Holly Oxhandler

Education

PhD, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston
MSW, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston
B.S., Psychology, University of Houston
Full Curriculum Vita

Research Interests

• Religion and Spirituality in Clinical Practice
• Mental Health
• Evidence-Based Practice Process
• Scale Development
• Mentoring and Professional Development

Selected Publications

Book

• Oxhandler, H. K. (February 2022). The soul of the helper: Seven stages to seeing the sacred within yourself so you can see it in others. Templeton Press. [Audiobook: November 2022].

Peer Reviewed Articles/Manuscripts

• Oxhandler, H. K., Polson, E. C., Morgan, G., Pearce, M., Fox, J., Vieten, C., Pargament, K., & Currier, J. (2024). Revalidating the Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale for Educators across four mental health disciplines. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health. Advanced online publication. http://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2024.2400062
• Pearce, M. J., Pargament, K. I., Wong, S., Hinkel, H., Salcone, S., Morgan, G., Kemp, D., Brock, B., Kim, E., Oxhandler, H. K., Vieten, C., Fox, J., Polson, C., & Currier, J. M. (2024). Enhancing training in spiritual and religious competencies in mental health graduate education: Evaluation of an integrated curricular approach. PLOS ONE.
• Oxhandler, H. K., Polson, E. C., Moffatt, K. M., Anders, G., Pearce, M., Vieten, C., & Pargament, K. (2024). Helpful and harmful approaches to integrating religion/spirituality into mental health care: A national survey of current clients’ experiences. Journal of Religion and Health. Advance online publication. http://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-024-02072-x
• Oxhandler, H. K., Polson, E. C., Pearce, M., Vieten, C., & Pargament, K. I. (2024). Current mental health clients’ religious/spiritual beliefs and practices: A national survey. Social Work Research, 48(3), 163-175. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svae014
• Oxhandler, H. K., Canda, E. R., Polson, E. C., Husain, A., & Parrish, D. E. (2024). Promoting religious and spiritual competencies in clinical social work: Considerations, potential barriers, and supports. Spirituality in Clinical Practice. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000364
• Polson, E. C., Oxhandler, H. K., Moffatt, K. M., Parrott, H., & Miller, K. B. (2024). The religious and spiritual beliefs and practices of MSW faculty: A national survey. Journal of Religion and Spirituality in Social Work, 43(1), 110-131. https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2023.2284905
• Canda, E., Oxhandler, H. K., Husain, A., Polson, E. C., Wolfer, T., Sheridan, M., Jacobsen, J., & Hardy, K. (2023). Insights from a CSWE Summit for Critical Conversations on Religion, Faith, and Spirituality in Social Work Education. Journal of Social Work Education, 59(3), 635-653. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2023.2235224
• Oxhandler, H.K., Polson, E. C., & Moffatt, K. M. Moffatt, K. M. (2023). The Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale for Educators: A national survey of social work faculty. Journal of Social Work Education, 59(1), 32-50. doi: 10.1080/10437797.2021.2019643.
• Oxhandler, H. K., Polson, E. C., & Selman, S. (2022). Religion and spirituality in MSW programs’ implicit and explicit curricula: A national survey of faculty. Journal of Social Work Education, 59(3), 654-670. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2022.2045239
• Oxhandler, H. K., Pargament, K.I., Pearce, M.J., Vieten, C., & Moffatt, K.M. (2021). The relevance of religion/spirituality to mental health: A national survey of current clients’ views. Social Work, 66(3), 254-264. doi: 10.1093/sw/swab025
• Oxhandler, H. K., Pargament, K. I., Pearce, M. J., Vieten, C., & Moffatt, K. M. (2021). Current mental health clients’ attitudes regarding religion and spirituality in treatment: A national survey. Religions, 12(6), 371. doi: 10.3390/rel12060371
• Pearce, M.J., Pargament, K.I., Oxhandler, H. K., Vieten, C., & Wong, S. (2019). Novel online training program improves providers’ spiritual competencies in mental health care. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 7(3), 145-161. doi: 10.1037/scp0000208
• Moffatt, K. & Oxhandler, H. K. (2018). Religion and spirituality in master of social work education: Past, present, and future considerations. Journal of Social Work Education, 54, 543-553.
• Oxhandler, H. K., Narendorf, S. C., & Moffatt, K. (2018). Religion and spirituality among young adults with severe mental illness. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 5(3), 188-200 doi: 10.1037/scp0000164
• Oxhandler, H. K., Polson, C., & Achenbaum, W. A. (2018). The religiosity and spiritual beliefs and practices of clinical social workers: A national survey. Social Work 63(1), 47-56. doi: 10.1093/sw/swx055
• Oxhandler, H. K. & Parrish, D. E. (2018). Integrating clients’ religion/spirituality in clinical practice: A comparison among social workers, psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists, and nurses. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74, 680-694.
• Oxhandler, H. K. & Pargament, K. I. (2018). Measuring religious and spiritual competence across helping professions: Previous efforts and future directions. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 5(2), 120-132. doi: 10.1037/scp0000149
• Oxhandler, H. K. & Giardina, T. D. (2017). Social workers’ perceived barriers to and sources of support with integrating clients’ religion/spirituality in practice. Social Work, 62, 323-332. doi: 10.1093/sw/swx036
• Oxhandler, H. K. (2017). Namaste theory: A quantitative grounded theory on religion and spirituality in mental health treatment. Religions, 8(9), 168. doi:10.3390/rel8090168
• Oxhandler, H. K. & Parrish, D. E. (2016). The development and validation of the Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale. Research on Social Work Practice, 26(3), 295-307. doi: 10.1177/1049731514550207
• Oxhandler, H. K., Parrish, D. E., Torres, L. R., & Achenbaum, W. A. (2015). The integration of clients’ religion/spirituality in social work practice: A national survey. Social Work, 60(3), 228-237. doi: 10.1093/sw/swv018
• Oxhandler, H. K. & Pargament, K. I. (2014). Social work practitioners’ integration of clients’ religion and spirituality in practice: A literature review. Social Work, 59(3), 271-279. doi: 10.1093/sw/swu018

