Integrating Religion And Spirituality Into Counseling
2/22/2018Integrating Religion and Spiritualityinto CounselingDr. Ajita M. RobinsonSpiritual ProcessesPargament (2007) Spiritually Integrated PsychotherapyInvolves psychological processesUsed in the search for the sacred; conservation of thesacred; spiritual struggle, coping, and transformationAn organizing dynamic for one’s life that influencesmeaning-making, identity, behavior, and otherpsychological processes1
2/22/2018Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy:Ways of UnderstandingAll individuals possess the capacity for SpiritualitySpirituality aids individuals in coping with stress, and can be the source of stressSpirituality can be the source of good behavior or bad behaviorSpiritual distress goes hand in hand with psychological distress while spiritualgrowth and development goes hand in hand with psychological growth anddevelopmentSpirituality is affected by culture, religious belief, and human developmentSpirituality:involves a search for the sacred, and that includes anything that would beassociated with what one would believe to possess a spiritual dynamicincludes a human capacity for experiencing self-transcendence and theawareness of sacred immanenceSpirituality provides a context for meaning-making, and purposeful livingSpiritually Integrated PsychotherapyWays of UnderstandingDeveloping the Sight and HearingSpiritual Growth: a process that involves a transformation from one way ofunderstanding (meaning), feeling or behavior to something beyond (transcendent)the original understanding or behavior leading to new or enhanced spiritualcontent (Hinterkopf)increases an individual’s self-other compassionSpiritual Loss/Trauma: when spiritual dynamics are threatened, whether they bebeliefs, relationships, objects, spiritual conflict/struggle ensues that could lead to atype of spiritual trauma or spiritual loss such events can lead the victim toblame the sacred (Kusner & Pargament)appraisal, post trauma/loss perspectives/beliefs, internal vigilance, cognitive(personal filters) and affective distortions (fear, avoidance, defenses),relationship with the sacred must be tendedtending to these dynamics may lead to post-traumatic spiritual growth (Kusner& Pargament)2
2/22/2018Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy:Ways of Being The Spiritually Integrated TherapistPargament pp. 187 - 200Spiritually Integrated Therapists possess:knowledge personal story of spirituality and religionopenness and tolerance genuine respect and appreciation for diversitywhile being open to learningself-awareness identifies the limits of their own spiritualityauthenticity (transparency) capable of appropriate self-disclosurewillingness to address religious/spiritual dynamicsSpiritually Dis-integrated Therapist demonstrate:Dismissiveness, intolerance, judgmentalism, and/or rejecting of spiritualityThe paradox of spiritual exclusiveness without humility it becomesintolerance; evangelizes or proselytizes, self-serving preachingSpiritual illiteracy** Interventions need to be intentional and evidence based* Assessing religion and spirituality (R/S) needs to beincorporated with other assessment protocols* Assessment is a process that is ongoing* A comprehensive protocol to assess R/S involves six dynamics3
2/22/2018 Salience: clinician assess the importance of R/S in the life ofthe client Integration: clinician assesses how clients use R/S in their dailylives R/S Experiences including beliefs, values, affiliations andpractices: clinician assesses clients comprehension of thesacred Coping: clinician assesses how clients use R/S to cope and howeffective are those tools Struggles/Conflicts: clinician assesses the extent to which thestruggles/conflicts are attributed to R/S Potential Impact on Treatment: clinician assesses clients’valuing R/S aid** When using R/S in the session the clinician must* Have done a comprehensive assessment of the client’s understandingand use of R/S* Obtain informed consent to use R/S and continually engage the clientin discussions regarding the client’s comfort in using R/S* Establish protocols for client feedback on the process* Self-assess the ability to use R/S competently* Current literature indicates that the use of R/S interventions* Is not consistent or systematic across clinicians* Influenced by the clinician’s personal commitments* Varies to the degree of the clinician’s involvement in explicit R/Sbehavior* Research suggests that clinicians tend to be unsure about how toinvolve R/S or how far to go with R/S in the session*4
