Click to close window and return to SCRC

SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT

About Spiritual Assessment

Course Description

Religious and spiritual functioning is an important issue for most clients, and problems in this area can be the focus of therapy. A recent survey of psychologists found that while most believe client religiousness/spirituality is an important area of functioning, most do not routinely assess this domain or address it in treatment planning. In this course, participants will learn the historical background of the relationship between psychology and religion/spirituality, and three different approaches for assessing religious and spiritual functioning: 1) the FICA which is currently taught in over half of medical schools in the USA and only takes a few minutes; 2) a more extensive religious and spiritual history; 3) a timeline to elicit important turrning points in a person’s spiritual life.

Course Objectives

At the end of this course, you will be able to:

  1. Define the difference between religion and spirituality
  2. Summarize the historical and contemporary relationship between psychology and religion/spirituality
  3. Understand your own spiritual background and issues
  4. Learn how to conduct spiritual assessments using structured interviews and other instruments
  5. Identify common spiritual problems clients bring into therapy

Instructions for Taking This Course

The lessons for this course are online. For ease of later access, bookmark the Course Home Page, although you can always access it from the SCRC homepage.

Each lesson opens into a new window, so when you are finished with a lesson, just close that window. The Course Homepage will still be there.

Or you can move to the next lesson by clicking on the Next Lesson link at the bottom of each lesson page.

Each link also opens into a new window, so when you are finished with visiting a site, close that window and you will return to the lesson.

Most of the time you will be visiting sites on the Internet. Thus you will need to have online access most of the time during the course. You can print the lessons out for even easier reading off-line, and then go back online to visit the links. None of the sites in this course charge for using their resources.

Course Links 

RESOURCE KEY:

RESOURCE KEY:
Audio
Website
Document
Quiz

 Four types of links are used in the course.

The links marked with the this icon are required for CE credit. Some are Quiz items and some are Quest Search exercises which require finding a specific piece of information or type of resource. The Webquest is a popular method for teaching Internet skills in k-12 settings. I have adapted that approach because it is congruent with my commitment to a constructivist approach to education that fosters learning by doing. Note that 75% of the Quiz and Quest Search exercises need to be completed correctly so if you have difficulty locating one of the resources, just go on to the next Quiz item.

This site makes extensive use of Quicktime. To download the latest version of the FREE Quicktime player,click the image below:

Get Quicktime

Approvals

  • Spiritual Competency Resource Center has approvals from:
  • California Board of Behavioral Sciences
  • California Board of Registered Nursing

Instructions for CE credit

Collecting CE requires filling out the CE Quiz Form and paying the tuition fee of $49. You can register and fill out the Online CE Quiz Form (includes a secure form for credit card payment). Most people prefer to print out this form and fill it in as they work their way through the course. Then complete the form online or mail or fax it (instructions are on the form). Include the tuition fee of $49 by check or credit card number. Your certificate awarding 5 hours of CE will be e-mailed to you.

Help with the Course

You can contact the instructor, Dr. David Lukoff, via email or by toll-free phone at 707-763-3576.

Software and Equipment Needed

You only need to have access to a computer with Internet service and a browser such as Netscape Navigator or Internet Explorer or Safari (which you must have to be reading this!) Public libraries usually offer free access to the Internet.

Cost & Refund Policy

This course is free to preview. If prepayment is made, then a full refund is available at any point for any reason up until CE is awarded. Full refund is also available if your state board does not accept the type of CE that SCRC awards. Contact the instructor, Dr. David Lukoff, via email or by phone at 707-763-3576 to request a refund.

Difficulties

If you can't get to a link , the server for that site may temporarily be experiencing problems. If a link doesn't work, skip it and come back to it later. The site will probably be back up. Occasionally a site used in this course may have been taken down. Availability of links is checked regularly. If you have persisting trouble accessing a site, please notify the instructor, but you can complete the course even if you skip a couple of the links.

It takes a long time for web site to appear

The World Wide Web has also been called the World Wide Wait. If you are using a slow speed modem (28k or less), or an older computer with a slow processor, web pages can take one or more minutes to appear. I have the late model Apple G5 Macintosh with a cable modem, and this combination brings up most web pages in a few seconds. Many universities and libraries provide high speed access. Web pages do come up sooner when they are revisited because parts of the page are saved in a "cache" on your hard disk. The video portions of this course have been designed with both low and high bandwidth options.

Course Outline and Suggested Times

There is some flexibility as to how to spend your time. The expectation is that you will spend 5 hours total on this course.

  • Introduction to Course-15 minutes
  • Spiritual Assessment Introduction-25 minutes
  • JCAHCO-10 minutes
  • Research 20 minutes
  • Spiritual Inventory case example 15 minutes
  • Interview with Dr. Christina Puchalski 15 minutes
  • Spirituality: Don't make patients check it at the door 15 minutes
  • Dr. Koenig: Spiritual Assessment in Medical Practice 15 minutes
  • Physicians and Patient Spirituality: Professional Boundaries,
  • Competency, and Ethics 60 minutes
  • The George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health 20 minutes
  • University of Minnesota : Geriatric Spiritual Assessment 10 minutes

Instruments  

  • FICA 15 minutes
  • Religious and Spiritual History 25 minutes
  • Timeline 25 minutes
  • Filling out Continuing Education Quiz and Evaluation Forms 15 minutes
Close Window Back to the Top