The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Education and Practice

This study investigated 208 students from two schools of social work on their views and experiences with religion and spirituality in education and practice. Results revealed a generally favorable stance toward the role of religion and spirituality in social work practice and relatively high endorsement and utilization of spiritually oriented interventions with clients. These findings are striking given that the majority of respondents reported little exposure to content on religion and spirituality in their educational program, thus raising concern about potential harm to clients. Results from the study are compared with previous research on social work practitioners and faculty, and implications for social work education are presented.