Integration Versus Segregation: Applications of the Spiritual Competencies in Counselor Education Programs

Abstract

) into the counselor education curriculum. Rather than relegating this content to courses in which one might expect discussions of spirituality, the authors advocate for an infused approach. Input was sought from counselor educators and supervisors from around the nation with expertise in spirituality in counseling. These experts provided useful exercises, activities, and assignments that they have successfully used to integrate religious and/or spiritual discussions into the curriculum.

Expanding Intake Assessment to Incorporate Spirituality Using Five Functional Tasks

“… Discuss religious privileges, practices, and beliefs with those from marginalized faiths and consult with spiritual leaders about the specific faith traditions of their clients Engage in exercises: Who am I? exercise, Assessing the relevance—An activity, Reflections on a new religious or spiritual activity (see Hagedorn & Gutierrez, ) Seek additional training that involves learning to nonjudgmentally ask questions about clients' spiritual and religious backgrounds, administering more extensive spiritual assessments, and working with clients from diverse religious backgrounds…”

“…Engage in exercises: Who am I? exercise, Assessing the relevance—An activity, Reflections on a new religious or spiritual activity (see Hagedorn & Gutierrez, )…”

Spirituality and Religion: The Ninth CACREP Core Curriculum Area

“…For more than 2 decades, the literature of the counseling profession has recognized the need to include spirituality in counselor training (Curtis & Glass, ; Dobmeier & Reiner, ; Pate & Bondi, ). Research reveals an increase in this call given that counselor education programs play an important role and are vital to the training of competent professional counselors (Bishop, Avila‐Juarbe, & Thumme ; Hagedorn & Gutierrez, ; Reiner & Dobmeier, ; Young, Cashwell, Wiggins‐Frame, & Belaire, ). Responding effectively to client needs includes addressing spiritual and religious issues in counseling sessions in a manner that is culturally sensitive and ethical and that, certainly above all else, does not harm.…”

“…Excellent examples have been provided in the counseling literature on how to integrate spirituality and religion into counselor training (Briggs & Rayle, ; Curtis & Glass, ; Hagedorn & Gutierrez, ; Meyer, ; Pate & Hall, ) that range from classroom activities (Meyer, ) and specific courses (Curtis & Glass, ; Pate & Hall, ) to the infusion of spirituality into the CACREP core (Briggs & Rayle, ; Burke et al, ; Hagedorn & Gutierrez, ). For example, Meyer () recommended the implementation of classroom experiential exercises using drama therapy for enactments and role plays to explore religion and spirituality (Emunah, ) and to enhance therapeutic distance (Grainger, ).…”

“…They found that although the ASERVIC Competencies (G. Miller, ) were included, there was a lack of uniformity, not all ASERVIC Competencies were addressed in each syllabus, and the objectives were not consistent, leading the researchers to conclude that “more standardization … is warranted” (Cashwell & Young, , p. 101). In response to the call by Burke et al (), Briggs and Rayle () and Hagedorn and Gutierrez () provided specific recommendations for the infusion of spirituality into counselor education curricula. Briggs and Rayle provided course suggestions and activities, citing ethical guidelines and accreditation standards, whereas Hagedorn and Gutierrez provided concrete examples and methods for educators to incorporate the ASERVIC Competencies (ASERVIC, ) into counseling programs.…”