Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice The Heart of Helping

Edward R. Canda, M.A., MSW, Ph.D., is Professor and Coordinator of the Spiritual Diversity and Social Work Initiative at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare. In 2013, the national Council on Social Work Education conferred Dr. Canda with the Significant Lifetime Achievement Award for innovations on spiritual diversity and spiritual development. Dr. Canda has published 14 books, 7 journal special editions, and more than 150 other articles and chapters, most related to connections between spirituality and cultural diversity in social work. He has also conducted more than 160 presentations nationally and internationally.

Leola Dyrud Furman, MSW, Ph.D., is Associate Professor Emerita in Social Work at the University of North Dakota. She is principal investigator of the International Study of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Practice. Dr. Furman has published widely from her international survey studies together with colleagues in New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Hwi-Ja Canda, LSCSW, recently retired as medical social worker after 29 years at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence, Kansas. She also taught courses on health, spiritual diversity, and practicum education for the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare. She is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker and has advanced certifications from the National Association of Social Workers as a social work care manager and health care social worker. Ms. Canda has done many presentations internationally on spirituality and social work in health settings, hospice, and palliative care.

Part I Central Values and Concepts for Spiritually Sensitive Social Work
1 Guiding Principles
2 Compassion, the Call to Service, and Ethical Principles for Social Work
3 The Meaning of Spirituality

Part II Exploring Spiritual Diversity for Social Work Practice
4 Human Diversity, Spirituality, and Social Work Practice
5 Religious Perspectives on Social Service and Implications for Social Work Practice
6 Nonsectarian Spiritual Perspectives, Comparisons, and Implications for Cooperation

Part III Spiritually Sensitive Social Work in Action
7 Creating a Spiritually Sensitive Context for Practice
8 Spiritual Development
9 Spiritual Assessment
10 Ethical Guidelines for Spiritually Sensitive and Culturally Appropriate Practice
11 Spiritual Growth Promoting Practices
12 Transformational Process in Spiritually Sensitive Social Work Practice
13 A Worldwide View

Appendix: Methodological Summary for the 2008 National
Survey of NASW Members (U.S.A.) on Spirituality and Religion in Practice