11Becoming a Spiritual Influencer Through the Heart and Soul of Field Practice

Heather M. Boynton and Indrani Margolin

This chapter offers students a spiritual model of practice for developing the knowledge, attitudes, and skills for integrating spirituality into one’s professional identity and practice. Faculty and field supervisors can adopt this framework alongside students. There are various definitions in the literature regarding spirituality which speak to its complex and broad nature. Canda et al. (2020) professed that spirituality includes a sense of or search for connectedness to oneself, others, to nature and the universe. Further, that it has transcendent aspects of connection to a higher power of one’s belief and entities that are spiritual or non-human. Boynton and Mellan (2021) conveyed that “spirituality involves identity and developmental concerns, and it has multiple dimensions and facets including love, gratitude, virtues of hope and forgiveness, joy, values, beliefs, and it comprises the cognitive, physical, emotional, experiential, social, environmental, existential, and supernatural dimensions” (p. 3). Spirituality exists along a continuum of beliefs and worldviews upon which every unique individual resides. Spirituality is highly intertwined with culture, and it is important for social workers to consider the ethnic and spiritual diversity of each client, family, or community. Given the Canadian context and the immense diversity of the global population spirituality requires attention and knowledge for social work practice as spirituality is expressed uniquely by each individual (see Boynton & DeVynck, 2022). It is important for social workers to consider that spirituality is fundamental in determining values, making decisions, and engagement in meaningful life activities and relationships, and one’s worldview.

Field practicum is a time where students apply theory, knowledge, and skills in practice and develop a sense of who they are as social work practitioners. A practitioner’s spirituality is key to, and even inseparable from, one’s professional identity formation and requires “care full” contemplation and analysis. Therefore, it is paramount that students develop a professional sense and use of self with the consideration of spirituality, and reflective processes including discernment of one’s own spirituality in relation to the profession’s values. Attuning to the spiritual component of life for oneself and those we serve creates space for greater meaning-making, determining a sense of purpose, and for healing and connection.

Spirituality can play a pivotal role in practitioner strength and resilience and can mitigate compassion fatigue and burnout (Carneiro, 2019; de Diego-Cordero et al., 2022; Dezorzi &
Crosetti, 2008) to which social workers are vulnerable. Self-care that includes daily or weekly spiritual activities, practices, or rituals is an important way of being that elevates energy and can help sustain social workers while supporting others who are encountering adversity. Additionally, spirituality can facilitate posttraumatic growth (PTG) and transcendence, that is moving beyond the ordinary, rising above oneself, the highest level of human consciousness (Maslow, 1971) for individuals, which is important for both the people social workers encounter in their work and in their own personal lives (Boynton & Vis, 2022). Seidlitz (2002) defined spiritual transcendence as “a perceived experience of the sacred that affects one’s self-perception, feelings, goals, and ability to transcend one’s difficulties” (p. 439). Social workers are encouraged to consider ways of facilitating spiritual transcendence within their own life and in the lives of those they encounter through their work.

This chapter presents a spiritually oriented and healing-centered model for education and practice that includes the knowledges, attitudes, and skills required in adopting a spiritually sensitive and informed approach to practice. This model is based on both authors’ research and work over the past two decades. At the heart of our spirituality practice model is the assumption that all individuals have a spiritual worldview that integrates how they make sense of existence and mortality, and that as human beings living on earth, we interconnect with all that exists both on and beyond our world. The heart unity, in the middle of our model, permeates throughout the other areas and embodies our spiritual essence and core of our personal and professional selves as social workers within our professional body. Beneath our diversity is our shared humanity on earth and as social workers. The foundation of self and other compassion (an important concept known as karuna in Sanskrit) is recognizing our underlying unity. The concept of ubuntu is also resonant of this and is described by Mayaka and Truell (2021) as the belief that “an authentic individual human being is part of a larger and more significant relational, communal, societal, environmental, and spiritual world” (p. 650). Our approach is holistic involving culture, spirituality, social justice and action, and collective healing. Furthermore, the intersections of trauma and spirituality are recognized, and trauma is not viewed just as an individual isolated experience but considers the ways in which trauma and healing are also experienced collectively and over time.

The very first step for developing a spiritually sensitive and informed practice approach is to understand and conceptualize spirituality, and then to develop a greater awareness of one’s own spirituality. The chapter will highlight why spirituality is important for practice and discuss the spiritual practice model (see Figure 13.1) starting from the outer circle which highlights the critical theoretical assumptions and aspects of practice that underpin this approach to social work. The inner sections speak to one’s identity and personal development, and spiritually informed practice approaches at a personal and at a practice level. Our intention is that after reading this chapter, each social worker (developing and practicing) will fully embrace their own deep meaning-making, recognize their spiritual self, attune to the spiritual dimension of practice, and discover their role as a spiritual influencer through supporting spiritual aspects in the transformation of clients, families, communities, organizations, and institutions. Our ultimate hope is that this will be used to cultivate knowledge transcendence in our continually evolving social work practice and for a healthier world.

