Biopsychosocial-Spiritual Assessment

What is Biopsychosocial-spiritual Assessment? › The social work profession is unique among healthcare disciplines in its emphasis on

assessing and treating the client from a person-in-environmentperspective, meaning that social workers conceptualize the client and his or her physical and mental health needs as existing within a social context. The social worker not only looks at psychological or physical needs but also assesses how the client is affected by his or her environment and how the client’s spirituality influences his or her overall sense of well-being.Spirituality can be defined as one’s religious beliefs and practices as well as one’s sense of purpose and meaning in life. As the term indicates, a biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment evaluates the client in four domains: biological, psychological, social, and spiritual (Lacks & Lamson, 2018). This assessment is both the process of gathering information about these domains and their interconnectedness and a written document that is used to determine treatment goals and objectives for the client • What: Biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment is a holistic approach to understanding

the client’s experiences, including his or her physical and mental health. The biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment is the primary means used by the social worker to evaluate a client’s treatment needs. It consists of a variety of activities and processes used to gather information about a client’s current circumstances, needs, risk and protective factors, and the environmental context within which these elements exist. These elements are organized into a written document, which is used to determine treatment goals and objectives. In mental health settings, the biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment is also used to help determine the mental health diagnosis for the client. While the specifics of each assessment will vary based on the client’s age and challenges, a biopsychosocial-spiritualassessment will always include information from all four domains