Spirited Practices: Spirituality and the helping professions

Spirituality and religion are fundamental to all human cultures. Yet in the helping professions, whose shared objective is to promote human well being, questions of spirituality have often been avoided.

Now we are increasingly realising that scientific materialism and individuality have failed to meet enduring human needs for meaning and connection. Evidence mounts for the importance of spirituality for prevention and intervention in times of crisis, distress and illness. Many professionals find themselves ill-prepared to respond to the spiritual needs of their clients, and to negotiate encounters with people from unfamiliar faith traditions.

Spirited Practices shows how it is possible for professionals to think critically, and be open to spirituality at the same time. Professionals and teachers from diverse faiths and fields of work, including social work, health, psychology and ministry explain how they have integrated spirituality into their work.

Spirited Practices is inspiring reading for anyone in the helping professions seeking to develop a spiritually aware practice.

It invites us to look honestly at ourselves and our own practices through learning about those from other professional and faith backgrounds.

Richard Hugman, Professor of Social Work, University of NSW

A much needed forum for practitioners from diverse professional and spiritual backgrounds to address the challenges and rewards of spiritually-sensitive practice.

Leola Dyrud Furman, Associate Professor Emeritus of Social Work, University of North Dakota