play at least a symbolic, if not educational, role in highlighting and informing professional priorities, 16 codes of ethics for social work practice were examined for references to religion and belief and analysed against the four domains of Dinham’s religious literacy framework. Although religion and belief are mentioned in all but two of the documents, approximately half the surveyed codes only mention religion and belief in respect of either knowledge or skills. Some recognise the need for social workers to be aware of their own biases, but few recognise the need to explain what is meant by religion and belief, despite these terms being in flux. While codes of ethics can contribute to the development of religious literacy among social workers, this requires social workers who already have some religious literacy to actively participate when codes of ethics are being revised.

IMPLICATIONS

• It is an ethical imperative that social workers are able to engage with religion and belief.

• Social workers require religious literacy, including skills and knowledge of different religions, recognition of the fluidity of the concepts, “religion” and “belief”, and understanding one’s own attitudes towards religion.

• Codes of ethics can contribute to the development of religious literacy among social workers, but this potential is often not realised as fully as it might be.

     

Teaching About Organized Religion in Social Work

Abstract

Schools of social work commonly teach that the origin of the profession lies in the humanistic principles of the many world faith traditions. However, beginning as early as the days of the Charity Organization Societies (COS) in the late nineteenth century and the Social Security Act of 1935, social work education, research, and practice have increasingly disassociated themselves from religion and its contribution to the profession. Furthermore, a large number of social workers, regardless of their personal religious affiliations, were trained to think that their religion has no relevance for their everyday professional practice. Meanwhile, society, especially in the last two decades, is marching toward greater integration between social services and organized religion. The rift between religion and professional social work practice, extenuated in the past fifty years, is being challenged by devolutionary trends of government funding and social service delivery that encourage faith-based social service provision. These trends also challenge the dogmatic exclusion of religious contents in social work education. In this article, we review the place of organized religion in social work education and present our innovative course to re-link organized religion with social work curriculum.     

Lavender Faith

Abstract

Lavender Islands is the first strengths-based study of lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) persons in New Zealand. In total, 2,269 LGB participants responded questions in many domains, including spirituality and religion. This study found that women are more likely to believe in a spiritual force than men, and respondents 40 years of age and older are more likely than younger to believe in a spiritual force. Respondents did not believe that partners needed to share beliefs. Christians reported that their religious tradition was more a difficulty than a support than those with no religion. LGBs appear to be disaffiliating with Christianity at 2.37 times the rate of the general New Zealand population since 1966. LGBs reporting no religion experienced more support from their families for themselves and their partners than those who were raised Christian. Religious traditions had no effect on the ages that respondents first felt different from their childhood peers, or when they actually came out. Respondents reporting no religion were significantly happier with their sexual identity than Christian respondents. Social workers should be aware of and address these conflicts and challenges with LGBs they encounter in their practice settings. doi:10.1300/J377v26n03_04     

Ethics of the Spirit: Comparing Ethical Views and Usages of Spiritually Influenced Interventions

Abstract

Social work practice takes many different forms, depending on purpose and context. An increased diversity in fields and methods of practice has driven the need to explore the intersection between acceptable standards of practice and issues pertaining to religion and spirituality. This discussion utilises the opportunity to co-report on the findings of a selection of similar questions gathered from two independent online survey studies, conducted one year apart, with members of the Australian Association of Social Workers. One study explored attitudes and behaviours about ethical conduct, and the other investigated the role of religion and spirituality in social work practice. Findings from the questions in common, about the acceptability and practice of spiritually-influenced forms of intervention, are presented. These indicate a degree of acceptance, conditional acceptance, and usage for some interventions, and clear non-acceptance and non-usage of others. Implications for ethical thinking in practice, education, and research are explored.     

The Problem of Pseudoscience in Social Work Continuing Education

The National Association of Social Workers requires social workers to obtain continuing education (CE) after they receive their social work degrees. A large and profitable industry that has emerged catering to this need for CE that is particularly focused on the needs of licensed social workers. Quality control mechanisms in place to monitor the content and delivery of CE approved by the field of social work is relatively lax, and as a result a considerable number of social work CE programs convey content that can be labeled as pseudoscientific. We provide illustrations of currently approved social work CE courses that provide training in a variety of bizarre and unsupported assessment methods and treatments that are pseudoscientific.     

Self-Care Practice in Social Work Education: A Systematic Review of Interventions

Social work is a demanding profession as practitioners routinely face difficult situations that affect their well-being. The National Association of Social Workers strongly supports self-care practice as an approved mechanism to offset these challenges, yet practitioners report not learning techniques necessary to perform self-care. In this study, a systematic review compliant with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses standards was conducted to identify evidence-based interventions used to improve student self-care practice in social work education. In the four studies meeting inclusion criteria, mindfulness practice was the only empirically evaluated self-care strategy reported—and with mixed results. Mindfulness activities enable social workers to sustain their well-being and is critical to modeling and providing effective service delivery to clients. Areas for further research are indicated.