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Helping Future Clinicians Grow Comfortable with Spiritually Responsive Care
What is it about?
This study looks at how reflection can better prepare undergraduate speech-language pathology students to address patients’ spiritual needs. We proposed that through activities like reflective writing and discussion, students would learn to examine their own beliefs and biases, developing greater self-awareness and a deeper understanding of how spirituality has shaped their own lives. In turn, this would increase their comfort in having spiritual conversations with future patients.
Why is it important?
Students and practicing clinicians are often unsure how to handle spiritual issues when they come up during therapeutic care. They don’t want to be intrusive, but ignoring these concerns can feel just as wrong. Reflective activities give them space to sit with that discomfort, think it through, and approach it with greater thoughtfulness. This helps prepare them to respond more fully to patient needs and provide care that is truly patient-centered.