Running Head: Creating Wellness

Spiritual and Psychological Inventory

Kaprice Estelle

Purdue University Global

HW420: Creating Wellness

Running Head: Creating Wellness

A spiritual and psychological inventory is beneficial to help the client understand their

self on a spectrum of spirituality. “Most people are interested in achieving optimal health;

however, the medical field has been criticized for disproportionately focusing on the elimination

of disease rather than the promotion of health in recent years.” (Bart, 2018). The promotion of

health throughout the questionnaire is to increase the persons overall well-being, positivity, and

self-awareness. My inventory includes an interview of a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner who I

personally consider spiritual. She is a relative of mine and the topic gave me additional insight of

her spiritual journey, while encouraging me to focus more on my own. Focusing on questions to

better understand spiritual, mental, and physical health gives insight as to how the client

perceives the world, as well as how they function in it. Strengthening the overall spiritual

development of the client is the primary focus of the inventory.

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Spirituality and Psychological Self Questionnaire

1. What is your definition of spiritual health?

This question is important to ensure self-awareness of the client. The client must be

aware of who they are as a person and who they want to become. This explains behaviors

and characteristics of the client that may persist. This helps determine relationships,

values, and beliefs of the client. Spiritual health is the foundation for overall well-being.

Knowing your spiritual health creates a balance between mental, emotional, and physical

health.

Response: “Spiritual health is a person’s whole well-being. Making sure you are healthy

mentally, physically, and physically. Spiritual health is knowing what you believe in. I

believe in God and I take my time in God. I focus on prayer and my beliefs in life. For

me, prayer focuses on my mental, physical, and spiritual health.”

2. Is spiritual health connected to mental and physical health?

This question supports the values, beliefs, and integrity of the person. It shows that you

are at peace of mind and have happiness within yourself. Being able to understand the

difference between the three shows compassion, positivity, and overall growth. Spiritual

health can benefit mental and physical health through lowering stress, depression, and

anxiety.

Response: “Yes, they are connected. Physical health is eating healthy, exercising

regularly, and taking care of your body in general. It consists of doing activities to ensure

that you are healthy and are okay. Going to physician visits as preventative care,

checking your blood pressure, and taking other precautions as needed. Mental health is
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being mindful of what causes stress and your way to reduce stress. I reduce stress by

being at work, doing what I love, which is a Psych Nurse Practitioner. I also reduce stress

by taking long showers, taking long walks, sitting outdoors by lakes, and reading the

bible. For me, praying and reading the bible balances my spiritual, mental, and physical

health. This is how they are connected.”

3. When did your spiritual journey begin?

This question shines insight on spiritual growth and which spectrum the patient is in. It

shows spiritual understanding towards reaching short-term or long-term well-being goals.

Spiritual insight can be gained through self-awareness or other thoughts. This question

also examines the clients’ beliefs and values and show other characteristics of the client.

Response: “My beliefs were introduced to me at a young age. My mother would take us

to church as early as the age of 7. In church I learned about God, Jesus, and his story. I

was interested in the spiritual music, which spoke to me. This is when my relationship

with God began. It was a routine to go to church each week. In college I became

spiritually aware. I was able to distinguish between religion and spiritual health and

understood what it really meant to pray and to have beliefs. I was able to have a better

relationship with God at this point in my life. During this time of my life I realized

spiritual health is within.”

4. Do you participate in spiritual practices? If so, which practices and why?

It is important to understand if the client understands the practices of spiritual and

psychological health. Spiritual practices help strengthen spiritual and psychological

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health. This helps to find meaning and purpose in life during difficult times. It is to

increase the overall spiritual development of the person.

Response: “Yes, I participate in prayer and positive affirmations. My positive

affirmations are based on bible scriptures. I read scriptures and make them personal. I

turn the affirmations into active parts of my life by replacing each affirmation with the

word, “I”. I pray each day and participate in bible studies with friends over the telephone.

I previously participated in fasting and journaling. I would fast anywhere from 3-21 days

at a time. I journaled after prayer, this typically detailed what came to mind. I participate

in these practices to grow spiritually. These things bring me closer to self-awareness of

who I am. It also brings positive energy to my life.”

5. Do you consider spirituality a religion?

This question has value to determine which spectrum the client’s spiritual health is in by

showing the client has meaning to life. It also shows that the client has a sense of

relationships pertaining to belonging to a community. Having a sense of spiritual security

is also important. Discussions of religion are often confused with spirituality.

“Spirituality and religion may influence physical and mental well-being, as mediated

through an individual’s perceptions, responses, decisions, and behaviors.” (Chu, 2012).

Response: “Spirituality and religion are not the same. Religion is practiced and is a

routine. It is taught and learned by the individual. Religion is also being in the habit or

following traditions or beliefs. I consider religion as following a set of rules. I do not

consider it personal, as I do spirituality. I also consider religion being based on groups or

denominations. “
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6. Are you currently at peace?

This question determines if the client is at peace with themselves or at peace with God.

