Integrating Spirituality in Marriage and Family Therapy Training

Abstract

Interest is growing in how to integrate spirituality into family therapy. Closely related to this development are efforts to include spirituality in marriage and family therapy training. Students in various fields are expressing interest in spirituality and the desire to have it integrated into their training programs. However, not all family therapy training incorporates spirituality as part of rigorous academic inquiry while considering the personal and cultural components of spirituality in the curriculum. This article examines approaches to integrating spirituality in a Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE) accredited program at Christian Theological Seminary (CTS). A review of research on spirituality in training programs is offered as well as current approaches that address spirituality. The pedagogical approach at CTS is then explicated. The curriculum includes courses in religion and others that integrate spirituality/theological reflection with family therapy. 'Integration of Self, Systems, and Spirit' and a Capstone Presentation that showcases an integrative method are described. Finally, implications for training in secular universities and agencies are articulated, with suggestions for future exploration.1 Spirituality is an important dimension to integrate into training programs given growing attention to spirituality in family therapy as well as the diversification of spiritual experiences. 2 Trainees have an ethical responsibility to be spiritually literate and spiritually sensitive. 3 Spirituality is not an isolated dimension of family therapy but one of multiple diversity concerns. 4 Immanence and transcendence are complementary constructs on a continuum that includes both spirituality and family therapy.

Faith Integration in Marriage and Family Therapy Education: A Delphi Study of the Learning Experiences of Students Enrolled in Christian Faith-Based MFT Graduate Programs

“…(Table 2 notes the items falling in each of these subcategories as well as their median scores and IQRs.) These findings expand upon extant literature highlighting how specific MFT programs integrate matters of Christian faith into their curricula (i.e., Coyle, 2017; Grauf-Grounds et al, 2009) as well as upon related literature from clinical psychology, which notes the importance of including integration-based subject matter into program curricula but does not detail what particular topics ought to be incorporated (Lewis Hall et al, 2009).…”

“…These items echo other faith-based integration literature suggesting that student engagement in personal reflections and development of self-understanding facilitates integrative learning (Flanagan et al, 2013; Johnson, 2019). They also echo secular literature related to the integration of R/S in MFT which suggests that family therapists learn to reflect critically on their own R/S as a precursor to being able to ethically integrate matters of faith with their therapeutic practice (Coyle, 2017; Carlson, Erickson, et al, 2002). Taken together, these results underscore the importance of training MFT students to consider their family backgrounds, life experiences, and Christian faith-based beliefs as a means by which they can develop more robust understandings of what it might look like for them to integrate their faith in the context of family therapy.…”

“…The first, by Grauf-Grounds and her colleagues from Seattle Pacific University’s MFT program (2009), notes the importance of spiritual formation, self-of-the-therapist work, experiential activities, integration-focused course assignments (e.g., class readings, term papers), and faculty mentorship in helping students to better understand what it means to integrate personal faith and the practice of family therapy. The second discusses how students in Christian Theological Seminary’s MFT program are required to take foundational religion courses (e.g., biblical interpretation, theological reflection) and also give a capstone presentation in which they write and present to faculty a paper exploring how their own spiritual journeys impact what it means for them to practice family therapy (Coyle, 2017).…”

Integrative Family Counseling

“…The integration of models in counseling can help counselors treat their clients with better strategies and interventions (Lebow, 1997). There are programs for training integrative counselors; however, integrative counseling is a movement within the general practice of psychotherapy; therefore, any professional psychotherapist can practice an integrative approach (Coyle, 2017). The counselor’s method of integrating approaches depends on their individual education, training, and clinical skills (Coyle, 2017).…”

Integrating Spirituality into MFT Training: A Reflexive Curriculum and Qualitative Evaluation

“…Many MFT programs are based in religiously‐affiliated institutions and explicitly integrate spiritual values into their training, such as Brigham Young University (Latter‐day Saints), Fuller Theological Seminary (Evangelical), and Seattle University (Jesuit Catholic). In addition, MFT programs have presented their overall mission and example course activities that integrate spirituality into their training approach (Coyle, ; Grauf‐Grounds, Edwards, Macdonald, Quek, & Sellers, ). However, while spirituality is discussed in MFT training literature, very little research has been conducted evaluating the effects of a spiritual integration course on MFT students.…”