Spirituality

• Spirituality is defined as having a sense of purpose and connectedness to self, others, nature, the world, and/or a higher being or beings; and as belief that there is something beyond the physical world. A client’s spiritual beliefs will deeply impact his or her perception of his or her concerns, health, place and purpose in the world, and interactions with the environment. Spirituality and religious beliefs are often a part of one’s cultural identity. Thus, including spirituality in biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment is imperative. When assessing a client’s spirituality, it is important to look at a variety of factors that might influence the client’s beliefs. This includes an assessment of the religious or spiritual beliefs of the client’s family of origin and the importance that spirituality or religious beliefs were assigned in the home, influences on the client’s development of current belief systems, and significant life events that have shaped current beliefs. The client’s current spiritual beliefs should be assessed, including rituals or services in which he or she participates, the importance of these practices in his or her life, and any spiritual struggles being experienced or sources of strength that are derived from these beliefs or practices. Although the positive benefits of spirituality have been documented in research, not all clients will derive a sense of support from spiritual beliefs. For some clients, the way in which religion was practiced by their family of origin (e.g., participation in belief systems that were overly controlling, or harsh consequences for nonconformity) can create barriers to establishing their own belief system. For others, their current struggles have created a religious or spiritual crisis of belief, in which they feel separate from God or are questioning their beliefs. Social workers should take care to use nonspecific terminology (e.g., “Do you participate in any spiritual rituals?” versus “Do you attend church?”) when assessing spiritual beliefs in order to establish a sense of trust and safety with the client