Social Work Field Education in and with Congregations and Religiously-Affiliated Organizations in a Christian Context

Recent attention to human spirituality, research on congregationally-related practice, and growth in employment within religiously-based organizations energize the creation of educational initiatives to prepare future professionals for competent social work practice within these settings. Internship...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Religions
Authors: Harris, Helen (Author) ; Myers, Dennis (Author) ; Yancey, Gaynor (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: MDPI [2016]
In: Religions
Further subjects:B Congregations
B field education
B RAOs
B faith and service
B social work partnerships
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:Recent attention to human spirituality, research on congregationally-related practice, and growth in employment within religiously-based organizations energize the creation of educational initiatives to prepare future professionals for competent social work practice within these settings. Internship experiences with congregations and religiously-affiliated organizations (RAOs) play a pivotal role in delivering the competencies required by the social work accreditation body. Conceptual tools are needed for understanding congregationally-related practice, for navigating potential conflict between faith and professional practice, and for delivering effective internship experiences. This article, written from the faculty's perspective of a Christian, religiously affiliated social work degree program, offers a framework for conceptualizing social work with congregations and RAOs and a beginning discussion for sorting out dilemmas in the integration of faith and practice in these settings. Two models, individual placement and rotational model placement, for congregationally-related internship experiences are presented and evaluated. Recommendations for enriched internship learning and future research are offered.
ISSN:2077-1444
Contains:Enthalten in: Religions
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.3390/rel7050052