Spiritual Assessment in Social Work and Mental Health Practice

Spirituality often plays a critical role in health and wellness, but the process through which practitioners can identify and use clients' spiritual strengths has not been explored in any detail. To address this gap, this practice-oriented text equips helping professionals with the tools needed to administer spiritual assessments in ethically and professionally. David Hodge outlines a number of approaches to assessment, including an implicit approach to evaluate "secular" forms of spirituality. Case examples illustrate the implementation of these approaches in different clinical settings with diverse groups.

David Hodge, Ph.D., MSW, is an associate professor at Arizona State University's School of Social Work. He also holds nonresident appointments at Duke, Baylor, and the University of Pennsylvania. An internationally recognized scholar in spirituality, religion, and culture, Hodge has written extensively on spiritual assessment and intervention with diverse groups.