A spiritual approach to social work practice

Abstract

[Extract] here has been much debate regarding spiritualty's role in social work over the past three decades. The dust has settled and there appears to be a general acceptance now that, not only can there be a role for spirituality in social work, but that it is an important inclusion in order to work with the whole person. However, when it comes to guides to, or consensus on, how one should practice when integrating spirituality, gaps remain. In order to contribute to the discipline's attempts to address such gaps, a research journey was embarked upon. The research explored different spiritual paradigms, theories and practices with a view to establishing the contribution these may provide in the process of, not only including spirituality in social work practice, but doing so from an authentic spiritual perspective (see publications from this research program Carrington 2010a, 2010b, 2013, 2014). This chapter suggests a spiritual approach to social work practice reflective of one of the key overarching findings of this research program – the importance of linking paradigmatic positioning with practice (Carrington 2010b). Before we explore the approach, it is important to examine the current context of spirituality in social work and some of the relevant discussions unfolding in this arena.