the helper’s spirituality: revitalizing the strengths
TRANSCRIPT
The Helper’s Spirituality:
Revitalizing the Strengths-Based Helping -From the family caregivers’ experience
April 2nd, 2021
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Jung Hee Lee PhD, MSW
Department of Social Work
Fort Hays State University
Spirituality in Social Work
⚫ Indigenous social welfare
⚫ precolonial period
⚫ Sectarian origins
⚫ colonial period through early 20th C
⚫ Professionalization and secularization
⚫ 1920s through 1970s
(Canda & Furman, 2019)
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Spirituality in Social Work
⚫ Resurgence of spirituality in social work as
“the heart of helping” (Canda & Furman, 2019)
✓ Understanding client from;
1) the perspective of cultural diversity
2) the holistic view of personhood
✓ Positive relationship between spirituality and health in
a broad range of disciplines
Integration of spirituality into practice
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Spirituality?
A process of human life and development focusing on
the search for a sense of meaning, purpose, morality,
and well-being in relationship with oneself, other
people, other beings, the universe, and ultimate
reality however understood (e.g., in animistic,
atheistic, monotheistic, polytheistic, theistic, or other
ways); orienting around centrally significant
priorities; and engaging a sense of transcendence
experienced as deeply profound, sacred, or
transpersonal (Canda & Furman, 2019)
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Two approaches to spirituality
• Mainly focus on the role of spirituality as a
coping resource
• Less attention to “helper’s spirituality” in
relation to their practice with clients
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Strengths perspective in social work practice
⚫ Guiding assumptions (Saleebey, 2002)
✓ Every individual, group, family, and community
possesses strengths
✓ Even trauma, abuse, illness, and struggle may be
sources of challenge and opportunity.
✓ No one knows the upper limits of client’s capacity to
grow and change. One must hold high our
expectations of clients and make allegiance with their
hopes, visions, and values.
✓ Every environment is full of resources and
opportunities.
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Criticisms/limitations
✓ Questions on uniqueness
✓ Doubts on effectiveness
(McMillen et al., 2004; Staudt et al., 2001; Taylor, 2006)
◼ “Painfully hard to give up the idea of problems and problem-
solving” (Saleebey, 2004,p. 589)
Essence of the strengths perspective
✓ Importance of helper’s trust and genuine belief in the
possible and potential of clients
(Chapin, 1995; Koenig & Spano, 2007; Saleebey, 2002)
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Dilemma of Strengths Perspective
⚫ Helping relationship based on the genuine
trust for growth and change... But I can’t.
⚫ “New eye” which helps practitioners see/trust
the strengths and capacities of clients
including and transcending their rational
understanding and empirical evidence or
assessment of clients’ reality.
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Transpersonal Approaches
⚫ Spirituality considered essential to an
understanding of the whole person
✓ People have potentials to achieve a
developmental level beyond the ego-focused
level; thus, human experiences must be
conceived of in ways that extend the view of
consciousness beyond conventional ego
boundaries (Robbins et al., 2015)
⚫ Spirituality (the spirit domain) is the area
where matter, body, mind and soul are
included and transcended. (Wilber, 1998; 2001)
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Helper’s
spirituality
Recognizing
& genuine
belief in full
strengths and
potential
Building up
strengths-based
relationship
Achieving more
deep, sustainable outcomes
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Impacts of Spirituality on Helper’s Well-being
⚫ Positive impacts
✓ Minimized the strain of the task, increased positive
psychological well-being (e.g., Lebalnc, Driscill & Pearlin, 2004; Lowis et al.)
✓ Lessened the need for formal support (e.g., Choi, Tirrito, & Mill, 2008)
✓ Positively related with physical health, optimism, longevity(e.g., Van Hook & Aguilar, 2001; Sadler & Biggs, 2006)
⚫ Spirituality and meaning-making
✓ CGs use their religious beliefs to bring meaning and purpose
to their circumstances (Farran, et al., 1991; Kaye & Robinson, 1994; Pargament & Mahoney, 2005)
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Spirituality and Caregiving relationship
• Spiritual bonding b/w CG + CR (Forbes, 1994)
• Possibly leading to better caregiving outcomes
• CGs who use spiritual or religious beliefs
• have a better relationship with CR,
• associated with lower levels of depression and role
submersion (Chang et al., 1998)
• Spirituality gave a positive attitude which helped
with role as CG and CR (Theis et al., 2003)
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Motivating role
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• Motivating CGs to take the caregiving role by pr
oviding meaning, or purpose or sense of respon
sibility.
Sustaining role
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• Helping CGs to sustain their caregiving roles
for older family members despite difficulties
• By interpretation, self-reflection, and
emotional or physical supports.
• Religiosity was most prevalent.
Transforming role
⚫ Experienced significant changes of their
caregiving experience (e.g., attitudes, perception,
relationship with CRs)
⚫ Spiritual experiences
⚫ Three mechanisms:
⚫ Healing
⚫ Empathizing
⚫ Transcending
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Implications for Professional Helpers
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⚫ Genuine trust in client’s possibility and potential for
growth and change matters.
⚫ Helper’s spirituality matters.
⚫ Helps to see beyond empirical/rational dimensions
⚫ Providing a means of connectiion
⚫ Spirituality is not only for clients but for helpers.
⚫ Nurturing the nurturer.
Selected references
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Canda, E. R., & Furman, L. D. (2019). Spirituality Diversity in Social Work Practice: The heart of helping, third
edition. New York: Oxford University Press.
Chang, B., Noonan, A., & Tennstedt, S. (1998). The role of religion/spirituality in coping with caregiving for disabled
elders. Gerontologist, 38, 463-70.
Forbes, E. J. (1994). Spirituality, aging and the community-dwelling caregiver and care receiver. Geriatric Nursing, 15,
297-302.
Hilgeman, M.M., Allen, R.S., DeCoster, J., & Burgio, L.D. (2007). Positive aspects of caregiving as a moderator of
treatment outcome over 12 months. Psychology and Aging, 22, 361–371.
Koenig, T., & Spano, R. (2007). The cultivation of social workers’ hope in personal life and professional practice.
Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work, 26(3), 45-61.
Lee, J. H. (2015). A qualitative inquiry into the spirituality of Korean family caregivers of older adults and its role in
their caregiving experience. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Kansas].
McMillen, J. C., Morris, L. Sherraden, M. (2004). Ending social work’s grudge match: Problems versus strengths.
Families in Society, 85, 317-325.
Pargarment, K. I., Mahoney, A. (2005). Sacred matters: Sanctification as a vital topic for the psychology of religion.
International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 15(3), 179-198.
Saleebey, D. (Ed.). (2002). The strengths perspective in social work practice. New York: Longman.
Staudt. M, Howard, M., Drake B. (2001). The operationalization, implementation, and effectiveness of the strengths
perspective: A review of empirical studies. Journal of Social Service Research, 27, 3, p.1-21.
Theis, S. L., Biordi, D. L., Coeling, H., Nalepka, C., & Miller, B. (2003). Spirituality in caregiving and care receiving.
Holistic Nursing Practice, 17(1), 48-55.
Wilber, K. (1998). The marriage of sense and soul: Integrating science and religion. NY: Broadway Books.
Wilber, K. (2001). A Theory of everything: An Integral vision for business, politics, science and spirituality. Boston,
Shambhala.