| Spiritual or religious assessment addresses the question about the spiritual needs, pain and distress on part of the care receiver. This topic, which belongs to the very heart of counselling, has widely been researched and implemented in the spiritual care to peoplein health care contexts abroad - especially in the United States. In the Netherlands, however, this matter has only recently become a subject of discussion. Yet it has been recognised by the professional society of spiritual caregivers in the Netherlands as a fundamental part of the professional baggage of caregivers. Mainly spiritual caregivers and pastors contemplate the meaning and practical implications of the assessment of the spiritual needs of their patients or clients, but there are signs that also in therapeutic contexts (especially psychiatry) the interest is waxing. Not much research has been done (in the Netherlands and Europe) on the question of the fundamentals and principles of spiritual, c.q. religious assessment. What do Dutch, c.q. Europian (pastoral) psychological, (practical) theological, religious and philosophical resources contribute to new theories in this realm? Is it possible to come to a 'Dutch' or 'European' model in this regard? These questions will be the leading questions of this project. |
