Assessing Spiritual Needs
Questions to help facilitate discussion of spiritual issues
- How would you describe your philosophy of life? Of illness? How satisfactory is this philosophy to you now?
- How do you express your spirituality?
- What kinds of practices enhance your spirituality?
- How do you understand hope? For what do you hope?
- What helps you the most when you feel afraid or need special help?
- What is especially meaningful to you now? For what do you live? What is most important to you now?
- How has being sick made a difference for you in what or how you believe?
- What does (death, being sick, suffering, pain, etc.) mean to you?
- How do you handle feelings like (anger, doubt, resentment, guilt, bitterness, depression)? How does your spirituality influence how you respond to such a feeling? Do you want spiritual support to deal with such feelings?
- Where do you get the (love, courage, strength, hope, peace, etc.) that you need?
- How is your faith helping (or not helping) you with your illness?
- How do you experience God? (or whatever spiritual being to whom you relate) Is God loving? If so, in what ways?
- Where is God for you now? Where is God for you in this experience?
- How do your spiritual beliefs (or beliefs about the world) impact/influence how you respond to your illness? How does your illness influence your spiritual beliefs (or beliefs about the world)?
