Class Descriptions

Spirituality Assessment and Intervention in Social Work

SW702

Credits:	1
Prerequisites:	None

Pathway Associations

Community Change
Global
Interpersonal Practice	Elective (Host)
Mgmt & Leadership
Policy & Political
Program Evaluation
Older Adults
Children & Families

Course Description

This course provides a framework of knowledge, values, skills and experiences to promote culturally competent, ethical, spiritually-sensitive Social Work practice which takes into account diverse expressions of spirituality. In adopting a holistic perspective to guide practice, spirituality will be viewed as a vital and essential dimension of the bio-psycho-social assessment and treatment planning process. This course will explore the rationale and need to integrate assessment and interventions related to spirituality in social work in a manner that supports cultural humility, social justice and competent practice. This course will be skill-development focused with in-class activities designed to best define, integrate, and use spiritual assessment and interventions in addressing presenting client issues.

Objectives

1. Recognize the inclusion of the spiritual dimension of the biopsychosocial spiritual perspective as essential in holistically understanding individuals in the assessment and treatment planning and intervention process.
2. Demonstrate awareness of spirituality in the content of person- in-environment and culture and its impact on client coping with suffering, loss, injustice and attempts to heal, endure and reach one’s goals.
3. Acknowledge and respect a variety of expressions of spirituality with and without relationship to religion.
4. Identify and critically reflect on diverse spiritual/religious perspectives and their implications for Social Work practice
5. Formulate qualities of a spiritually sensitive helping relationship and be able to identify a framework of spiritually in Social Work practice that is inclusive and respectful of diversity.
6. Develop beginning skills necessary to assess the roles of spirituality and of religious practices in the lives of social work clients and to evaluate the potential place of spirituality in the helping process.
7. Identify and utilize different assessment models and tools for assessing clients’ spirituality.
8. Identify various spiritually sensitive interventions and apply them to social work practice.
9. Articulate both the supportive and the oppressive role spiritual/religious perspectives have played concerning issues of human diversity and marginalizing and exclusion based on gender, race and ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, health and mental health and social class.
10. Examine and reflect on one’s own spirituality and the impact on the development of professional identity and one’s Social Work practice.
11. Exposure to social work literature related to the application of spiritual practices in relationship to physical, mental and spiritual health and well-being.

Design

This course uses a relationship-based engaged approach to learning in which we learn from and with each other. A variety of collaborative learning methods will be used to promote skill development including interactive lectures with active student participation, readings, in-class application exercises, practice clinical scenarios, videos and written assignments. This class will be very skill-based in design with multiple in-class activities to practice application of assessment and intervention strategies.

Intensive Focus on Privilege, Oppression, Diversity and Social Justice (PODS)

This course integrates PODS content and skills with a special emphasis on the identification of theories, practice and/or policies that promote social justice and inclusion, illuminate injustices and oppression and are consistent with evidence-based and professional knowledge.
Students are invited and expected to actively contribute from their experiences, field placement practice and knowledge of readings, etc. to help support and develop a vision of social justice, learn to recognize and reduce mechanisms that support oppression and injustice, work toward social justice processes, apply intersectionality and intercultural frameworks and strengthen critical consciousness, self- knowledge and self-awareness to facilitate PODS learning.