Repository | Book | Chapter

Understanding the religious client is more than grasping the facts about a client's religion. This chapter, as a general discussion about a relational theory of the religious self and its implications for social work practice, aspires to encourage social work practitioners and educators to consider afresh the idea of diversity in social work practice. The meanings that our clients derive from their religious affections are constitutive of their sense of self. The interplay of one's gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and religious values are representative of the various and diverse characteristics of the client. They each influence the other. This interaction impacts the feelings and behavior and the choices the client makes on a daily basis. In this sense, knowing the content of our client's religious orientation is not enough. The ways in which the client's religious values give him or her meaning and mediate the way the client sees the world, himself or herself, others, and God is crucial in seeking to understand the diversity that is within and among groups and some of its implications for social work practice.

DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-6681-9_5

Full citation: