About CSSW

"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience." Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ (attributed)

The Center for Spirituality and Social Work (CSSW) is a continuing education and research center within the National Catholic School of Social Service, which is dedicated to promoting knowledge, values, and skills for spiritually sensitive practice. CSSW strives to increase awareness of the role of both religious and non-religious expressions of spirituality in all aspects of life. Part of this commitment is to deepen respect and understanding across diverse spiritual traditions and worldviews. Spiritually-sensitive social work entails practice at all levels of practice – with individuals, couples, families, groups, organizations, and communities. It also includes attention to the natural environment as well, focusing on eco-justice and sustainability as spiritual issues. Spiritually-sensitive practice also requires attention to the growth and development of the individual practitioner, recognizing that nurturing our spiritual selves not only benefits us, but also those we serve.

Our Continuing Education events address these goals through offering a range of learning opportunities to social work practitioners, educators, and students, as well as members of the broader community. This includes events developed through the Center as well as continuing education opportunities co-sponsored with other community partners. A centerpiece is our Continuing Education Certificate Program on Spiritually Sensitive Program, which includes three full-day Workshops, plus participation in a five-session Clinical Practice Seminar Series. The three Workshops can be attended individually as well as part of the larger Certificate Program. Click here for upcoming CSSW continuing education events.

Our Research initiatives focus on engaging in state-of-the-art study of the role spirituality in the human condition, as well as its inclusion in social work practice and education. Most recently, the Center completed a two-year study on religion and spirituality as health protective factors for African American caregivers of elders. This research was one of only 7 national research projects funded under the John Templeton Foundation’s initiative on spirituality and health. Click here for information regarding previous and ongoing research projects.

 News and Events

We are completing our third Continuing Education Certificate Program on Spiritually Sensitive Practice for Spring 2012 The focus of this year’s workshops has been on “Spiritually Sensitive Practice: Client Conflicts & Practitioner Challenges.” We will be offering three daylong workshops on this theme. Although the Certificate Program is now full, you can still register for the remaining workshop with Richard Miller on April 28th! Click here for further information.

You can also become a member of the national “Society for Spirituality and Social Work” through this website. Just click on the“Join the Society”link for membership. Annual membership includes discounts for Society conferences and events, a newsletter (the SSSW Forum), and a subscription to the Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, which is published by Francis and Taylor quarterly.

Join the Society

Other Important Organizations

The Center is also connected to a variety of other organizations congruent with its mission. As a member of the U.S. Society for Spirituality and Social Work (SSSW), we hosted the 6th North American Conference on Spirituality and Social Work in June, 2010. You can become a member of SSSW through this website - just click on “Join the Society.” Annual membership includes discounts for Society conferences and events, a newsletter (the SSSW Forum), and a subscription to the Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, published quarterly by Francis & Taylor.

We will be a co-sponsor of the upcoming 7th North American Conference on Spirituality and Social Work, taking place in Thunder Bay, Ontario in June, 2012, hosted by the Canadian Society for Spirituality and Social Work. Click on the links for information about this conference.

Our Director is also a member of the Religion and Spirituality Working (RSW) Group of the Council on Social Work Education, which has just launched the “Religion and Spirituality Clearinghouse,” an online repository of peer-reviewed educational resources for academic and professional continuing education settings. This is an excellent resource for educators interested in infusing materials on spirituality into their courses.