Why is Spirituality in Social Work Important?

Research has demonstrated that clients of all ages desire to have their religious and spiritual beliefs included in treatment. Spirituality has the potential to result in positive outcomes and improved health and wellbeing for clients (Boynton, 2016b; Oxhandler & Pargament, 2014). Attuning to spirituality is important as it aligns with anti-oppressive and strength-based approaches and is ultimately ethical practice. Social workers need to consider and acknowledge the many spiritual strengths and challenges of their own spirituality alongside the spirituality of the individual, family, or community as part of holistic practice.

In a survey of social workers in the United States, Oxhandler and Giardina (2017) found that close to half described how their own spiritual beliefs, practices, curiosity, and journey led them to explore spirituality with clients. They caution though that implementing spirituality into assessment and treatment with little training increases the risk for proselytizing or for social workers to impose their own beliefs onto potentially vulnerable clients. In a related study, Oxhandler and Ellor (2017) surveyed 469 social workers across the United States, including 69 field instructors, and found that although the participants were open to spiritual and religious explorations with clients, only half felt they had adequate training to do so. Additionally, many felt that spiritual sensitivity would improve their practice. In an international study of 15,067 culturally diverse social work students, Pandya (2018) found that spirituality was perceived by them as a core aspect of field practice and interventions. Despite this, students have felt ill-equipped to engage in spiritually oriented interventions and had fears of doing harm as a result (Kvarfordt & Herba, 2018; Kvarfordt & Sheridan, 2010; Oxhandler & Giardina, 2017; Oxhandler et al., 2015). In my own research (Boynton, 2016b), practitioners also expressed a lack of training and felt unprepared to address spiritual aspects of working with clients, and in my teaching practice, where I focus on spirituality, students have shared with me that they have more knowledge and feel more confident and skilled in addressing spirituality with people they work with. We hope that the content in this chapter will facilitate the development of your own evolving spiritually informed approach to practice.

We believe that spirituality could readily be included as a component of diversity and an extension of other areas of social justice and anti-oppressive practice. It is congruent with many theories such as narrative, existential, and humanistic theories, and it can be integrated into most interventions and, as such, could fit into coursework; it is particularly needed in skills classes. There are several pertinent journals from which content could be derived, including the Journal for Religion and Spirituality in Social Work; the International Journal of Children’s Spirituality; Spirituality and Aging; Religions; Social Work with Groups; Child and Adolescent Social Work; and Social Work and Christianity. There also are several books on spirituality and social work that have been written over the past several decades and more continue to be released (for example Boynton & Vis, 2022; Canda, Furman & Canda, 2020; Crisp, 2017).

Social workers are increasingly taught to regard people holistically as bio-psycho-social beings and are beginning to recognize the missing spiritual nature of human identity in this approach. Kvarfordt et al. (2018) provided two rationales for including spirituality in the curriculum noting that the “attention to religion/spirituality aligns with the profession’s commitment towards working effectively with diverse client systems and (ii) religion/spirituality are important aspects of human existence and, therefore, are key for understanding human development and behaviour” (p. 10). This is in alignment with the core learning objectives of the Canadian Association for Social Work Education (2021) accreditation standards where social work students are to have opportunities within their educational experience to “understand the complexities of ethical practice across various professional roles and activities and within spiritual, cultural and institutional contexts” (p. 16). Thus, curriculum and field practice experience should prepare students for practice realities where spiritual aspects of clients’ lives will likely be encountered.

The Spiritual Practice Model

Our spiritual practice model provides a framework for incorporating spirituality into social work education and practice.

The Centre of the Circle

The center heart of the spiritual practice model depicts a paradigm of unity, which unifies the rest of the model. Ancient and Indigenous traditions and philosophies speak to the interconnectedness and unity of all forms of life and convey that the core of our spiritual essence is oneness. This concept of oneness refers to a Universal Consciousness that is individualized in every human being (Sen, 2016, see p. 39 & 76). This universal consciousness is intelligent and creative. Centering practices, such as meditation, enable an individual to experience a sense of connection with oneself and the sacred, divine, and Universal Consciousness.

The Outer Circle

The spiritual practice model embraces critical social work and anti-oppressive methods that challenge systemic power and privilege and honour diversity and difference. Spirituality and service to humanity and the world often drive social action and social justice concerns and are why many individuals enter the social work field. A spiritually informed approach to practice requires a trauma informed lens based on the intersections of spirituality, trauma, and grief and loss. An ethically grounded and spiritually oriented approach supports the work of decolonization and reconciliation. This critical approach employs reflective processes that are necessary at the micro, macro, and mezzo levels.

Using an ecological lens, which views people and the environment as interdependent and is integral to planetary well-being, social justice, and spirituality, social workers can begin to consider the broader issues of global concerns related to the environment, sustainability, and survival and well-being of all living beings including Mother Earth (Gray & Coates, 2013). A systems life model approach views individuals within their environments, which we argue include religious and spiritual contexts, and this model includes developmental and life transition components. By incorporating the ecological and systems approaches, our spiritual practice model adopts a philosophy of holism where we are part of something larger and beyond ourselves. The spiritual practice model accepts multiple ways of knowing, doing, and being. Additionally, the model is strength-based and seeks to identify and foster spiritual strengths, supports and resources, spiritual growth and transcendence where an individual moves beyond normal experiences and limits and can include connection with spiritual states or realms. Spiritual social work, like all effective social work, entails creating safety and active listening with curiosity, humility, and empathy, to deeply understand and demonstrate a willingness to be with a client, family, or community in their reality to reduce isolation and foster new perspective taking or looking at situations, events, or contexts from a different angle, or worldview.

The Middle Circle

The middle portion of the circle incorporates the theories discussed above and links to practice. It identifies the skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for the development of a spiritually sensitive and informed practice. The eight sectors offer guiding processes and tools that support development for spiritual social work practice.

Theories of Resonance

Our spiritual practice model is based upon perspectives of growth, self-actualization, and transcendence, as well as meaningful transformation that includes authenticity, creativity, and love. Theorists such as Frankl, Maslow, and Rogers evolved their conceptual models to include transpersonal perspectives recognizing the spiritual, transcendent, and cosmic connections in life. A transpersonal perspective considers human developmental processes and a continual transcendent process that goes beyond the egoic sense of self, and emphasizes connection to Universal Consciousness, God, or energy, and embraces wholeness or oneness and the spiritual dimensions of being and how individuals can move towards comprehensive modes of spiritual enlightenment (Canda & Smith, 2001; Wilber, 1997, 1998). A transpersonal view holds importance for the sacredness of the earth and the cosmos, recognizing the intimately intertwined nature of humans with everything in the local and nonlocal universe. Our model is informed by transpersonal theory, which we believe is pivotal for social work.

Spiritual Attunement and Competencies

Within social work, Canda et al. (2020) and Hodge (2018) have discussed the need for humility and competence regarding spiritual aspects that are of critical importance for providing spiritually relevant practice. Boynton (2016a) defined spiritual competence “as a human relational and intuitive capacity” for co-creating spiritually focused dialogue and a common understanding between those with “differing spiritual perspectives and worldviews within a safe therapeutic space” which includes “spiritual listening and attention” (p. 177) which is elaborated on below. Spiritual competencies for social work practice include developing awareness of self and others, creating safety for self and others, engaging in humility, considering the appropriateness of interventions, and attunement. These competencies are not necessarily all linear in nature and are ongoing processes. The first step in developing spiritual competencies requires developing an awareness of one’s own spiritual worldview and biases through reflection and questioning.

Activity Break 1

We invite you to pause and contemplate the reflexive questions below, perhaps take some time to journal on each one. Do not immediately answer; let them simmer within you. You may even reflect on them over a period of days or weeks. Wait patiently for your heart’s response as you continue your inquiry.

After reflecting on the questions in the box above think about how each informs your worldview. Ask yourself: How might my ways of knowing and understandings of the world influence my practice with others? How might I have assumptions, biases, or hold stereotypes of others? What is my spirituality and what does it include? Take some time to consider articulating your worldview and its influence on your practice. You may be asked by those you work with about your spirituality, so it is good to have some clarity for yourself and even to consider your response.

The next step is to understand the spiritual worldview of the individual, family, or community you are or might be working with. In order to do this establishing safety is important. Considering your own safety in practice involves your physical safety in the space you are in, awareness of your level of skills and continuing to build these, your emotional and psychological safety, and your spiritual safety. These dimensions are important for those you work with as well.

Practicing humility through creating safer spaces for others involves openness, curiosity, and inquiry, and honoring and accepting (see Boynton & Mellan [2021] for more on opening one’s heart for sacred relationships). There are tools that can be used to explore the cultural domain such as the culturagram (see Yeshiva University, 2021) and spiritual aspects which are described later in the spiritual practice model. After assessing the worldview of who you are working with then consider whether the interventions are appropriate and how they align with the spirituality of the individual, family, or community. Many Western theories and practice approaches are not appropriate for all spiritual worldviews.

You may have heard of multiple intelligences or encountered the term emotional intelligence (EQ), which is the ability to understand and manage one’s own emotions and to recognize and influence the emotions of an individual with whom one engages. Yet, you may not have heard of spiritual intelligence (SQ) which is now considered the highest level of intelligence and is paramount in relational and leadership activities. Zohar (2018) stated that SQ is an ability to access higher meanings, values, abiding purposes, and unconscious aspects of the self and to embed these meanings, values, and purposes in living richer and more creative lives. Signs of high SQ include an ability to think out of the box, humility, and an access to energies that come from something beyond the ego, beyond just me and my day-to-day concerns (para. 8).

Developing spiritual competencies also involves developing the capacity of SQ, and an intuitiveness and openness to spiritual realms. Wigglesworth (2012) identified 21 skills of SQ that are encompassed within four quadrants — awareness of self and knowing oneself; the universal and knowing the world; self-mastery, and social mastery; and spiritual presence. Cindy Wigglesworth discusses these skills in a TEDxTalk (see Wigglesworth, 2014). The development of SQ skills is necessary for social workers to embrace the spiritual component of practice and are a critical part of lifelong learning and self-transcendence. You can also watch a webinar on spiritual competency and diversity hosted by the U.S. Society for Spirituality and Social Work and the Canadian Society for Spirituality and Social Work (Franco & Lopez, 2022).

Spiritual Attunement

Hoskins (1999) offered 5 key areas of cultural attunement: acknowledging the pain of oppression, engaging in acts of humility, acting with reverence, engaging in mutuality, and maintaining a position of “not knowing”. These are applicable for what we deem to be involved in spiritual attunement. We add to this by including engaging heart to heart with unconditional love, empathy, and compassion, and for those who hold a divine belief, having a soul-to-soul connection. Spiritual attunement refers to the capacity to be receptive to intuitive and collective knowledge and builds upon Ainsworth’s (1977) attachment theory work in attunement. Attachment theory posits that an internal working model of self within relationships forms within the first five years of life and encompasses the child’s expectations of how others will respond to their needs, out of which they develop a sense of safety in the world. Spiritual attunement extends this concept to spiritual relationships with oneself, others, and a higher power.

Spiritual attunement in the therapeutic relationship is an active relationship-building process that encompasses attending, spiritual listening and being receptive, and reflecting deeply. Within the relational practice of attunement social workers act with reverence (high regard, awe, and honour) towards others (Hoskins, 1999; Boynton & De Vynck, 2022). Spiritual attunement and receptivity involve being present with the interactional symbiosis or matching non-verbal communication and affect, and co-regulation through modelling a calming presence and speaking in a warm tone with open body language in the counselling process.

The Mandarin and Cantonese characters for listen means “I give you my ears, my eyes, my undivided attention [like the respect for a king] and my heart” (personal communication with Ik Chang, October 20, 2008). This is congruent with spiritual listening and takes active listening to its deepest level. In the act of spiritual listening, practitioners enter a field of vulnerability where a reciprocal process of bearing witness and creating trust can ensue. Spiritual listening also involves opening one’s heart and accessing a deeper level of consciousness. Genuine and meaningful articulation of thoughts, feelings, meanings, and understandings can only occur through conversing heart to heart. Listening, even through silence, allows for knowing to arise (Hart, 2002) through presence, reflection, and introspection. This respectful connection, resonance and relational and intuitive capacity is integral in SQ and promotes safety in the therapeutic relationship. According to trauma expert Dan Siegal (2022),

When we attune with others we allow our own internal state to shift, to come to resonate with the inner world of another. This resonance is at the heart of the important sense of “feeling felt” that emerges in close relationships (para. 2).

This level of attunement involves a stance of unconditional love that unites our human family. Buddhists call this loving kindness; Martin Buber (1958) named it the “I-thou relationship.” It is a sacred form of human expression and connection we can strive for as social workers.

When a social worker focuses on their own breath, bodily sensations, and feelings they center and calm themselves. These are some of the most potent ways that social workers can become aware of clients’ unspoken thoughts and feelings. In trauma therapy, co-regulation through this attuning process of calming the body and mind is part of a caring and secure relationship. Through spiritual attunement social workers can become aware of the client’s unspoken thoughts and feelings and are better positioned to hear and highlight spiritually themed content of strengths and struggles. This can provide clarity for direction in the counselling process as to which spiritual strengths might be resources for the client and any struggles requiring further support.

Spirituality and Professional Identity

Students reflect on and consider their desired areas of practice that connects to their strengths, talents, abilities, and capacities. This also includes the meaning and purpose of the work. The spiritual aspect is often implicit in this process; if students don’t recognize it, they miss the opportunity to consider how they make meaning and decisions related to their own spiritual worldview and values. Many social workers were drawn into the social work field because of their spirituality, philosophical stance, and/or religious beliefs and values (Freeman, 2007; Hirsbrunner, 2012; Oxhandler & Giardina, 2017) and see their work as service in a divine sense.

Social work students need to know that the journey of reflecting on one’s own spirituality and stage of spiritual development can be a delightful and empowering process, yet for some it can be challenging and distressing, and may require support from a spiritual leader, elder or counsellor. This can particularly occur if one has encountered tensions or struggles with religion or spirituality, spiritual abuse, and/or trauma as these can disrupt one’s spiritual worldview and spiritual relationships, causing spiritual crises, wounds, pain, and injury (Boynton, 2016b; Boynton & Vis, 2011, 2017). De Vynck et al. (2022) highlighted that spiritual distress can arise when and individual struggles with a divine relationship, experiences painful feelings and strife surrounding doubts or disillusionment related to religion or spirituality or concerning moral and existential concerns. Attending to spiritual distress can aid with spiritual growth, development, and transformation (Exline & Rose, 2005). Not reflecting on one’s own spiritual worldview and development can increase the potential for ruptures in the therapeutic relationship and transference, countertransference, or avoidance of critical areas for the client regarding spirituality might occur.