2/22/2018Implicit Spiritual AssessmentImplicit Spiritual Assessment (Pargament, pg. 217-218)Questions that hint at the possibility of a deeper dimension for the client Where do you find peace, or the strength and courage to continue? What areyou striving for in your life? What are you living for? What causes you thegreatest despair or suffering?Gill, Harper & Dailey in Cashwell & Young: Chapter 7: When have you felt mostalive? What would you like your legacy to be? What sustains you during difficulttimes? What do you hold sacred? What are those things in your life right nowfor which you feel grateful?Turning on your “spiritual radars,” i.e. listening for the spiritual in your client’sstory what gives them meaning; where do they find life exciting, invigorating;comments made indicating a vague sense of understanding; being aware of achange in the emotional climate in the sessionExplicit Spiritual AssessmentPargament Chapter 11Locate the client in their search of the Sacred via eliciting the client’s spiritual story.Determine the degree of the client’s spiritual integration: to what extent doesspirituality matter to the client. Where is God in all of this?Evaluate the efficacy of the client’s spirituality: how does the client utilize theirspirituality to manage bio-psycho-spiritual struggles?Consider what role spirituality can play in the therapeutic process.Encourage/support the client’s mission and or purpose in life, i.e. the place of deepmeaning and desire for the client.5
2/22/2018Spiritually Integrated PsychotherapyWays of InterveningEmpathy, respect, honesty, caring, unconditional positive regard (Elkins)Helping the client discover his or her soul nourishing activities (Elkins)What experiences have touched me most deeply, i.e. events in which I haveexperienced reverence, awe, wonder, humility, gratitude, that stirred my soul?(Elkins)Other interventions:writing a letter to God (Kusner & Pargament)Empty Chair with parts split off (Hinterkopf)Gently challenging the distorted and maladaptive religious belief, especiallywhen it has emerged in the wake of spiritual loss/trauma (Kusner &Pargament)Spiritually Integrated PsychotherapyWays of InterveningHumanistic Interventions: Engaging in the Spiritual Processing (Hinterkopf)Recognizing the vague, bodily sense, not just the cognitive belief system, where the feelings are hard todescribeRecognizing the discrepancy between experience and spiritual content, e.g. I’m supposed to love Godand yet, I can’t understand why my child has cancer. (Slattery & Park)focus on the dialectic by attending to the situational meanings (cancer or other traumaticexperiences) in comprehensive ways appreciating how spiritual processing can influence orinhibit coping“focusing on the felt sense”: staying with the vague, subtle feelings that lead to an overarching theme implicit sense of meaning, through focusing, becomes a more explicit meaning"What is it about this whole situation that leaves me feeling this way?""What is the worst (or best) about this whole situation for me?"“What does this whole thing need right now?"“How would all of this feel if you had a friendly attitude toward it?”learning how to integrate other parts of the selfthe “felt shift” that speaks of new meaningsDoes the increase of a morecompassionate attitude towardthe self automaticallymake it spiritual development?6
2/22/2018Drawing on Spiritual ResourcesWhat is the interpersonal and intrapersonal coping culture of your client, and how, if at all,does spirituality fit into that culture?This data assists you in assisting the client in accessing that which leads to healing, growth, andwell-being, and aids the client in his or her relationship with the sacred.Techniques/Interventions: writing a letter to the sacred, writing one’s obituary (good life, notso good life), accessing one’s “wise mind,” listing one’s personal strivings and determiningwhich are sacred or other-imposed, offer a powerful image that motivates reflection/behaviorand alters values, draw on religious texts, present individuals who model behavior,mindfulness meditation, pray and prayers that have meaning, teaching your client about whatprayer is.What types of spiritual issues should we stay away from?* Pargament: Broadening and Deepening Spiritual Pathways* Encouraging clients to find room for compassion, forgiveness and positiveemotions* Unpacking the history behind the client’s IOG and finding avenues to enhance theIOG that includes unconditional love* Engaging the “spiritual processes” associated with rituals, beliefs, values,behaviors, and concepts related to R/S* Dealing with spiritual inflexibility through enhancing beliefs, not changing them,drawing on spiritual resources to encourage flexibility (e.g. show where God isdepicted changing his mind in scripture)* Promoting acceptance, serenity, and explore new spiritual niches* Building greater spiritual discernment practices when considering spirituallyinfluenced behavior; promote critical spiritual thinking* Gill, Harper & Dailey in Cashwell & Young: diagnosis and treatment* Addressing spiritual issues that mask relational conflicts God made me ordidn’t make me do it;* Determining the difference between a “dark night” and depression* Assessing when a client’s focus on spirituality has become excessive and/ordistressing by its fruits you shall know* Assessing a client’s functional R/S beliefs vs delusions that may require a neuropsychological work-up* Intrinsic vs extrinsic religiosity; internal vs external locus of control7
