Social Workers' Perceived Barriers to and Sources of Support for Integrating Clients' Religion and Spirituality in Practice

This article describes the qualitative responses from a national sample of licensed clinical social workers (LCSWs) on their views regarding integrating clients' religion and spirituality (RS) in practice. Two open-ended questions were asked to assess what helps or assists LCSWs in assessing and integrating clients' RS in practice and what hinders or prevents LCSWs from considering this area of clients' lives. A total of 329 responded to either item, with 319 responses to the first item and 279 responses to the second. The authors used open-coding procedures, developed a codebook to analyze the data, and reached consensus on each response. Overarching themes that emerged from LCSWs' responses to what helps them consider this area included personal religiosity, education, and having an RS-sensitive practice. Regarding what hinders RS integration, LCSWs reported that nothing hinders such integration; that it was not relevant; or listed various barriers, including a lack of training, client discouraging the discussion, or experiencing fear or perceiving RS as a taboo topic. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for social work education and practice.