[e.g., SW 550: Advanced Clinical Practice]
American Psychological Association. (2017). Multicultural guidelines: An ecological approach to context, identity, and intersectionality . APA. spirituality and the helping professions pdf
Park, C. L., & Slattery, J. M. (2021). Religion, spirituality, and meaning in life. In R. F. Paloutzian & C. L. Park (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of religion and spirituality (3rd ed., pp. 245–264). Guilford Press. connection to the sacred
Any meaningful discussion must begin with differentiation. Religion typically refers to an organized system of beliefs, practices, rituals, and community structures shared by a group (Koenig, 2018). Spirituality , by contrast, is broader and more individual: a personal quest for meaning, purpose, connection to the sacred, or transcendence beyond the ego. A client may be deeply spiritual (e.g., meditating daily, feeling awe in nature) while rejecting institutional religion. Conversely, a religious client may struggle with spiritual dryness or doubt. The helping professional’s task is not to adjudicate these categories but to explore their lived significance for each unique person. L. Park (Eds.)