Working with Hindu Clients in a Spiritually Sensitive Manner

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

71 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although social work is witnessing growing interest in spiritual and religious issues, little guidance has appeared in the literature to assist practitioners in addressing the unique spirituality of rapidly increasing non-Western populations. This article discusses the significant cultural/spiritual beliefs, practices, and values of Hindus, the largest Asian religion in the United States. Possible conflicts emanating from the lack of congruence between the values of Hindu consumers, derived from the dharma-the sacred moral order-and the values of social workers, derived from a Western Enlightenment discourse, are highlighted. The author offers practice-oriented suggestions to facilitate cultural sensitivity and to further integrate the spiritual strengths of Hindus into the clinical dialogue.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)27-38
Number of pages12
JournalSocial work
Volume49
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 2004
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Dharma
  • Diversity
  • Hinduism
  • Religion
  • Spirituality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Working with Hindu Clients in a Spiritually Sensitive Manner'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this