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Belief in God is one of the most interesting constructs in the clinical practice of bereavement counseling. About  90% of Americans believe in God, though only about 2/3 of those are “absolutely certain” of the existence of such a divine force in the universe (Pew Research Center, 2015). Canadians have been thought to be somewhat less religious overall; a 2012 poll indicated about 2/3 of Canadians believed in a god (Boswell, 2012). Opinion polls can provide estimates of overall population trends but they are notoriously difficult to interpret; even with advances in technology, different polling methodologies can produce results that vary widely.
What counseling professionals and volunteers are most interested in discovering, however, is the belief system of the individual with whom I am now working and thorough spiritual assessment is essential in bereavement work. Death-related losses raise a host of spiritual issues, even for the 20% to 30% of the population who identify themselves without any religious affiliation as they seek to make meaning of the loss and, in many cases, better understand the relationship of divine forces to their loss. This month and next, GriefPerspectives will examine the role these motifs may have in bereavement work.
 In assessing the role of spirituality in an individual’s loss narrative, it seems important to consider the bereaved person’s perspective on suffering, relationship with God, and connection to a faith community. Here are some of my favorite questions; they can provide a foundation for assessment or they can lead to a lengthy discussion.
- What are you making of this right now? Is that something you would like to talk through with me?
- Would you mind telling me a bit about your faith or belief system and how you think that relates to your perspective on loss?
- To you, does God seem close at hand, far off, or somewhere in between?
- Do you have a faith community to which you feel connected? In what ways do you see that community as a helpful or deficient support system for you? Are there ways you want that connection to be different?
- What have been the hardest parts of this experience to make sense to you?
When supporting dying individuals and their families, I like to inquire about perspectives on suffering, unfinished tasks, and notable fears or anxieties; next month’s issue will examine these ideas more closely.
References:
Boswell, R. (2012). Religion not important to most Canadians, although majority believe in God: Poll. Retrieved from http://news.nationalpost.com/holy-post/religion-not-important-to-most-canadians-although-majority-believe-in-god-poll
Hoy, W.G. (2016). Bereavement groups and the role of social support: Integrating theory, research, and practice. New York, NY: Routledge.
Kiefer, H.M. (2004). Divine subjects: Canadians believe, Britons skeptical. Retrieved from http://www.gallup.com/poll/14083/divine-subjects-canadians-believe-britons-skeptical.aspx
The Author: For more than three decades, William G. Hoy has been counseling with the bereaved, supporting the dying and their families, and teaching colleagues how to provide effective care. After a career in congregation, hospice, and educational resource practice, he now holds a full-time teaching appointment as Clinical Professor of Medical Humanities at Baylor University in Waco, Texas where he has taught since 2012. His most recent book is Bereavement Groups and the Role of Social Support: Bridging Theory, Research, and Practice (Routledge, 2016).
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At the time this article was published in 2008, the authors noted that the notion of the helpfulness of spirituality in bereavement had been assumed but not always verified in research. They undertook an analysis of 73 empirical articles examining religion/spirituality in the context of bereavement. The authors describe the multidimensional nature of religion/spirituality and then utilize that framework to analyze the findings in the studies. What they found was that overall, the results are generally positive between religion and adjustment to bereavement but that there are widely varied ways of measuring religious constructs.