ABSTRACT
Many different terms are used to refer to spirituality, religiosity, and faith, and often they get used interchangeably, but they can mean many different things to different people and in different contexts. The realm of spirituality is an area that social workers assess and often work with, whether the work is with individuals or larger institutions or communities. For example, using biopsychosocial or ecosystems frameworks, a social worker might include spirituality in the assessment of a client’s psychological realm or engagement with a religious organization in the client’s microsystem. Within the social work literature, there are many definitions of spirituality; many of them are limited in their inclusivity of different perspectives and experiences or ability to be assessed for research or clinical purposes. Regardless of the definitions used to assess and work with spirituality, religiosity, and related concepts, it is important that social workers keep these concepts in mind when working with people, organizations, and communities.
