| Course | HW420 Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Wellness |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 6 |
| Paper type | Seminar reflection |
| Length | About 810 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health and Wellness |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HW420 Unit 6
The Plan Was Rigid, Not the Fast: A Unit 6 Seminar Reflection on Two Clients Whose Faith Shapes Their Health Plans
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HW420: Psychological and Spiritual Aspects of Wellness
Unit 6 Seminar Reflection
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The seminar, both clients and the classmates are composite; the sources on cultural humility, health locus of control and religion and health cited are real.
How the Session Ran
Our instructor opened with a case. Yusuf, a composite 52-year-old bus mechanic with prediabetes, had been enrolled in a workplace wellness program that included a noon walking group three days a week. The program started in March, and Ramadan began two weeks later. Yusuf fasts from dawn to sunset during Ramadan, without food or water. The question was what to do with his plan.
We worked in groups of four to revise it, then the whole class took up a second case brought by a classmate, Esther, from her church's health ministry.
Where I Started
I came in treating the fast as the obstacle. My group's first draft suspended Yusuf's walking for the month, on the reasoning that exercise without water in the middle of the day was unsafe and that the plan could resume after Ramadan ended. I thought that was a respectful accommodation.
The Turn
A classmate, Farid, who observes Ramadan himself, pointed out that our plan had not accommodated anything. It had kept the program's timetable fixed and removed Yusuf from it. The fast was not rigid; the noon slot was. He suggested moving Yusuf's walking to the hour after iftar, the meal that breaks the fast at sunset, when many people who fast feel energetic and walk with family anyway. Some mosques in the area also hold evening gatherings within walking distance.
The group redrew the plan around that hour. Walking continued through the month, at a time that fit Yusuf's practice, and the program's coordinator would ask Yusuf whether he wanted to invite family or friends from his mosque.
I had treated the client's religious practice as the thing to work around, when the thing that needed to change was a timetable the program had chosen for its own convenience.
Looking back, my first draft fits what cultural humility warns against: treating one's own framework as neutral and a client's as the special case (Tervalon & Murray-García, 1998). Cultural humility asks the professional to examine their own assumptions and to treat the client as the person who knows best how their life works. In the case, Yusuf would have told us all of this if anyone had asked him.
The Harder Case
Esther's case was a 70-year-old member of her church, Mrs. Odom, who has type 2 diabetes. When the health ministry nurse asked her to set a goal for walking, Mrs. Odom replied that it was presumptuous to set goals for her health, because her health was in God's hands.
Our discussion split. Some classmates read her statement as fatalism that would keep her from acting. Others pointed out that research on beliefs about control over health distinguishes several sources: oneself, powerful others such as doctors and chance or fate (Wallston et al., 1978), and that believing God holds ultimate control does not necessarily mean believing one's own actions are pointless. Reviews of research on religion and health suggest that religious beliefs are, on average, associated with better health behaviors and outcomes, though the relationship varies (Koenig, 2012).
Esther added that Mrs. Odom walks to church and to her sister's house most days and would never call it exercise. The problem may have been the word goal, not the walking.
What Mrs. Odom Might Say
Esther, who knows Mrs. Odom, offered one more observation. Mrs. Odom often says she does her part and leaves the rest to God. That phrase suggests she sees her own actions as mattering, just not as decisive. If that is right, a plan framed as doing her part might fit her beliefs far better than one framed as setting goals.
What Remains Unresolved
We did not resolve how a wellness professional should respond. Rewording the plan, for example asking what Mrs. Odom already does and whether she would like to keep doing it, might fit her beliefs better. But some classmates worried that rewording could become a way of steering her toward our goals while hiding it. I think that concern deserves an answer I do not yet have.
What I Will Do Differently
The next time a client's faith seems to conflict with a plan, I will check first whether the conflict is with the client's practice or with something in the plan that was never necessary. And I will ask the client how they would like their faith to shape the plan, rather than deciding for them what an accommodation looks like.
