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An Exploration of the Relationship Between Spirituality Snd Social Justice Work Of An Exploration of the Relationship between Spirituality snd Social Justice Work of Counselors and Counselor Educators A dissertation presented to the faculty of the College of Education of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Tiffany Ayn Hawkins Gunnells June 2008 2 © 2008 Tiffany Ayn Hawkins Gunnells All Rights Reserved 3 This dissertation titled An Exploration of the Relationship between Spirituality and Social Justice Work of Counselors and Counselor Educators by TIFFANY AYN HAWKINS GUNNELLS has been approved for the Department of Counseling and Higher Education and the College of Education by Dana Heller Levitt Associate Professor of Counseling and Higher Education Renée A. Middleton Dean, College of Education 4 ABSTRACT Gunnells, Tiffany Ayn Hawkins, Ph.D., June 2008, Counselor Education An Exploration of the Relationship between Spirituality and Social Justice Work of Counselors and Counselor Educators (253 pp.) Director of Dissertation: Dana Heller Levitt The counseling profession recognizes spirituality as a focus of research, education, and practice (Miranti & Burke, 1998). Recently, social justice has been defined as the Fifth Force within the counseling profession (Ratts, D’Andrea, & Arredondo, 2005). The purpose of this study is to examine the role of spirituality in the social justice work of counselors and counselor educators. This study has been informed by literature from a variety of areas: (a) descriptions of spirituality with similarities and distinctions from religion, (b) spirituality in counseling, (c) multicultural issues within counseling, (d) social justice in counseling, (e) intersection of social justice and religion in history, (f) contemporary intersections of social justice and religion, (g) role of spirituality in female adult educators involved with social action education, and (h) ego- transcendence in leadership. The following research questions informed this research: 1. What is the intersection between spirituality and social justice in the work and lives of counselors and counselor educators? 2. How do participants describe/make meaning of spirituality? 3. How do participants describe/make meaning of social justice? A qualitative methodology framed through a phenomenological inquiry was employed to explore in greater depth the meanings and experiences of spirituality for counseling 5 professionals involved in social justice activities. A combination of a structured demographic questionnaire and semi-structured interviews was used to gather data. Sampling was done through purposive and snowball sampling from Counselors for Social Justice and the Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling, divisions within the American Counseling Association. The use of multiple sources increased the credibility and trustworthiness of the data. Results elicited five major themes: Connections, Relationship and Kinships, Meaning: Frameworks for Living/“Beingness”, Transformation and Evolution, and Challenges. The majority of co-researchers shared that spirituality is intertwined with all they do and for some it informs their social justice work. Others found their spirituality was not a necessary prerequisite for social justice work. The descriptions of spirituality and social justice varied for each co-researcher. Implications for counseling practice, counselor education pedagogy, supervision, and outreach will be presented. Approved: _____________________________________________________________ Dana Heller Levitt Associate Professor of Counseling and Higher Education 6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS “Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8 There are so many people who have walked with me in this journey that it is difficult to put into words the ways you have inspired me, supported me, and guided me. You have worried with me, listened about my dissertation seeking to understand - when your willingness to listen was what I really needed, and when I was discouraged and felt like I just couldn’t keep writing, you reminded me of my passion and commitment to serve others and see the world transformed. First I would like to thank my wonderful and loving husband, Christopher. You came back into my life while I was in the middle of the chaos of a doctoral program. You joined in the journey and have weathered this storm with me. I finally finished this BIG paper with your help, your optimism, your laughter, and your presence in my life. Thank you for believing in me, especially when I was overcome with doubt and discouragement. You have been my light, my love. To my parents, Byron and Jean Hawkins, without whom I would have never gotten here in the first place. Dad, you planted this seed a long time ago. You believed that your little girl was capable of great and amazing things even when I didn’t believe it. Thank you for your vision. Mom thank you for continuing to believe in me and gently urging me on, your calm has been priceless. Both of you have been models of love, sacrifice, and hospitality. Thank you for bringing the world to us and opening your doors to so many people who eventually became “family”. So, I honor you by writing this with your name and my new name. I started as a Hawkins and finished as a Gunnells. To my 7 sister, Tiara, and her husband, Damien, you and your apartment in Cleveland were my retreat and respite throughout my doctorate. I love you all! To my in-laws, Greg, Diana, and Allison, I am so blessed to have you as family and friends. Diana thank you for all the great resources, my personal librarian. To all of you, thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and genuine interest in this process. I would not be here if it were not for my extended family of amazing and supportive friends in Athens, Ohio, Colorado, and around the world. Each of you has expanded my understanding of service, love, commitment, and faith. Maria, you’re my emotional rock, Chris, you have expanded my life and my vocabulary, and Paul, you always engage my critical thinking and challenge me to go deeper in my faith. To all of my numerous friends, thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and patience. To my teachers and mentors: Tamara White, Donna Menigat, Dorothy Leal, and so many others, your examples and challenges have sharpened my heart and mind and assisted me on my path. Dr. Dana Levitt, my advisor, teacher, and mentor, you have been a wonderful role model of professionalism, dedication, and humility. Your life is proof that women can be great counselor education professors and wonderful mothers. Your genuineness, transparency, and dependability have been lamp posts for me while in this program. Thank you for pushing me forward and coaching me on. I am sincerely grateful to my dissertation committee for their guidance throughout process. To Dr. Tracy Leinbaugh, thank you for helping me to see the details and increasing my awareness of social justice issues. Dr. Dianne Gut, I am so grateful for your willingness to help me in this process on short notice and long distance. Dr. Peter 8 Mather, thank you for being my methodologist and providing guidance in the process, your words have challenged me continue to wrestle with my own meaning-making. To the co-researchers of this study, thank you for allowing me to listen to your stories. I feel blessed and honored by your words. I had so much fun and am inspired by your work and your lives. I hope that our paths may cross again. May you continue to be true to your journeys. Finally, I would like to thank my students and clients. This labor of love is a service in the hopes that all of you may be a part of a society and world where people can experience equity and “harmony.” 9 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………….…….4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ..................................................................................6 LIST OF TABLES ..............................................................................................15 LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................16 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................17 Background of the Study ....................................................................................18 Spirituality in Counseling ...........................................................................18 Social Justice in Counseling .......................................................................19 Statement of the Problem ....................................................................................19 Purpose of the Study ...........................................................................................22 Significance of the Study ....................................................................................22 Limitations and Delimitations of the Study ........................................................25 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………...26 Defining and Describing Terms ..........................................................................27 CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ............................................32 Spirituality and Religion: One in the Same or Different? ...................................32 Religion Described......................................................................................33 Spirituality Described .................................................................................33 Religion and Spirituality - Intersections .....................................................36
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