Psych CASC / OSCE · Professional — spirituality and religion in psychiatry
Spiritual history and treatment negotiation — CASC communication station
MRCPsych/FRANZCP-style CASC: HOPE/FICA skills, risk, boundaries, explanatory model negotiation, and chaplaincy offer.
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Study tools
Target exams
FRANZCPMRCPsychABPNMD-DNB
Prompt
A middle-aged man with depression and passive suicidal ideation whose faith community frames tablets as weak faith; you must take a respectful spiritual history, assess risk, negotiate care without proselytising, and offer spiritual care pathways.
Station brief
Format. Communication station, approximately 7–10 minutes active time after reading. You are the outpatient psychiatry registrar reviewing a new referral. [1]
Candidate instructions. Build rapport. Assess suicide risk. Take a brief patient-led spiritual history (HOPE or FICA style). Explore how faith relates to depression and medication beliefs. Avoid proselytising and unconsented prayer. Offer spiritual care/chaplaincy with consent. Agree a collaborative plan that can include both clinical treatment and faith supports. [1][2][4]
References6ShowHide
- [1]Moreira-Almeida A, Sharma A, van Rensburg BJ, et al. WPA Position Statement on Spirituality and Religion in Psychiatry World Psychiatry, 2016.PMID 26833620
- [2]Anandarajah G, Hight E Spirituality and medical practice: using the HOPE questions as a practical tool for spiritual assessment Am Fam Physician, 2001.PMID 11195773
- [3]Borneman T, Ferrell B, Puchalski CM Evaluation of the FICA Tool for Spiritual Assessment J Pain Symptom Manage, 2010.PMID 20619602
- [4]Poole R, Cook CCH, Song R, Robinson CA Psychiatrists' attitudes to professional boundaries concerning spirituality and religion: mixed-methods study BJPsych Open, 2023.PMID 37589193
- [5]Malviya S, Greenham J Exploration of Roles and Contribution of Spiritual Care Practitioners in Mental Health: An Australian Study J Relig Health, 2025.PMID 39862307
- [6]Weber SR, Pargament KI The role of religion and spirituality in mental health Curr Opin Psychiatry, 2014.PMID 25046080