The role of religion and spirituality in psychotherapy has received growing attention in the last two decades, with a focus on understanding the ways that religion and spirituality relate to therapists, clients, and treatment methods. The authors reviewed recent empirical research on religion and spirituality in psychotherapy to inform practitioners about effective ways to incorporate the sacred into their clinical work. Three main areas are covered: religion/spirituality and therapists, religion/spirituality and clients, and religious/spiritual interventions. Research indicates that therapists are open to religious/spiritual issues, that clients want to discuss these matters in therapy, and that the use of religious/spiritual interventions for some clients can be an effective adjunct to traditional therapy interventions.
One of the major obstacles to seeking psychological help is the stigma associated with counseling and therapy. Self-stigma, the fear of losing self-respect or self-esteem as a result of seeking help, is an important factor in the help-seeking process. In the present study, college students meeting a clinical cutoff for psychological symptoms participated in 1 session of group counseling that either contained therapist self-disclosure or did not. In general, participants reported significantly less self-stigma following the session. Working alliance-bond and session depth significantly predicted the change in self-stigma. Furthermore, self-stigma (as well as bond, depth, psychological symptoms, and being female) predicted the intention to seek help following the session. Self-stigma and session depth also predicted interest in continuing with counseling. The therapist self-disclosure condition, however, had no effect on the change in self-stigma, intentions to seek help, or interest in continuing with group counseling.
Although consensus is building that religion and spirituality are important aspects of individual counseling, there has been little exploration of these topics in group counseling. The current online questionnaire study provided a description of how 242 experienced group counselors approach religion and spirituality in group counseling. Interventions that were less active and less directly tied to religious or spiritual practices were viewed as the most appropriate. Spiritual interventions were seen as more appropriate and were used more frequently than corresponding religious interventions. Counselors reported infrequent use of religious and spiritual interventions, even when they were viewed as appropriate. Counselors' degree of religious commitment and spirituality were positively correlated with appropriateness and use of religious and spiritual interventions. Finally, open-ended comments revealed that many counselors saw therapeutic value in discussing religion and spirituality in group counseling, but also cautioned against the negative interactions and unproductive group work that might occur as a result of such discussions.
The main purpose of the present study was to explore client beliefs and preferences regarding the discussion of religious and spiritual issues in group counseling. We collected and described both quantitative and qualitative data. One major finding of this study was that on average the majority (85%) of clients at a university counseling center (N = 68) reported that religious concerns are an appropriate topic for discussion in group counseling. However, only a minority of clients reported that they would like to discuss religious (24%) and spiritual (47%) concerns in group. Open-ended responses from participants provided reasons why they would or would not like to discuss religion and spirituality in their specific groups and provided insight into the discrepancy between their ratings of appropriateness and interest. In regression analyses, client spirituality and group engagement significantly predicted clients' preferences to discuss both religious and spiritual issues. Majority religious affiliation also predicted preferences to discuss religious issues.
The main purpose of this study was to examine client-rated appropriateness and preferences regarding the discussion of religious and spiritual concerns in group counseling. Participants were 164 group clients at nine university counseling centers nationwide. Clients volunteered to complete an online questionnaire about their experiences and opinions regarding religion and spirituality in group counseling. The majority of clients indicated that religious concerns are an appropriate topic for group counseling and reported a preference to discuss religious and spiritual concerns with their groups. Regression analyses examined predictors of client-rated (a) appropriateness of discussing religious concerns in group, (b) appropriateness of group leaders using religious or spiritual interventions, and (c) preferences for discussing religious and spiritual issues in group. The most consistent predictors of these ratings were client spirituality, client religious commitment, degree of spiritual struggles, and the frequency with which religion had already been discussed in the clients' specific groups.
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