Recent Research Funding

John Templeton Foundation. Catalyzing a cultural shift toward integrating religious and spiritual competencies in mental health care through training and systems-level change. (PI: Joseph Currier; Co-Is: Jesse Fox, Holly Oxhandler, Kenneth Pargament, Michelle Pearce, Edward C. Polson, Cassandra Vieten). Awarded $5,188,796. Learn more by visiting our project website: spiritualandreligiouscompetenciesproject.com

Background

Holly K. Oxhandler joined Baylor University’s Garland School of Social Work in 2014 upon completing her PhD at the University of Houston. She studies the intersection of the ethical and effective integration of clients’ religion/spirituality within the evidence-based practice process in mental and behavioral health treatment. She developed the Religious/Spiritually Integrated Practice Assessment Scale (RSIPAS), which assesses mental healthcare providers’ (social workers, psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists, and nurses) attitudes, perceived feasibility, self-efficacy, behaviors, and overall orientation toward integrating clients’ RS in practice. She has also developed other instruments related to this area of practice, including the RSIPAS-Client Attitudes and RSIPAS-Educators, the Social Workers’ Integration of their Faith – Christian (SWIF-C) Scale, and the Relevance of Religion/Spirituality to Mental Health (RRSMH) to measure clients’ perceived relevance of religion/spirituality and mental health. 

Dr. Oxhandler cohosts the weekly podcast, CXMH: Christianity & Mental Health, has clinical and research experience working with older adults with anxiety and depression at Baylor College of Medicine, and often consults with other helping professions on the ethical integration of clients’ religion/spirituality. Although the integration of clients’ religion/spirituality in mental health treatment is her primary area of interest, her scholarship also includes evidence-based practice, serious mental illness, anxiety disorders, self-care, mentoring, and social work practitioners’ professional identity. Dr. Oxhandler teaches across the BSW, MSW, and PhD programs in courses primarily related to research and statistics.

Dr. Oxhandler’s research have been generously supported by the John Templeton Foundation, Spencer Foundation, Baylor University, and others. She is grateful for these sources of support but is especially thankful for the invaluable mentoring she has received over the years. Because of her exceptional mentors, Dr. Oxhandler deeply enjoys paying it forward by mentoring students outside the classroom regarding their professional development and supporting faculty in her role as GSSW’s Associate Dean for Research.

She is married to Cory Oxhandler, and the couple has two children. You can learn more about her work by visiting hollyoxhandler.com.