References
Koenig, H. G. (2012). Religion, spirituality, and health: The research and clinical implications. ISRN Psychiatry, 2012, Article 278730. https://doi.org/10.5402/2012/278730
Tervalon, M., & Murray-García, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining physician training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117-125. https://doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2010.0233
Wallston, K. A., Wallston, B. S., & DeVellis, R. (1978). Development of the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scales. Health Education Monographs, 6(1), 160-170. https://doi.org/10.1177/109019817800600107
The Purdue Global HW420 Unit 6 instructions
In this reflection each student explains, in their own voice, how a discussion about faith and health plans changed their approach. Prompts generally ask how the session ran, what position the student started with, what changed and what remains unresolved. Explain any religious practice involved accurately and briefly. Present classmates' points fairly, especially those from within a tradition. Use course concepts such as cultural humility or beliefs about control over health to explain the shift. Be honest about questions the group did not settle. Close with a concrete change in how you will approach similar cases. Sections without a live meeting use a written version of the same two cases. About two pages is typical.
How this HW420 Unit 6 example is built
The reflection opens with the session's structure and the Ramadan case. A paragraph admits the writer's group suspended walking for the month and called it an accommodation. The turn follows, with Farid's point that the noon slot was rigid and his suggestion to walk after iftar, and the highlighted sentence states what the writer had misread. A paragraph connects the error to cultural humility. The second case is described, with the class split between reading fatalism and distinguishing sources of control, and Esther's note that the client already walks daily. A section considers the client's phrase about doing her part, another records what stays unresolved, and a closing habit ends the reflection.
HW420 Unit 6 rubric: what earns full points
Reflection rubrics in HW420 usually reward depth of self-examination, accurate and respectful treatment of religious practice, use of course concepts and a clear account of change. Points go to explaining precisely what the writer assumed before the session and why it shifted. Cultural humility, health locus of control and similar concepts earn credit when applied to the cases. Fair representation of classmates and honest acknowledgment of unresolved questions are scored under professionalism and critical thinking. A concrete change in practice often completes the top band. First-person clarity and APA citations finish the rubric. Reflections that describe a faith practice inaccurately, or that resolve every tension too neatly, tend to lose points.
Common HW420 Unit 6 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Seminar reflections on faith and health often describe the cases without saying what the writer actually assumed going in. Another weakness is presenting the group's final plan as obvious, which hides the learning. Students sometimes describe a religious practice inaccurately or in a tone that would offend someone who observes it. Concepts such as cultural humility are named but not applied. Unresolved questions are frequently smoothed over. If you took part in a case discussion and want help turning your notes into a reflection, describe where your view started and what moved it, and a writer can shape the reflection around that turn.
Get an HW420 Unit 6 example written to your instructions
Which cases did your Unit 6 hour discuss, and what did you think before it started? Share those, or the prompts you answered instead of attending, plus the rubric. The reflection shows the change in view, describes any practice accurately and leaves open what stayed open. Delivered within 24-48h, and the first sample costs nothing. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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HW420 Unit 6 questions, answered
What if my view did not change during the seminar?
Then record what the discussion tested and why your view held. A reflection can show a position examined under pressure as clearly as one that shifted. Name the strongest counterargument you heard and who made it, and explain what answered it for you. What loses marks is a reflection that never engages with what was said in the room.
How much should I explain about a religious practice raised in the seminar?
Enough for the reader to understand the case, usually two or three accurate sentences with a source. Describe the practice as its own tradition does, including any exemptions or variations that matter to the plan. Long background sections take space from the reflection itself, which is where most of the marks sit.
Can the reflection disagree with a classmate?
Yes, provided it represents the classmate's point fairly before responding. Disagreement handled carefully often shows the most thinking. Keep it about the argument, not the person or their beliefs, and credit what the comment contributed even if you remain unconvinced. Many sections reward this kind of engagement more than easy agreement.
Where can I find a free HW420 Unit 6 sample paper?
This page presents a complete Unit 6 seminar reflection on revising health plans for a client fasting during Ramadan and a client who calls goal-setting presumptuous, with APA references.
What is iftar?
Iftar is the meal that breaks the daily fast at sunset during Ramadan. Many people who fast feel more energetic in the hours after it, which is why the revised plan moved walking to that time.