Spiritual Diversity in Social Work Practice

Edward R. Canda, M.A., MSW, Ph.D., is Professor and Coordinator of the Spiritual Diversity and Social Work Initiative at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare. In 2013, the national Council on Social Work Education conferred Dr. Canda with the Significant Lifetime Achievement Award for innovations on spiritual diversity and spiritual development. Dr. Canda has published 14 books, 7 journal special editions, and more than 150 other articles and chapters,most related to connections between spirituality and cultural diversity in social work. He has also conducted more than 160 presentations nationally and internationally.Leola Dyrud Furman, MSW, Ph.D., is Associate Professor Emerita in Social Work at the University of North Dakota. She is principal investigator of the International Study of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work Practice. Dr. Furman has published widely from her international survey studies together with colleagues in New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States.Hwi-Ja Canda, LSCSW, recently retired as medical social worker after 29 years at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, Lawrence, Kansas. She also taught courses on health, spiritual diversity, and practicum education for the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare. She is a Licensed Specialist Clinical Social Worker and has advanced certifications from the National Association of Social Workers as a social work care manager and health care social worker. Ms. Canda has done many presentationsinternationally on spirituality and social work in health settings, hospice, and palliative care.