Safe & Effective Use of Self in the Spiritual & Religious Realms of Psychotherapy Practice
By Patricia Anne Loraine McCracken M.Ed., C.C.C., C.T.S., R.M.F.T. CCPA Ontario Anglophone DIrector, 2011-2015
The purpose of this article is to encourage psychotherapists to consider and under- take critical self-reflection in regard to the religious and spiritual components of psy- chotherapy. How does a therapist develop the capacity to understand his/her own subjective context? How does the therapist’s awareness of his/her subjective context affect his/her pattern of interaction or par- ticipation in therapeutic conversations and non-verbal communications? How does the therapist’s personality, insights, perceptions and judgments optimize interactions with clients during the therapeutic process?
Haug wrote that spirituality connotes a per- sonal, internalized set of beliefs and experi- ences while religions organize these beliefs and experiences into collective dogma and practices associated with organizational memberships. She also noted that spiritual literacy will enable therapists to non-judg- mentally and respectfully open space for the discussion of religious or spiritual content that is important to clients. According to Haug, there are four dimensions impacted by spirituality, including cognitive, affective, behavioural and developmental and that therapists who have spiritual literacy would be better able to support clients to solve dilemmas consistent with their deeply held beliefs.
One aspect of self-awareness which influ- ences and is influenced by interactions with others is the realm of religion and spiritual- ity. How does the therapist determine cul- tural literacy? What are the religious and spiritual aspects of the culture of the thera- pist and client? What is self from other when it comes to religion and spirituality as part of the culture of the therapist and the client(s)? Therapists should ask themselves, “Am I a spiritually sensitive therapist?”; “What is my
level of spiritual literacy?”; “Do I use myself in safe and effective ways in the psycho- therapeutic process?” and “On a scale of 0 to 10, where 10 is strong religious and spiritual awareness, what is my score? ”
I have increased awareness of how religious and spiritual aspects come into my work. For example, while taking a course last spring on Suicide and Critical Incident Stress Man- agement I was able to learn more from a First Nations participant about the role of spirituality in his/her culture. Someone I know, once asked me why God led him to be in the place of a train accident and have him witness the death of an individual. AA and Alanon have a strong Christian base. Issues related to miscarriage, stillbirth and abortion also have religious and spiritual overtones.
When using work depression inventories with clients, I often see comments about guilt, punishment, and failure and I have seen how pastoral counsellors use scriptural education, biblical references, prayer, rituals, and sacraments to help clients. I’ve learned the hard way that the coffin of an Orthodox Jewish teenager who commits suicide can- not be taken into a synagogue. I’ve learned that when an Iranian teen is killed in a motor vehicle accident that her mother and father cannot sit together in the mosque. Incidents like these illustrate how expectations and assumptions have to be checked. Psycho- therapists should strive to be spiritually sensitive.
Readers of this article might want to self- assess and determine learning goals and action plans to further develop their spiri- tual literacy- an ethical imperative. To guide others in their decision-making or life plan- ning, therapists need to remember that the customs of religion can affect marriage
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