LOS ANGELES COUNTY
DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH
  Policy 311.01 Integrating Clients' Religious and Spiritual Interests into Mental Health Services
 
  PROCEDURES
  1. Workforce members may assist clients and families with linkages to spiritual and religious resources of the client’s choice upon a client’s request.
     
  2. Workforce members are encouraged to complete cultural sensitivity trainings that address spiritual and religious topics.
     
  3. Clinical assessments of clients' spirituality and religious beliefs shall include:
     
    1. A discussion about the importance of this information for:
       
      1. Ensuring culturally sensitive mental health services.
         
      2. Achieving positive recovery outcomes.
         
      3. Identifying a client's strengths, supports, challenges, and resources.
         
    2. Communicating that sharing this information is not a requirement and will not be a basis for discrimination or denial of services.
       
    3. Sensitivity and professional judgment.
       
  4. Key components when assessing a client's spiritual or religious preferences:
     
    1. Client’s choice to include spiritual or religious practice information.
       
    2. The meaning of spirituality to the client, including affinity to any specific spiritual or religious practice.
       
    3. History of the client seeking mental health services as a result of involvement in a spiritual or religious community.
       
    4. The role of spirituality or religion in the client’s life in the past and present.
       
    5. The role of spirituality or religion in the client’s life, plans, or hopes.
       
    6. Current sources of spiritual or religious comfort or guidance.
       
    7. Consultation with the supervisors as needed about spirituality and religion in mental health services. 
       
  5. Workforce members may provide a brief and respectful response in a manner that does not create the appearance of proselytizing if a client or member of the public asks about their spiritual or religious belief system.
     
  6. Workforce members shall use sound professional judgment, considering effects on the client, when choosing to: 
     
    1. Share personal spiritual or religious information. 
       
    2. Participate in spiritual or religious activities with a client (e.g., religious wedding or coming of age ceremony, funeral, etc.).
       
  7. Workforce members may assist clients and families to connect with spiritual or religious resources of their choice when requested.  
     
    1. Such assistance shall be limited to helping them access publicly available information about resources. 
       
    2. Such assistance shall not include choosing a specific spiritual or religious resource for them. 
       
    3. Once the client or family has clearly indicated their interest in a particular spiritual or religious resource, workforce members may facilitate a connection with that specific resource.
       
  8. Workforce members are encouraged to maintain current spiritual and religious resources.
     
    1. Maintain an avenue for receiving referrals from spiritual and religious resources.
       
    2. Respect the value of the information provided by spiritual or religious communities.
       
    3. Respect disclosure constraints of spiritual and religious advisors. 
       
    4. Provide information to spiritual and religious communities about available mental health services.