Addressing Spiritual Issues From a Cultural Perspective: The Case of the Grieving Filipino Boy

Abstract

This article examines the ways that spiritual beliefs and traditions associated with the Filipino culture influenced an 1 I-year-old boy's efforts to cope with the death of his mother. Implications for attending to clients' spiritual beliefs are discussed.Researchers have noted that most people in the United States have some sort of spiritual identity (Gallup & Castelli, 1989;Kelly, 1995). The term spiritual identrty refers to the manner in which a person's spiritual beliefs influence their self-definition and the way that person constructs meaning of life (D'Andrea & Daniels, in press). Although a person's spirituality clearly plays an important role in the psychological development of many ifnot most people in our modem society, it is curious that this issue has not been extensively addressed by counseling theorists and researchers in the past. Recently, however, a number of persons in the profession have demonstrated increased interest in understanding how issues related to spirituality affect human development. To gain an increased understanding of the ways in which spirituality influences an individual's psychological development, it is important to first define what we mean by this term.In attempting to define this construct, Albanese (1992) pointed out that the term Spirituality has been commonly used to refer to "extraordinary" experiences that go beyond the boundaries of the strictly objective, empirically perceived material world. Kelly ( 1995) built on

Revisioning Clinical Psychology: Integrating Cultural Psychology into Clinical Research and Practice with Portuguese Immigrants

“…Once the session is in process, one can promote spiritual discourse in a culturally appropriate way (Frame et al, 1999; Garrett and Wilbur, 1999; Shimabukuro et al, 1999). For instance, when the therapist takes a stance of quietness and compassion (Peavy, 2004) as suggested by wisdom-based therapy, the client may feel the space and respect to fully explore spiritual issues.…”

Exploring Indigenous Mental Health Practices: The Roles of Healers and Helpers in Promoting Well‐Being in People of Color

“…In particular, the potential stigma associated with seeking formal mental health services may cause some people to identify forms of helping and healing that are less stigmatizing and more indigenous (Applewhite, 1995;Shimabukuro, Daniels, & D'Andrea, 1999). Several previous writings have discussed the tendency for people of color to turn to more informal sources of dealing with problems, such as family members, friends, the clergy, and indigenous healers (e.g., Helms & Cook, 1999;D.…”

“…Mechanisms of helping or healing that exist outside the Western industrialized world may be neglected because of the assumption of the universal efficacy of talk therapy (Lewis-Fernhdez & Kleinman, 1994). Counselors may also overpathologkbehaviors and notions of illness that are different from Western constructions (Shimabukuro et al, 1999). Moreover, traditional healing methods may be invalidated because of not adopting Westem definitions of health, disease, illness, treatment, or helper (D. W. Sue & Sue, 1999;Wooding, 1995).…”

“…Spirituality may represent one way through which some people combine beliefs about a transcendental reality into their worldviews and selfconceptions (Myers, 1999b;Shimabukuro et al, 1999). This can include teleologies of life and afterlife and the meaning of death, conceptions of higher beings and nonhuman forces, and the interconnectedness of living things.…”

“…The aforementioned issues related to formal mental health use among people of color suggest that some of these individuals are hesitant about speaking with psychologists, counselors, social workers, or psychiatrists about their problems. In particular, the potential stigma associated with seeking formal mental health services may cause some people to identify forms of helping and healing that are less stigmatizing and more indigenous (Applewhite, 1995;Shimabukuro, Daniels, & D'Andrea, 1999). Several previous writings have discussed the tendency for people of color to turn to more informal sources of dealing with problems, such as family members, friends, the clergy, and indigenous healers (e.g., Helms & Cook, 1999;D.…”