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There has been increasing interest in the integration of spirituality into psychotherapy in the last 10 years, yet we have very little in-depth information about clients' perspectives on spirituality in the counseling relationship to help guide this integration. Using a narrative methodology to explore the counseling experiences of 12 spiritually-committed clients in detail, this study suggests that clients who may not identify as traditionally religious may still view the entire process of psychotherapy through a spiritual lens. Furthermore, their spirituality may guide their interpretation of therapy, their expectations of the therapist, and their choice to engage in or terminate treatment in complex ways. By exploring the experiences of this growing breed of spiritually-committed clients, the results shed new light on the dimensions that deserve consideration as we think about how to respond to a client's spiritual needs in psychotherapy.

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Although foundational practice classes play a key role in helping prepracticum students develop counseling skills, we know little about the effectiveness of this form of helping skills training. This study assessed the effect of helping skills training delivered in foundational practice classes on proximal indicators of counseling skills acquisition, including measures of counseling self-efflcacy, empathy, anxiety, and hindering self-awareness or rumination. Participating students made significant gains in counseling self-efñcacy that were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Reductions in anxiety, rumination, and personal distress in interpersonally challenging situations were observed at follow-up, indicating that students made a successful transition to the field following training. The frequency of large-group role plays in particular was related to gains in students' counseling self-efficacy.Helping skills training, also known as counseling skills training or communication skills training, is central to the development of an effective social worker. Helping and communication skills enable social workers to understand and address individual and group problems and build the kinds of relationships that get the job done, whether that job is helping a client face a particular challenge, bringing a community together to address a common issue, or building policies that can change lives. Training in the helping professions is theoretically divided into the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and self-awareness; however, critics have suggested that the major focus of professional training is too often placed on knowledge, leaving skills training a distant second and self-awareness a dismal third in line (Ladany, 2007),The foundational practice course is often the first place that students receive direct instmction in helping and communication skills. This course is considered the linchpin of the training process because it helps students apply the knowledge learned in other classes to real-life challenges drawn from the field, while fostering the self-awareness that facilitates further skill development. Despite the centrality of the foundational practice course, we know very little about the effectiveness of these courses in providing students with the skills and attributes needed to succeed in their field placements and their subsequent careers (Dinham