The social worker’s self awareness is especially important when working with clients for whom spirituality is an important part of their life, an aspect of their identity, or is interconnected with the struggles for which they are seeking help (which may be explicit or implicit). For these clients, spirituality and/or religion should be a central component of therapeutic work and students need to learn to traverse these topics; this requires awareness of one’s own spirituality and worldview and related potential biases and judgements. Therefore, answering the questions in Activity Break 1 are part of spiritual competency development which is important for new social workers.

As students learn through their academic program and practice experiences their developing professional identities are modified to align with new ideas, values, and beliefs. There can be times when one’s own beliefs and values are tested and can involve a steep and challenging learning curve and assimilation of diverse theoretical and practice understandings along with values and ethics. If students are already prepared and have been through engagement in introspective and spiritual reflective processes in their academic career which might involve revising their spiritual worldview, they will be much better equipped to manage situations later in their professional career. In our experience of teaching students about spirituality, they often express relief, joy, and/or excitement that their new and emerging practice identity and professional development can embrace their spiritual self.

Spiritual Reflexivity in Practice

Spirituality can be a pivotal resource to draw upon in times of need for professional life. Therefore, we advocate for students to take the time at the end of each practicum day to contemplate the day’s events, interactions, thoughts, and feelings in relation to spirituality, and for all social workers to do this as well. Intentional spiritual reflection makes room for the resolution of any unresolved conflict(s) at the practicum agency, incomplete work with clients, or the identification of new directions. Shocking or difficult realizations about self and others may have arisen and can be processed through spiritual reflection and transcendent meaning making involving a deep understanding one oneself and their existence in the world (Vis & Boynton, 2008). Furthermore, focusing on successes, interactions, understandings, and aspects of the work that students feel proud of can lead to greater self-esteem, competence, and mastery. Spiritually-oriented reflection expands upon social work reflective practice and fosters more authentic professional and personal aspirations. Reflection assists with congruence and alignment of one’s spiritual beliefs and values, and with professional practice identity. Reflection on spiritual identity, as well as, conversations with peers, teachers, and practitioners, and spiritually focused interventions is a component of ethical practice.

Spiritual Self Care: A Way of Being

Engagement in activities that contribute to our health and wellness should not be done occasionally or forgotten in times of stress. They need to be integrated into a daily routine that demonstrates care of your sacred self. Self-care needs to be considered as a way of being and living, not an add-on or only done when under pressure or fatigued. Authentic and spiritual self-care is much more in depth — it is fundamental for resilience and necessary in our profession, particularly in work where trauma is encountered. The soul or authentic core of oneself requires nourishment like a child. Would you ever forget to feed a child in your care? This is the way to approach holistic and spiritual engagement or wellness. In fact, throughout our careers as social workers and professors, we have witnessed that individuals who have a balanced day or week and who have integrated activities to nourish the mind, body, and spirit regularly function more effectively than when living an unbalanced life. Ensuring non-negotiable time in your daily or weekly life for mind, body, and spiritual wellness demonstrates the value and honour you give to yourself and can bring peace and elation.

Spiritual self care as a way of being means to evaluate your needs, take stock of your desires, and to live your best life each day which can contribute to overall health and resilience, combat stress and burnout, and reduce the potential for compassion fatigue (Margolin, 2014). Just as we strengthen our muscles and body as we exercise, or we improve a skill through practice, our spiritual self-care practice increases our spiritual fitness and enhances all the aspects of our health and vitality.

Tygielski (2022, June 17) conveyed that engaging in daily repeated patterns of self care is like a musical rhythm that “helps maintain the song of our life” (para. 4). This author also highlighted the monthly and seasonal rhythms where we can target our focus of self-care. As the creator of your best life, what is the nourishing rhythm you want to play to allow you to flourish? You might consider adopting the mantra “nourish to flourish”! Like all visions, the choices that you cultivate today will be reflected in your circumstances and your future. Consider optimal choices for your wellbeing that offer the energy and balance for your whole being so that you can be fully present on a regular basis. Gillis (2013) conveyed that the ABC’s of self-care are awareness (quieting, solitude, and understanding our needs), balance (eight hours of action, eight hours of play and eight hours of rest), and connection (meaningfully, interdependent connection to something beyond ourselves). How might you include activities that address awareness, balance, and connection in your life to avoid burnout?

Wright (2005) frames burnout as a spiritual crisis, which often is indicative of “spiritual aridity,” or spiritual emptiness, which would then call for spiritual renewal, that is, awakening or reigniting our passions. They outline several areas where we can feed our spirit, such as engaging with soul friends (wise counsellors or mentors), soul communities (groups where we feel at home and that nourish our spiritual growth and development, which can include groups for reflective practice), soul foods (activities that offer inspiration, peace, creativity, and joy, such as engaging with music, poetry or scripture, or spending time in nature for renewal and revitalization), and soul works (practices to keep us in the flow of the divine that we engage in independently or in a group such as yoga, tai chi, meditation, etc.). Ask yourself, “How much soul time am I giving myself?” and “How will I care for myself to enhance wellbeing and living my best life?”

