Religion In Social Work

Another important learning point as a result of this assignment was having the opportunity to witness how generationally forced religious views can have a negative impact on individuals; especially when the religious views and concepts are the marker(s) against which a child’s worth, success, or level of acceptance is measured by the parents and/or caregivers. This social worker believes that it is important that a person have the opportunity to choose for him or herself what religious beliefs they will adopt or reject: if they even value religion at all. In fact, if a person is not given the freedom and the opportunity to decide where spirituality fits into their life; then religion will always end up being a set of behaviors, rituals and practices that will cause the individual discouragement anytime they cannot live up to

This social worker spoke in very vague and general terms out of fear that she might inadvertently engage in unethical or unlawful social work practice due to a lack of knowledge and understanding of religious and spiritual principles as they relate to social work. Many social work educational programs ignore the religious and spiritual dimensions of practice; which is difficult for this social worker to understand in light of the fact that so many people, people that we as helping professionals are expected to serve, revolve their entire life around religious and/or spiritual principles. This social worker believes that Taylor’s treatment experience might not have been terminated early by this client’s family if she would have had the necessary knowledge and skills to connect with him and his family on a deeper and more intimate level with regards to the religious and spiritual components that were so prevalent to their