Work with People in Mental Distress Who Access Spirituality/Religion

Abstract When social workers assist people in mental distress, complexity is added if clients self-identify as spiritual/religious. It can be challenging to know how to proceed in a helpful manner. Issues related to understanding what people are going through and how best to assist are centrally important for social workers to consider. To explore these concerns, we examine key social work ideas of social justice and holistic practice as related to spiritual/religious clients’ well-being. Following that analysis, main stream assumptions about mental illness from the medical model are reviewed. Mad Studies is then investigated with an emphasis on the term ‘mental distress’ which we have found to be a useful consideration to effectively work with people. This understanding is in harmony with holistic practice and social justice. From the insights gained from the literature, and our own experiences as counsellors, we explore constructive principles related to work with people in mental distress who are accessing spiritual/religious resources. To do this, we present a case study to review and propose strategies in working with spiritual/religious people experiencing mental distress.