Perspectives and Utilization of Spirituality in Social Work Practice

Spirituality is an important part of diversity as determined by the National Association of Social Work Code of Ethics and the Education Policy and Education Standards. However, social work education is lacking in this area. Social workers report feeling unprepared and uncomfortable in addressing spirituality with clients. The purpose of this study was to compare hospice, mental health, and hospital social workers¿ perspectives, utilization and education on the use of spirituality in practice. A total of 41 social workers were surveyed and answers were analyzed with a Chi-Square and One-Way ANOVA. There was no difference in perspectives of spirituality between hospice, mental health and hospital social work respondents. There were some minor statistically significant differences in the utilization and training components, but overall, they were low in all three groups.