Open AccessSpirituality, religion and social work in recovery
Author(s) -
Pamela Elias Ka'adan El-Nachef
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
szociális szemle
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2732-1258
pISSN - 1789-6983
DOI - 10.15170/socrev.2021.14.02.03
Subject(s) - spirituality , meditation , prayer , psychological intervention , psychology , mental health , theme (computing) , social psychology , sample (material) , psychotherapist , medicine , alternative medicine , psychiatry , theology , philosophy , pathology , computer science , operating system , chemistry , chromatography
This study addresses the potential role of spirituality in promoting mental health and wellbeing and argues for its utility in the helping professions. Spirituality, as a common human orientation, has long been a central notion in recovery movements. In the first part of the paper the author discusses the differences and overlaps between spirituality and its traditional form, religion. In the second part a questionnaire was used to study laypersons’, and professional helpers’ views on spirituality. The convenience sample comprised 137 persons. Professionals could find spirituality an important resource in their practice and included it in their interventions mainly when their clients had introduced the theme first. Most of the laypersons in the sample were concerned with spiritual issues and regularly practiced meditation or prayer. They conceived spirituality to cope with mental or physical illnesses.