ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests a spiritual approach to social work practice reflective of one of the key overarching findings of this research programme – the importance of linking paradigmatic positioning with practice. It begins to challenge secular's position by putting forth an approach to practice that focuses on the practitioner's spiritual paradigmatic positioning as the foundation of a spiritual approach to social work practice. A truly spiritual approach is paradigmatic – resolutely positioned within and informed by a spiritual perspective. A spiritual approach is unapologetically guided by the ontological, epistemological and methodological understandings of the spiritual paradigm and recognises its value and validity irrespective of the dominant discourse's attempts to undermine, exclude and marginalise. The foundations of any spiritual practice or spiritual approach to social work is one's paradigmatic positioning. The chapter demonstrates how the Integrated Spiritual Paradigm that is the foundation of the professional practice framework has influenced the author's practice as a social worker.
