A Dialogical Model for Engaging Spirituality in Therapy

Abstract

This article addresses the issue of engaging client diversity in therapeutic practice by elaborating a dialogical model of engagement that is sensitive to and inclusive of the spiritual dimension in the therapeutic encounter. Drawing on Martin Buber's writings on the 'I-Thou' relationship, the concept of intersubjectivity, research on spirituality in therapy, and the authors' clinical experiences of collaboratively engaging the spiritual dimension in therapy, strategies of engagement are critically examined. Treatment benefits of practices that facilitate the inclusion of client spiritual values and beliefs in the therapeutic conversation are explored and potential therapeutic pitfalls are identified.

Religiosity, Spirituality, and Mental Health in Portugal: A call for a conceptualisation, relationship, and guidelines for integration (a theoretical review)

“…Obviously, this ambiguity and confusion has a great impact on the credibility and understanding of research and practice in this area (Koenig, 2009), leading for instance to: limited or otherwise too broad definitions of religion and spirituality, which results in a loss of their idiosyncratic characteristics (Zinnbauer, et al, 1999;Hill et al, 2000); different forms of polarisation of religion and spirituality, the former being institutional/negative/harmful and the latter individualistic/positive/beneficial (Pargament, 1999;Zinnbauer et al, 1999;Hill & Pargament, 2003;Pargament, 2007;Smith, 2007;Mutter & Neves, 2008); and pathologization of religious and spiritual beliefs/practices in diverse or minority contexts (Frame & Williams, 1996;Fallot, 1998;Lukoff & Turner, 1998;Tummala-Narra, 2009;Adams, 2012).…”

The Spiritual Supporter Scale as a New Tool for Assessing Spiritual Care Competencies in Professionals: Design, Validation, and Psychometric Evaluation

“…The importance of spiritual care has been illustrated in diverse groups including: the elderly (Oz et al, 2021 ), disabled people (Kaye & Raghavan, 2002 ); as well as oncology (Ben-Arye et al, 2006 ), psychiatry (Galanter et al, 2011 ), cardiology (Ozdemir et al, 2021 ), thoracic (Chen et al, 2021 ) and HIV-positive patients (Chang et al, 2018 ; Dalmida et al, 2015 ). Furthermore, interest in spiritual competencies has also been expressed in the fields of teaching (Epstein, 2018 ; Harbinson & Bell, 2015 ), psychotherapy (Mutter et al, 2010 ; Ren, 2012 ) and in training for other healthcare professions such as nursing and midwifery (Deluga et al, 2021 ; McSherry et al, 2021 ). In summary, gaining competence in and providing spiritual care is important for all professionals who are dealing with people who suffer.…”