ABSTRACT
Understanding and claiming our own spirituality can prepare us to help our clients discover, understand, and affirm their own spirituality. Religious beliefs may be easier to identify or detect than non-religious spiritual ones. Other religious groups, such as Buddhists and Hindus, refer to the term karma instead of sin. Karma refers to all of the actions, good and bad, of someone, which are viewed as determining the fate of the person in their future and in reincarnated form. Another set of beliefs important to human behavior focus on such concepts as sin, remorse, forgiveness, good and evil, and karma. For children, spiritual qualities that may be most evident are wonder, inquisitiveness, being in the moment, and being playful. Children tend to be spontaneous and activity-driven starting at a young age. Community and professionally based aids such as spiritual directors, shamans, faith healers, pastoral counselors, chaplains in hospitals, and parish nurses are also important resources to consider.
