Spirituality; Considerations in Clinical Assessment

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Spirituality: Considerations in Clinical Assessment The role of spirituality and religion in sickness and health has gained ascendency in recent years, not merely belonging to religious leaders but rather a part of an integrated human growth and development experience and theory. However, there exists some confusion, even among professionals as to what defines and constitutes religion versus what defines and comprises spirituality. It is therefore the purpose of this essay to both define and examine spirituality and its roles in the context of human development as well as its implications for psychological assessment. Religion as it relates to spirituality will be alluded to but will not be the focus of this article. This account will firstly cover the definitions and conceptualizations associated with the term ‘spirituality’ and the integrated rendering of the brand provided by Melanie Munk, contributing author of Chapter 16 of the course text (Comstock, 2005, p319). Furthermore, it will focus on James Fowler’s (1981, as cited in Comstock, 2005) Stages of Faith Model, being the most frequently cited work for illustrating spiritual development across the life span, and its relevance for clinical assessment. Special emphasis is also placed on spirituality in later adulthood and the diverse but comparable models that help explain this significance. Thirdly, the prominence of Identity and its varied contexts as it emerges from within the backdrop of spirituality will also be highlighted laying weight on culture, gender and sexual orientation. To finish, the basis and repercussions of spirituality to clinical assessment (and interventions to some extent) will be explored via the research and recommendations of empirical studies and professionals from the field of counseling, psychology and/or psychiatry. Spirituality is an elusive term to define within the

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