A practice‐based evidence investigation of God representations in spiritually integrated psychotherapies

Abstract

Objective This practice‐based evidence study examined trajectories of God representations and psychological distress among Christians participating in spiritually integrated psychotherapies (SIPs). Methods In total, 17 clinicians practicing SIPs in a mid‐sized city on the US Gulf Coast implemented session‐to‐session assessments of these outcomes with 158 clients over a 4‐month period and also reported their use of specific spiritual interventions after each session (e.g., affirmed client's divine worth). Results Multivariate growth modeling revealed clients' psychological distress decreased over the study period whereas authoritarian God representations increased and benevolent God representations remained stable. In addition, clients who increased in benevolent representations of God had a greater likelihood of experiencing alleviation of psychological distress. Conclusion These findings affirm the potential efficacy of SIPs and cultural importance of belief in a benevolent deity as a source of strength, identity, and potential healing among Christians clients who prefer a spiritually integrated approach in psychotherapy.

The process and outcome of spiritually integrated psychotherapies: A cross-cultural study in Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America.

“…Consistent with Smith et al (2007) meta-analytic review, encouraging personal prayer was the most frequently used spiritual intervention in the present study across the entire sample. In addition, similar to other studies conducted in the U.S. (Currier et al, 2021; Sanders et al, 2015), affirming trusting God and encouraging clients to listen to their hearts were common spiritual interventions.…”

Spiritually integrated psychotherapies in real-world clinical practice: Synthesizing the literature to identify best practices and future research directions.

“…Five studies examined SERT integration more broadly within psychotherapy, suggesting the clinical relevance of SIPs for a variety of presenting concerns. Utilizing session-to-session assessments with 158 Christian patients over 4 months, Currier et al (2021) found nearly all patients wanted SERT engagement, which therapists provided using a variety of spiritual intervention strategies. Patients who developed more benevolent God representations had a greater likelihood of experiencing symptom alleviation.…”

Understanding religious attachment among christians seeking spiritually integrated psychotherapies: A mixed methods study

“…Thus, we utilized a qualitative approach to assessing religious attachment in an effort to elucidate culturally and theologically specific ways of viewing and experiencing God in a particular religious group (i.e., Christian clients). The specific research questions we sought to explore were: and December 2019 (for details about recruitment and other procedures from the practice-based evidence project, see Currier et al, 2020). In addition to session-to-session outcome monitoring, clients completed a questionnaire consisting of qualitative and quantitative assessments that provided a more in-depth picture of their religious attachment.…”

“…Longitudinal studies with treatment‐seeking samples have affirmed the clinical importance of God representations in spiritually integrated psychotherapies. Session‐to‐session outcomes from the project on which this study is based revealed that clients generally displayed stable‐high trajectories of benevolent God representations (Currier et al, 2020). Further, this parent study found clients who increased in their benevolent representations of God had a greater probability of alleviation of psychological distress.…”