Social Work and Spiritual Counseling: Results of One State Audit

Interdisciplinary care is the foundation of hospice service for the terminally ill. This model of care includes a holistic focus on the patient and family, including not only physical and medical management but also psychological and spiritual needs. The importance of social issues is acknowledged and supported through federal and state regulations requiring social work and spiritual counseling services as a part of the hospice care team. State regulatory reports were analyzed to identify compliance issues for social workers and spiritual counselors within hospice programs in a midwestern state. Problems with care planning, assessment, and bereavement services were identified in this process. Deficiencies point to the opportunities for social work educators to improve the training of future hospice social workers and the challenges involved in training spiritual counselors.