TOPIC: Psychologists

Using Spirituality and Religion in Therapy

Using Spirituality and Religion in Therapy

"Using religion as a therapeutic tool is a little controversial and still emerging," says Christian psychologist William Hathaway, PhD, of Regent University in Virginia, "Techniques include use of prayer during a session, ways to direct clients to pray, spiritual journaling, forgiveness protocols, using biblical texts to reinforce healthy mental and emotional habits and working to change punitive God images." Hathaway uses spiritually guided forgiveness protocols to help clients deal with emotional problems that resulted from harm inflicted by friends or family members. He also uses religious teachings on forgiveness to help clients let go of unhealthy anger and move past an abusive situation without justifying the abuse.

"Although potentially effective, use of religiously guided treatments needs to be considered carefully, especially when a therapist is new to using them", says Carrie Doehring, PhD, a psychologist at the Iliff School of Theology in Denver, who studies how people use religion to deal with experiences of violence. "I think it's important for all psychologists to understand how spirituality and religious faith are important to them personally, both as a tool and as a way to prevent personal roadblocks, but there are pitfalls to incorporating religious practices into therapy," she says. A primary concern for those promoting the field is ensuring there's proper supervision for therapists learning to use religious tools or help clients deal with religious issues while in their postdoctoral training. For that reason, specific training programs should be available for psychologists looking into developing practices that include religious therapies, says Doehring.

Edward Shafranske, PhD, a psychology professor at Pepperdine University, says the practice as a whole needs to rely on more than anecdotal treatment strategies, instead turning to evidence-based practices, and the field has recently reached a point where there's a substantial body of high-quality literature that discusses the connection between mental health and spirituality. "But until we have good, solid empirical evidence and studies about how to integrate religion into practice, it may be premature to encourage widespread use," Shafranske says.

“Only about 10 percent of new psychology PhDs report moderate to high levels of exposure to religious sensitivity or guided practices in their training, and most of that goes on at religiously affiliated training programs at schools like Brigham Young University and the Fuller Theological Seminary”, Shafranske says. “Making sure religious diversity is presented as a key issue in training programs is an important first step, and that could, in turn, open doors to postdoctoral emphasis on using religious techniques in practice.”

adapted from Religion and Spirituality in the Treatment Room by KAREN KERSTING, Monitor Staff, APA Monitor on Psychology; December 2003, Vol 34, No. 11

Mental Health Professionals can look to, Competent Christian Counseling: Introduction & Foundations SECTION ONE: Includes Parts I & II, (Chapters 1-7), by Dr. Timothy Clinton and Dr. George Ohlschlager for Continuing Education. Note: We have chosen to present Competent Christian Counseling in three separate sections to help manage the course content and sharpen the focus as you review the text. This section covers the Introduction, Spiritual, Biological and Psychosocial Foundations of Christian Counseling.

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