Spirituality and social work: Introducing a spiritual dimension into social work education and practice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11157/anzswj-vol26iss4id27Abstract
Against a background of growing international interest in the place of spirituality in social work education and practice, this paper describes a qualitative study of the spiritual expe- riences of non-Māori social work students at Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, and the application of spirituality to their practice as social workers. The study found that both the programme and Wānanga environment enhanced and deepened participants’ own spirituality and flowed through into their practice. Elements of the Wānanga programme which contributed to the students’ spiritual development are identified, along with a discussion of the influence of the bicultural nature of the programme and take pū on their practice.
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