Assessing professional integration of clients’ religion and spirituality beliefs in practice

Abstract

This article presents the findings of a cross-sectional study of 131 Israeli Jewish and Arab social workers that aimed to predict the probability that social workers would integrate clients’ religion and spirituality in practice. The study is the first of its kind in Israel. Findings showed that social workers have favourable attitudes and high levels of self-efficacy. However, study participants reported low feasibility and even lower levels of engagement of clients’ religious and spiritual beliefs in practice. One variable, age, emerged as a significant predictor of such integration. Integration of religion and spirituality in practice remains the professional’s personal choice.