2/22/2018BibliographyElkins, D. (2005). A humanistic approach to spiritually oriented psychotherapy, in Sperry,L. (Ed.), Shafranske, E.P., (Ed.): Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy, APA:DCHinterkopf, E. (2005). The experiential focusing approach, in Sperry, L. (Ed.), Shafranske,E.P., (Ed.): Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy, APA:DCKusner, K. & Pargament, K. (2012). Shaken to the core: Understanding and addressing thespiritual dimension of trauma, in Trauma Therapy in Context: The science and craft ofevidence-based practice. McMackin, R.A. (Ed.), Newman, E. (Ed.), Fogler, J.M. (Ed.),Keane, T.M. (Ed.), APA:DCSlattery, J.M. & Park, C.L. (2011). Meaning making and spiritually oriented interventions, inSpiritually Oriented Interventions for Counseling and Psychotherapy, Aten, J.D. (Ed.),McMinn, M.R. (Ed.), Worthington, E.L. jr. (Ed.), APA:DCBibliographyC. S. Gill, M.C. Harper, & S. F. Dailey (2012). Assessing the Spiritual andReligious Domain. In C. S. Cashwell & J.S. Young (Eds.). Integrating Spiritualityand Religion into Counseling: A guide to competent practice 2nd ed. (pp. 141162). Alexandria, VA: ACAK. I. Pargament (2007). Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy. New York, NY:Guilford Press8
Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy: Ways of Understanding All individuals possess the capacity for Spirituality Spirituality aids individuals in coping with stress, and can be the source of stress Spirituality can be the source of good behavior or bad behavior Spiritual distress goes hand in hand with psychological distress while spiritual
incorporation of spirituality/religion into psychological end of life care, with a focus on the biopsychosocial-spiritual model of health, and the consideration of spirituality/religion as an aspect of cultural diversity. Discussion also surrounds the ethical integration of spirituality/religion into
Kapic and Randall Gleason and Evangelical Spirituality by James Gordon. The former represents Puritan piety, whereas the latter, Evangelical spirituality.2 Before comparing 1 Joel Beeke, in his book Puritan Reformed Spirituality (Grand Rapids: Reformation Heritage Books, 2004), approaches Reformed and Puritan spiritualities as single entity.
2 FOCUS CE COURSE Spirituality and Social Work Originally printed December 2010 DEFINITIONS Spiritual / Spirituality Spirituality is an aspect of religious traditions, and also of existential value systems. Elkins (1988) gives this definition: “Spirituality, which comes from the Latin, spiritus, meaning breath of life,” is a
end of life When people come to the end of their lives they sometimes think about what will happen after they die. No one really knows what happens after we die. Religion and spirituality are beliefs and ideas that people have to help them understand life and death. Each person may have different ideas about spirituality or religion. Different .
Religiousness and Spirituality in College Students - 2 - I. Measuring Religiousness and Spirituality Definitions of Religion and Spirituality The question of measurement is a central one in science. In order to measure any concept, such as length or intelligence, one must start with some idea of how one is going to define that construct.
religion and spirituality, this paper reviews research on the relationship between religion, spirituality and mental health, focusing specially on anxiety. The study participants were two age groups of people: one from 20 to 40 years of age, and the other of 60 to 80 years. ‘Religiosity
The Soul of Psychotherapy: Recapturing the Spiritual Dimension in the Therapeutic Encounter. Miller (1999). Integrating Spirituality into Treatment. Paloutzian& Parks (2005). Handbook for the Psychology of Religion. Pargament (2007). Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy: Understanding and Addressing the Sacred.
(half serious, half playful) Yes – except for last summer, when you never came near me –Sheila (Act 1) Suggesting that she doesn [t fully trust him, despite the fact that theyre going to be married soon, but again shows how she is childish, and relatively light-hearted, as she is still half playful [ even in something which could be seen as quite serious. men with important work to do .
