Reimaging Field Instruction from a Spiritually Sensitive Perspective: An Alternative Approach

Completing the Circle

“…Of special importance is the Native emphasis on spiritual awareness and the interconnections among forms of life. Spirituality is emerging as an important aspect of development and functioning (Lowery, 1999;Okundaye et al, 1999;Voss et al, 1999) and is a centerpiece of Native child rearing practices and Native values in general (Lowery, 1999).…”

“…Spirituality informs Native values. Western theories recognize spirituality as an important but still not well-understood aspect of human development and functioning (e.g., Erikson, 1963;Okundaye, Bray, & Bray, 1999;Voss et al, 1999). Jane F. Gilgun 67 THE CIRCLE OF COURAGE Brendtro et al (1990) view traditional Native child and youth socialization practices as the distillation of 15,000 years of wisdom "that represent what is perhaps the most effective system of positive discipline ever developed" (p. 35).…”

Including Spirituality in the Social Work Curriculum: Perspectives from South Asia

“…Hence, the literature on spirituality and social work, primarily from America and the United Kingdom, proposes the need to train people in contemplative and spiritually derived interventions, mainly for students to understand their own and others' spirituality, for the purpose of working with the diverse cultural and spiritual needs of clients and its relationship to social work's helping approach (Canda, 1989;Hodge, 2005;Russel, 1998;Sheridan, Bullis, Adcock, Berlin, & Miller, 1992). In America, there have been some accounts of the design and content of courses that engage with spirituality more generally (Okundaye, Gray, & Gray, 1999). There are also surveys of educators and students about the inclusion of spirituality in social work curriculum in America, Australia, the United Kingdom and Canada (Coholic, 2006;Csiernik & Adams, 2002;Furman, Benson, Grimwood, & Canda, 2004;Gilligan & Furness, 2006;Kamya, 2000;Lindsay, 2002;Sheridan & Amato-von Hemert, 1999;Sheridan, Wilmer, & Atcheson, 1994).…”

Integrating Spirituality into the Social Work Curriculum

“…Derezotes (1994) advocated (a) models of spiritual development, (b) diversity of values, and (c) related assessment and intervention skills. Other suggestions included adding knowledge on organized religion for macropractice (Netting, Thibault, & Ellor, 1990); on humanism, transpersonalism, and Eastern traditions of spirituality for micropractice (Cowley & Derezotes, 1994;Okundaye, Gray, & Gray, 1999;& Sermabeikian, 1994); on Jewish ethnic needs and anti-Semitism in churches (Cnaan, Goodfriend, & Newman, 1996;Soifer, 1991); on fundamentalist families (Denton, 1990); and on the role of clergy in Afro-American communities (Taylor, Ellison, Chatters, Levin, & Lincoln, 1999). Implementation of these elements may well demand specific curriculum and expertise, beyond simply making faculty members aware of spiritual and religious issues in social work practice.…”