Activity Break 2

We invite you to pause and contemplate the reflexive questions below. Do not immediately answer. Let them simmer within you and patiently wait for the response.

Spiritual Assessments and Interventions

This section offers strategies and tools for addressing spirituality in practice through assessment and intervention processes. Attuning to spirituality and its inclusion offers hope for the clinician and the client and facilitates spiritual development. Providing clients with the skills and resources they require for coping facilitates PTG and is a means of empowerment (Hipolito et al., 2014) that can support a full and authentic life.

According to Margolin and Sen (2022), PTG refers to the positive transformations that individuals, families, and communities undergo in terms of their life priorities, sense of place, and self as they make meaning of loss after trauma. They further stated that,

regardless of an individual’s personal belief system, the processes of personal narrative reconstruction, re-evaluation and whole person development, are negotiated through spiritual routes . . . Life cannot grow without metamorphosis. The butterfly emerges directly from the imaginal cells of the cocooned destroyed caterpillar (Margolin & Sen, 2022, p. 199).

Boynton (2022) highlighted that individuals across the lifespan who experience PTG often feel stronger and enriched and emerge from trauma better able to manage future challenges, and spirituality is interconnected with this process.

Spiritual Assessments

Assessment is an integral part of initiating a relationship with a client. Social workers are trained to gather pertinent information to understand the client’s context, risk level, and protective factors and use that information to support them with formulating goals. Using an eco-bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach ensures that a holistic view is applied. A strengths perspective is also important when conducting spiritual assessments and interventions with clients (Saleebey, 2013; Margolin, 2019). Canda et al. (2020, p. 355) offer four guidelines:

1. Open the topic.
2. More detailed exploration.
3. Establish relevance for the helping plan.
4. Identify the next step in a plan for action.

As the social worker attends to the client’s responses it will become clear whether the client wants to “move from implicit to explicit discussion of spirituality and religion” (Canda et al., 2020, p. 355). Opening the topic creates an understanding of what spirituality means to the client and is part of creating a safe spiritual space. You can start with an opener such as I would like for us to speak together about your personal spirituality, as this can be a source of strength and a resource or it may be a place of struggle. Would it be okay for us to talk about this area of importance and what this means for you and our work together?

If a client agrees, then a social worker can proceed to conduct a spiritual assessment and gather more details. If the client appears hesitant or does not agree to discuss spirituality, then we recommend taking a more implicit approach. The questions in Activity Break 3 are drawn and adapted from Hodge (2013, p. 227) and Canda et al. (2020, p. 354).

Activity Break 3

We invite you to review the implicit spiritual questions in this activity. First, reflect on these questions yourself. Then practice with a peer or mentor prior to incorporating these tools into your work.

Conducting an explicit spiritual assessment can include a few brief questions or more involved questions and history-taking. There are various models that can be used to discuss spiritual and religious aspects with individuals as outlined by LaRocca-Pitts (2012). Social workers assess client’s spiritual strengths including beliefs, values, practices, rituals, activities, resources, and supports, and discern possible areas of struggle, distress, and crises present for clients. Additionally, asking about how the presenting problem is a challenge; whether there are identity concerns; and if relationships and connections are disrupted, in jeopardy, or severed can assist with identifying needed client supports. Through holistically understanding client concerns social workers can better support their spiritual healing.

Activity Break 4

We invite you to visit the links and videos on spiritual assessments below. First, assess yourself then practice with a peer or mentor prior to incorporating these tools with a client.

Hodge (2015) provided an overview of various visual assessment approaches, including spiritual lifemaps, genograms, ecomaps, and ecograms. Spiritual listening, as noted above, involves curiosity and empathy to deeply understand the perspective of the client. The social worker demonstrates a willingness to be with a client in their reality which can reduce isolation and the worker can encourage the client to engage in new perspective taking. The spiritual attunement process includes listening for implicit meanings, subordinate storylines (alternative stories hidden within the narrative), and spiritual narratives.

Activity Break 5

Visit the links in the text box to view the visual assessment tools. First, assess yourself, then practice with a peer or mentor prior to incorporating these tools with a client.

Conducting implicit and explicit spiritual assessments assists with establishing the relevance of spirituality for the helping plan. The treatment plan and goals are collaboratively created with the client to identify the next steps and strategies for action.

Spiritual Interventions

There are many types of spiritual interventions that can be included in treatment for clients. Within evidence-based practice frameworks, spiritual components can enhance a holistic approach to care.

Activity Break 6

We invite you to try one of the following interventions. Then consider how you might incorporate these into your work. Feel free to journal after each practice.

