Spiritual Transformations in Clinical Relationships Between Social Workers and Individuals Living with Disabilities

Abstract

Some individuals living with disabilities have expressed a need to have spirituality recognized within clinical relationships. Social workers and other professionals have not responded to this need and therefore, there is a growing difference between what individuals with disabilities need and what clinicians, including social workers, are providing. Jean Vanier is a Canadian who has spiritual wisdom gained from over 40 years of living with people who have disabilities. Applying insights from both Vanier and transformational learning theory, this paper demonstrates that Vanier's approach is an important resource as social workers integrate spirituality into the clinical relationship with disabled individuals.