A Spiritually Integrated Approach to Trauma, Grief, and Loss: Applying a Competence Framework for Helping Professionals

Abstract

Exposure to trauma, grief, and loss (TGL) can elicit spiritual pondering and meaning making, which can manifest as unsettled spiritual rumination or evolve into spiritual growth and transcendence. Incorporating a spiritually informed approach with TGL survivors invites spiritual interaction between the individual and professional helper to move beyond the trauma story and influences toward hope and possibility. This approach benefits survivors and offers the professional helper the potential for personal growth and transcendence. Integrating a spiritually informed approach encourages professionals and clients to engage as co-collaborators, co-creators, and co-authors in the change process. It is proposed that appreciation for spiritual attributes is essential for creating a spiritually interactive and dynamic dialogue. This spiritually informed approach can assist the professional helper in guiding individuals through spiritual processes that evoke hope, elicit meaning, and promote growth, offering spiritual transformation following a traumatic event. While the literature offers valuable information concerning the importance of spiritual intelligence and competence, little has been written about the significance of these spiritual attributes for professional helpers as they pertain to the competencies and development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes required for promoting resilience and posttraumatic growth for clients. This reflective article invites readers to consider the value of professional helpers accessing their spiritual aptitude and competence, emphasizing their integral role in facilitating and nurturing resilience and growth for those exposed to trauma. It offers a conceptual framework, which is structured around three developmental levels: exposure, immersion, and mastery. At each level, the framework incorporates specific knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are essential for the professional helper’s spiritual competency development. This framework integrates literature emphasizing spiritual aptitude and post-trauma growth as critical components of spiritual competency development, further highlighting the importance of the role of spirituality in the helping process.