Spirituality often plays a critical role in health and wellness, yet few have explored in detail the process through which practitioners can identify and use clients' spiritual strengths to their mutual advantage. To address this gap, this practice-oriented text equips helping professionals with the tools they need to administer spiritual assessments ethically and professionally. David R. Hodge outlines a number of assessment approaches, including an implicit method for evaluating "secular" forms of spirituality. Case examples illustrate the implementation of these strategies in different clinical settings and with groups from diverse racial, geographic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Many of the people served by social workers draw upon spirituality, by whatever names they call it, to help them thrive, to succeed at challenges, and to infuse their resources and relationships with meaning beyond mere survival value. This revised and expanded edition of a classic provides a comprehensive framework of values, knowledge, skills, and evidence for spiritually sensitive practice with diverse clients. Weaving together interdisciplinary theory and research, as well as the results from a national survey of practitioners, the authors describe a spiritually oriented model for practice that places clients' challenges and goals within the context of their deepest meanings and highest aspirations. Using richly detailed case examples and thought-provoking activities, this highly accessible text illustrates the professional values and ethical principles that guide spiritually sensitive practice. It presents definitions and conceptual models of spirituality and religion; draws connections between spiritual diversity and cultural, gender, and sexual orientation diversity; and offers insights from Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Indigenous religions, Islam, Judaism, Existentialism, and Transpersonal theory. Eminently practical, it guides professionals in understanding and assessing spiritual development and related mental health issues and outlines techniques that support transformation and resilience, such as meditation, mindfulness, ritual, forgiveness, and engagement of individual and community-based spiritual support systems. For social workers and other professional helpers committed to supporting the spiritual care of individuals, families, and communities, this definitive guide offers state-of-the-art interdisciplinary and international insights as well as practical tools that students and practitioners alike can put to immediate use.

Publisher's description: A growing consensus exists among helping professionals accrediting organizations and clients regarding the importance of spiritual assessment. The development of specific spiritual assessment instruments however has lagged behind this emerging interest. Further the varied needs and interests of clients suggest the importance of a variety of assessment methods rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. This practice-oriented text describes a complementary set of assessment instruments: spiritual histories spiritual lifemaps spiri-tual ecomaps spiritual genograms and spiritual ecograms. In addition it presents a variety of empirically-based interventions that flow from each instrument along with several case examples for illustration.

This singular reference explores religion and spirituality as a vital, though often misconstrued, lens for building better understanding of and empathy with clients. A diverse palette of faiths and traditions is compared and contrasted (occasionally with secularism), focusing on areas of belief that may inspire, comfort, or trouble clients, including health and illness, mental illness, healing, coping, forgiveness, family, inclusion, and death. From assessment and intervention planning to conducting research, these chapters guide professionals in supporting and assisting clients without minimizing or overstating their beliefs. In addition, the book’s progression of ideas takes readers beyond the well-known concept of cultural competence to model a larger and more meaningful cultural safety. Among the topics included in the Handbook: Integrating religion and spirituality into social work practice. Cultural humility, cultural safety, and beyond: new understandings and implications for social work. Healing traditions, religion/spirituality, and health. Diagnosis: religious/spiritual experience or mental illness? Understandings of dying, death, and mourning. (Re)building bridges in and with family and community. Ethical issues in conducting research on religion and spirituality. The Handbook of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Practice and Research is a richly-textured resource for social workers and mental health professionals engaged in clinical practice and/or research seeking to gain varied perspectives on how the religion and spirituality of their clients/research participants may inform their work.

Spiritual Assessment and Intervention: Current Directions and Applications examines current state-of-the-art efforts in the development and implementation of spiritual interventions for older adults. Academics and practitioners working in social work, social welfare, medicine, and mental health and aging present innovative approaches to meeting major challenges in the field of gerontology, including elder abuse, dementia, care giving, palliative care, and intergenerational relationships. The book provides practical methods for dealing with the problems and pitfalls of starting and evaluating interventions of a spiritual nature in a variety of community-based and institutional settings.

This new text illuminates the essential information about health and social work critical to understanding today’s complex health care systems and policies. Chapters highlight current practice, policy, and research in different settings and with special populations. Readers learn how to advocate for the individuals, families, and communities they serve to help improve health and well-being for all. All those interested in micro, mezzo, and macro practices in a healthcare setting will appreciate this rich resource. Highlights include: Each chapter speaks to the interconnections between practice, policy, and research and how they are integrated to inform social work and health. Unique chapters dedicated to special populations such as children and families, older adults, immigrants, persons with HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ individuals, veterans, and people with disabilities provide a deeper understanding of the health care issues specific to these groups. Thorough coverage of the role of social workers in a variety of settings such as substance abuse, correctional systems, public health, and integrated behavioral health care. An in-depth discussion of the values and ethical issues in a health care environment. An intersectionality lens used throughout promotes a greater understanding of a client’s multiple status of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, education level, religion, sexual orientation, and gender identification. Detailed case examples developed by professionals in the field in Parts II and III accompanied by discussion questions further enhance an understanding of the issues. Highlights how social workers advocate for social justice to promote good health and well-being for all. On-line instructor's resources including Power Points, how chapter content is tied to the 2015 CSWE Educational Policy Accreditation Standards (EPAS), answers to discussion questions, including approaches that instructors can use with cases and research, as well as a sample syllabus with suggested options for instructors to modify for different courses. Intended as a core text for MSW and advanced BSW courses on health and social work, social work practice in health care, health and wellness, or integrative behavioral health taught in social work, public health, or gerontology programs, this book is also of value in social work practice courses that focus on health care and special populations. Social workers practicing in the health care field will also appreciate this book.

Spirituality is an area of thought and practice that is attracting an increasing amount of attention and interest from social work practitioners, theorists, and instructors. This book explores the history, practice, and diversity of faith traditions with which spirituality and social work are intertwined.