Contemplative Interventions

Contemplative daily activities can support social workers in their own self care and grounding, as well as assist with co-regulation (see Cmind, 2021). They can also be discussed and integrated with clients as helpful coping strategies. Active contemplative practices include yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, dance, walking a labyrinth, and sports. Expressive contemplative activities include art, journalling, poetry, storytelling, musical activities, meditative chanting, and visualization. Spending time in nature, engaging in “green exercise” or mood walks (see Mind your Mind, 2024) and forest bathing can also be contemplative and regenerative. Forest bathing is the English translation of the Japanese therapy Shinrin yoku (Kotera et al., 2020). This practice involves walking in nature, typically through a forest. By engaging sight, smell, taste, sound, and touch to appreciate and delight in the surrounding beauty, inhale pure oxygen, and receive negative ions which are beneficial to the body. When spending time in nature the nervous system rests, rejuvenates, and heals. This move from a sympathetic to a parasympathetic state is why Shinrin yoku significantly reduces the effects of vicarious trauma (Kotera et al., 2020), which field education students often experience. More information on this topic can be found in Chapter 3 in this book.

Other important interventions such as self-compassion, forgiveness, and gratitude can open one’s heart. Spiritual practices that include prayer, rituals, scripture, inspirational reading, or pilgrimages are also helpful in awakening one to our spiritual interconnectedness. There is a plethora of literature and online resources to boost creativity and inspiration, develop empathy and compassion for others; improve focus, attention, and concentration; reduce stress, anxiety, and depression; and combat fatigue and burnout. Spiritual interventions are a means of honouring and caring for oneself in authentic ways. Deeper spiritual practices can lead to insights and strengthened intuition (which is deemed as the art of social work practice), that have the potential to truly transform thoughts, feelings, and actions. We have both found meditation as a daily practice has greatly benefitted our overall health and wellbeing; enhanced our authenticity; and deepened our relationships to others, nature, and the Universal Consciousness that lives all around us.

Meditation is an ancient practice that is found across the globe. It can be employed as a self-care strategy for social workers and an intervention for clients. It enables one to become aware of and release unwanted thoughts and beliefs and experience the accompanying sensations and feelings as a natural consequence of balancing their body, mind, heart (Margolin, 2014). There are different types of meditation, from those that engage a mindfulness practice while sitting or walking, to focusing on an object or a flame, to practicing quiet stillness or emptiness, to focusing on spiritual words or phrases, to chanting affirmations and mantras, to rhythmic motions such as swaying, rocking, or circling. Meditation can also be combined with the use of a mandala (a circular design used to focus) and a mantra (a sacred sound or word) (Boynton & Margolin, 2022). Many individuals find listening to songs an uplifting and mindful practice (see Mraz, 2012).

Meditating on the breath supports concentration on our essential life force. Inhaling and exhaling is a natural meditation that occurs whether we are aware of it or not (Sen, 2016). It enables one to tune out stress and worry and the critiquing inner voice of judgment. The main task in meditation is to be with and feel the breath rejuvenate and cleanse the body with the inhalation, and to expand, and to release with the exhalation as the breath disperses into the atmosphere. Proclamation (Mahavakya) Meditation, an ancient Vedanta system from India, is one mantra meditation system found to have promising preliminary results with students (Margolin, 2014). This system brings together four great words or mantras to empower individuals to attune to their Creative Consciousness (Sen, 2016). It is well suited as an educational practice to support PTG (Sen & Margolin, 2021). According to Margolin and Sen (2022), students reported that Mahavakyam Meditation enabled concentration; tranquility and balance; elevated mood; enhanced personal and professional relationships; and a recognition of the causal connection between thoughts, emotions, and circumstances.

Tools for Hope: Creative Expressive Practices

Creative expressive practices such as art, dance, play, and movement often facilitate deeper meaning-making for students. They are particularly important for trauma, grief and loss work with clients for spiritual coping, expression, emotional processing and reappraising worldview, and a resource in fostering PTG and transcendent meaning making (Boynton & Vis, 2011; Vis & Boynton, 2008). Creative practices and processes offer strategies to support safety, healing, and create space, and self-transcendence (Margolin, 2019). We are creative by nature and develop a sense of self and the world through symbolic play in childhood and active or creative imagination in adulthood. Poetic engagement and writing provide another path to connect to one’s deep feelings and to make meaning (Wiebe & Margolin, 2012). Natalie Rogers, originator of Person-Centred Expressive Arts Therapy (PCEAT), and daughter of Carl Rogers, built upon her father’s work and focused on creative engagement as a therapeutic tool (Rogers 2011, 2012, 2015, 2019).

Tuning into Spirit/Consciousness

We recommend starting important meetings with a simple ritual, ceremony, or mindful practice to prepare to engage and interact in a good manner. Examples include a quiet meditation or reflection or symbolically laying down worries and concerns from the day and placing them in the garbage or an imaginary basket or container that can be later picked up if required.

Visualization

Visualization practices can be grounding and centering. Van der Kolk (2014) conveyed that the body holds on to trauma memories; physiological responses can be triggered, making the body think that the trauma is still present. What is not often considered is that the body can also hold on to positive memories with related physiological responses. These memories activate sensory and somatic experiences within the body. Thus, our mind and body can be a container for positive and spiritual experiences, which can be accessed when needed.

Activity Break 7

We invite you to try the following practices and consider how you might incorporate these into your work. Feel free to journal after each practice.

