Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice

Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice

Edward R. Canda and Leola Dyrud Furman New York: The Free Press, 1999

Reviewed by William E. Powell

IN SOME SENSE, Spirtual Diversity in Social Work Practice is a groundbreaking text. Finally, in one place, we find a rather comprehensive exposure to the varieties of spiritual experience of client and social worker alike and are given suggestions for how to incorporate this knowledge into one's social work practice. In rendering a review of the book, I'd like to provide a critical overview of the contents and the clarity of the writing, its comprehensiveness, its overall tenor, and its utility for practitioners and students.

First things first, I like the book and recommend it. It begins with one of its most readable chapters, a chapter about both the call to service and compassion. The chapter includes narratives and accounts of experiences that bring a very human face to the topic of spirituality and compassion. It concludes with a discussion of ethics as it applies to social work and spirituality. It might have flowed better had that content been a discussion of the links between the two rather than, what seems to be, an obligatory discussion of the profession's code of ethics. In other words, the segue into ethics seemed politically correct but not necessarily a good logical flow.

What follows that is an exposition of the meaning and significance of spirituality. There is an informative discussion of the varied meanings of the term "spirituality" and of the ineffable nature of some of those meanings. There is also a somewhat fuzzy linkage of spirituality to morality; it is good that this linkage was made, but it might benefit by expansion in future works. When an effort is made to turn the discussion into the development of an obligatory "model" for practice the intellect may be comforted but the heart may pale. Given the breadth and depth of spirituality, the reduction of the concept to an operational "model" (complete with geometric shapes and arrows) may reduce it to an intellectual exercise bereft of its richness. The text also includes a plain misstatement, i.e., that "outside of social work contexts, the term spirituality is not commonly used by scholars; when it is, it is usually given a much narrower definition." I would strongly suggest that readers and authors of spiritually focused materials make a concerted effort to read outside of their own field. A foray into, for example, education, psychology, medicine, or nursing would open up a wealth of scholarly discussions of spirituality and its application to professional work and the human condition. There is much being done outside of social work. A relatively minor glitch in the writing was the use of the term "antiabolitionist." I suspect the term abolitionist was intended.

In the third chapter, the authors connect the issues of diversity, religion, and spirituality. They also chronicle the evolution of the social work profession and its relationship to religion. That history is one of closeness followed by estrangement when the move to professionalism came to the fore, and then a gradual and somewhat grudging (re)acceptance of spiritual and religious issues as being important fodder for practice. Since religion and spirituality are evolving notions, the authors wisely discuss current expressions of the spiritual impulse and ground that discussion in different population groups such as African Americans, women, and gay and lesbian populations while recognizing that such groupings aren't themselves monolithic. That chapter, and others, conclude with exercises intended to help students or practitioners learn the content.

Chapter four provides an overview of religious perspectives on social service and the ways in which those perspectives shape practice. This discussion is broken down according to various religions and follows a set format: a review of the tenets of that religion, its basic beliefs, basic values, and their implications for social work. These discussions are informative and helpful, albeit cursory given the space available and the number of religious traditions. Readers should be reminded that one or two pages to describe any given religion gives only an abridged overview to that faith's own diverse forms of expression (e.g., Christianity's divisions between orthodox, eastern, and western churches; Catholicism; Protestantism; and Christian descendants of Saint Thomas in India, etc.). Nonetheless, readers will come away far better informed than they were without having read the book. They will have more food for thought, and appreciate how religious traditions have shaped our collective perspectives on social services. I might add here that the quotation from the Koran that begins chapter 4: "Woe to those who pray but are heedless in their prayer; who make a show of piety and give no alms to the destitute" are thoughtful words indeed.

The brief fifth chapter addresses nonsectarian spiritual perspectives such as existentialism and social services and transpersonal psychology. Such notions and their values are likewise discussed, as are their implications for social work practice. The sixth chapter begins the segue into ways of creating a spiritually sensitive context for practice and includes the thoughts of Sheridan who pondered what would be "if we nurtured the soul of social work." That inclusion is a rather clear and needed exposition of how spirituality, generally, might reshape the face of practice and make more holistic the profession's perspective on its own practice. It is also a way of imagining back the living heart of the profession.

The seventh and eighth chapters begin the transition away from an introduction to the notion of spirituality and religion and toward thoughts about how such knowledge and insight might be incorporated into practice. There is a therapeutic bent to this discussion and it might be most meaningful to practitioners providing counseling and therapy. It is clear here, however, that what is presented is but a smattering of the work done in various fields and that social workers must, necessarily, constantly deepen their knowledge in their various fields of practice. The ninth and concluding chapter addresses practice skills and techniques and renders good advice on how to incorporate spirituality into practice. It also covers growth-oriented helping techniques and provides exercises on ways of incorporating spirituality into one's own life and daily practices.

The book concludes with two appendices that address ways of assessing one's spiritual propensity and a brief methodological summary of a survey of National Association of Social Workers members. There is a helpful reference section wherein readers can find sources of writings on social work and spirituality to better inform themselves. The reference list is good but could be enriched by the inclusion of writings on the subject which come from other professional and disciplinary sources. It is good to promote the professional identity of social work by developing its own distinct body of knowledge and literature on the subject but is limiting when writings from other fields that would serve to broaden and diversify our comprehension of the spiritual are generally ignored.

In summary, this is a long-needed book in the social work field. It has a great deal of information for practitioner and student alike and should be on practitioners' shelves and in agency and professional libraries. It may, in parts, be a bit dry and intellectual and could benefit from a cursory nod to the connection of spirituality to the human heart and soul, but it is a good, informative, and necessary book and one that should receive our full attention.

William E. Powell

Professor

Social Work Department

University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Whitewater, Wisconsin

Copyright Families in Society May/Jun 2001
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