| Description
In the helping relationship, the client is perceived to have the greater need, and the helper greater re-source for overcoming challenges and facilitating growth. Spiritually, however, both helper and client have equal access to divine wisdom and guidance, the ultimate source of love and healing. Thus, both client and helper are re-sources to the other, validating each one’s expression of God-given gifts, and expanding to embrace differences. The helping relationship may be conceptualized as a mutual discernment process, a spiritual friendship with a focus on the client’s choices, their implementation and outcome. Helpers often are taught during their training to focus exclusively upon the client’s needs and growth during sessions. However, openness to the idea of clients also being the helper’s teacher offers a rich opportunity for the helper’s own growth well beyond their professional training. This workshop will offer tools and strategies for helpers to hear more clearly the voice of God within themselves as they respond to their clients’ needs. Many helpers experience challenges with respectfully facilitating the spiritual formation of clients who do not share their faith beliefs. Witnessing to them may not be well-received, while demonstration of the helper’s faith beliefs in the way they respond to the client is more likely to be effective. Paradoxically, by remaining unattached to what faith beliefs a client holds, the helper grows in acceptance and capacity to love unconditionally. This workshop will consider the concept of spiritual integrity, and how the helper’s and client’s level of spiritual integrity affect the role of diagnosis, languaging, and attachment in the helping process. We will discuss the ethics of love (faith and commitment), the language of HOPE, ways of doing business unconditionally, and specific tools and strategies for facilitating the spiritual formation of both helper and client. Participants will have opportunities to participate and practice skills. Co-presenter and NACSW Executive Director Rick Chamiec-Case will address ethical issues that arise when the spiritual and religious beliefs of the social worker come into contact with the spiritual and religious beliefs of the care receiver – and the social worker’s responsibility to be particularly sensitive to issues like obtaining informed consent, being aware of client vulnerability, and being in tune with issues like power and appropriate boundaries in our interactions with care receivers.
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Learning
Objectives
As a result of participating in this workshop, participants will be able to: Identify respectful ways to be an agent of spiritual formation regardless of differences and similarities in faith beliefs between helper and client Describe practices which may limit client growth Expand skills in re-framing fear or despair, to create HOPE |