This focuses on spirituality being religious for the client, which will determine if the

client requires more spiritual counseling to find her purpose in life. Being at peace

focuses on happiness and not having emotional conflicts with others, as well as yourself.

it also focuses on inner peace and knowing that you fully accept yourself.

Response: “Yes, I am at peace. I do not worry about things such as problems or other

stressful events. I do not make a big deal about things and I consider myself as being

“unbothered”. I know is due to my spirituality. I have accepted what God has in store for

me. I believe that things happen in life that I have no control of. Nothing is too big for

God to handle, so why should I worry about it? I walk in peace because I know who my

father is, God.”

7. Which coping strategies do you practice?

Coping strategies are important to determine how the client can cope with stressful

events. By letting go of the situation you have healthier spiritual and psychological self.

Being able to effectively cope means the client can problem solve interpersonal and

personal issues.

Response: “My coping strategies include reading the bible, relaxing in bed, taking long

showers, or sitting by the lake. When times are difficult at work I immediately pray. I do

not focus on negative energy and if it is aimed towards me it is released through my

coping strategies.”
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8. Do you know your purpose in life? If so, what is it?

This question is important because it helps strengthen your integrity throughout your life.

It is easier to live a true and honest life when you know your purpose. Knowing your

purpose encourages self-awareness of who, why, and what you are as a person. It also

strengthens core values and beliefs of the client.

Response: “Yes, I know my purpose in life. My purpose is to assist the mentally ill and

homeless. I know that this is the path God has taken me down. I would always veer away

from this path. I did not want to work with psychiatric patients, and I did not want to be a

nurse. Something always guided me in this direction. This is now my love and passion,

being a psych nurse practitioner. I appreciate and understand the struggles of the

homeless and psychiatric. My heart reaches out to them. I participate in outreach

activities and donate to homeless organizations throughout the United States, as well as

other countries.”

9. Are you satisfied with life? Why, or why not?

Being satisfied with life is important to determine to emotions and feelings of the client

and how they feel about their future. The question is aimed more towards the future of

the client, rather than how they are feeling currently. Experiences and events often impact

life satisfaction.

Response: “Yes, I am satisfied, and I do not want for anything. I am at a place in my life

where I have more than enough money to take care of my needs and my desires. I am

healthy and I am happy. I have good relationships with others, and myself within. I am
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striving towards enrolling in school to receive my doctorate. I would like to help my

family more, to see them in a better place than they are. I always strive towards spiritual

growth. I realize that no one is perfect and that it is a lifelong process. I am in a good

place to be 31 years old.”

10. What is your perception of self-acceptance?

Having a perception of self-acceptance is necessary for healthy mental, physical, and

spiritual health. It also shows the clients strengths and weaknesses in a realistic approach.

Response: “My view of self-acceptance is being able to accept yourself as you are, flaws

and all. Recognizing that everyone has flaws, and no one is perfect. It is important to love

yourself and to be happy where you are. It is good to have goals and to achieve more in

life. I accept myself, although I have personal goals I would like to achieve. My only goal

as of now is to lose weight. I recently won the weight loss challenge at my job. I know

that I am pretty, smart, and I love myself as I am.

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Based on the results of the inventory, I would add more questions pertaining to mental

health. The questions would be guided more towards mental activities the interviewee may

participate in. I would also add questions pertaining to emotional health, as they are all

connected to provide sufficient balance to a healthy life. I would make these additions because

the interviewee appears to be in a healthy spiritual place in her life. She also strives towards

additional spiritual growth and development. She focuses on these aspects daily, while

considering her values and beliefs. Her development plan would include spiritual and

psychological exercises such as yoga and Tai Chi. She wishes to lose weight and these exercises

are beneficial for weight loss and spiritual, mental, and physical growth. This would increase her

overall well-being with the focus of mind-body-spirit health. “Psychologist Abraham Maslow

(1970), one of the founders of humanistic and transpersonal psychology, believed that every

individual is born with spiritual needs and a longing for transcendent experiences. The

psychologically healthiest individuals in his observations were those with a well integrated, deep

sense of spirituality in life.” (Vaughan, 1991).

Running Head: Creating Wellness

References

Bart, R., Ishak, W., Ganjian, S., Jaffer, K., Abdelmesseh, M., Hanna, S., . . . Danovitch, I. (2018,

October 1). The Assessment and Measurement of Wellness in the Clinical Medical

Setting: A Systematic Review. Retrieved May 26, 2020, from

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6292717/

Chu, Y., Chun, H., & Hui, S. (2012, December). The Effects of a Spiritual Learning

Program on Improving... : Journal of Nursing Research. Retrieved May 26, 2020, from

https://journals.lww.com/jnr-

twna/Fulltext/2012/12000/The_Effects_of_a_Spiritual_Learning_Program_on.7.aspx

Vaughan, F. (1991, January 01). SPIRITUAL ISSUES IN PSYCHOTHERAPY. Retrieved May

26, 2020, from https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/SPIRITUAL-ISSUES-IN-

PSYCHOTHERAPY-Vaughan/a5efbcd69c8e6ca5fa3985cffbaeedb8ee661b1a