Transcendence

Maslow’s (1971) hierarchy of needs includes transcendence where an individual transcends or moves beyond the ego, and it also includes peak or flow experiences that are spiritual in nature. One might see the sacredness in all things and in simple daily encounters. Through considering spirituality and fostering client spiritual development we support them to grow and transmute their harrowing life events, we consciously engage in promoting PTG and transcendence. Margolin and Sen (2022) discussed the power of a purpose or vision to support transcendence from trauma.

Our model is informed by Tedeschi and Calhoun’s (2018) framework on PTG. They found that individuals who encountered traumatic events experienced PTG in five areas: 1) appreciating life more fully and changes in one’s priorities; 2) identifying personal strengths and a renewed self-perception; 3) welcoming changes to relationships and a greater sense of connection, feeling compassion and a greater understanding for others who are suffering; 4) accepting new possibilities, new interests, and activities; and 5) embracing spiritual and existential change. These five areas are related to spirituality as they involve connectedness, meaning, and purpose. Therefore, it is only prudent to include spirituality as a core area of social work to support growth and transcendence from adversity, as well as personal self-transcendence and spiritual awakening and transformation. When we hold transcendence of self as a process and a potential outcome of our work with others, and for ourselves, we can awaken to our authentic way of being.

Becoming Spiritual Influencers

Students often don’t realize that they are not only learners in the practicum setting but change agents as well. Students bring new frameworks, theories, concepts, research, and applicable practice insights they have been learning in the classroom to social workers in the field that have likely been out of the intensive academic environment, and spirituality is no exception in this knowledge translation. With the advent of spiritually focused social work literature and research, students have an opportunity to become spiritual influencers in their practicum sites and upon being hired. The first way this can be achieved is by sharing concepts about spirituality and social work with their supervisor and colleagues and starting a dialogue about those concepts. Students can also bring readings on spiritual assessment and treatment to supervisory or agency meetings and explore the possibility of sharing the material and newfound knowledge with agency staff. If students notice a positive response, they can further discuss personal challenges, insights, and moments of growth with their own spirituality and invite others to speak about their meaning-making. This sets the stage to invite creative brainstorming about how agency staff can ethically bring important aspects of themselves, or practices and rituals into their work without bracketing out core aspects of self as so many have been taught to do in the name of professionalism.

Students are encouraged to consider practicum projects that enhance spiritual integration in the workplace such as reviewing the agency policy manual to scan for policies, procedures, and protocols for safety and consensually including client and counsellor spirituality in service delivery. They could advocate for spiritual spaces for contemplation or to practice rituals and ceremonies. Enhancing one’s own competencies in assessment and treatment or community practice (depending on the setting) are routine in social work practicum learning plans. Students can further this learning by overtly committing to develop their competencies around spiritual, cultural, religious, and sacred work and by inspiring others by sharing their learning. They may offer to conduct a workshop on a spiritually informed and focused therapeutic practice with staff and co-facilitate with another practicum student, staff member, or their supervisor to provide opportunities for the agency community to experiment with spirituality in safe ways.

Consciously working from spiritual concepts such as safety, humility, gratitude, exquisite empathy, positivity, and nonjudgement increases the intensity with which students can bring these qualities of ideal social work practice into relationships with clients, and mentors. When students see themselves as spiritual influencers they begin to inquire into the spiritual gaps, and in that inquiry, can discover creative solutions and invite other workers into the wonderful discovery of spiritual evolution and transformation. This can begin a process of supporting holistic strength-based ways of relating and supporting one’s own and others’ self-transcendence. Spiritually influencing students have a wonderful opportunity to shape the culture of the agency or organization and can begin to adopt spiritually inclusive practices. In this way, student spiritual influencers fully role model integrating spirituality into practice.

Recommendations and Suggested Learning Goals for Field

The practicum learning plan is a document that Canadian schools and departments of social work incorporate into field education to assist in the evaluation of student learning through practicum. This document is based on a collaborative learning approach where learning is student-driven and guided by agency supervisors and faculty. Students model and demonstrate a commitment to holistic wellness when they include spirituality in field education. The following sample, which aligns with the Canadian Association of Social Workers (CASW; 2005) Code of Ethics and the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW; 2019) Standards of Practice, is offered to inspire students to incorporate spiritual goals into their learning plans.

Activity Break 8

Review the practicum learning objectives below. Choose any that fit or resonate with you and incorporate them into your own learning plan.

Our Parting Message

We believe that spirituality should be embedded throughout the social work curriculum, and it is a central aspect of field practice. We continue to work at creating this vision and develop webinars and podcasts. With the model presented in this chapter, we have equipped you with initial tools to enhance your knowledge, skills, and attitudes for developing a spiritually sensitive practice approach and becoming a spiritual influencer. We hope student, faculty, and supervisor readers alike will find this chapter a useful catalyst for continuing to discover their own spiritual worldview, related values and beliefs, and embrace cultivating daily spiritual disciplines for flourishing in the social work profession.

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