Journal of Psychology and Christianity. (Journal File).Eck, B. E. (2002) An exploration of the therapeutic use of spiritual disciplines in clinical practice Vol. 21(3), 266-280 The author notes a shift in research from theoretical to practical integration. He attributes this shift to observations by the psychological community that incorporation of clients' religious orientations results in improved clinical outcomes. Given this current emphasis on practical integration, the author discusses ethical, cultural, and clinical contexts for the use of spiritual disciplines in psychotherapy and suggests ways to better integrate the disciplines into treatment of religious clients. The American Psychological Association's Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct requires that psychologists be aware of and respect clients' religious beliefs and values, and to obtain any training and supervision necessary to competently work with clients of different religious systems than their own. Recent Gallup (1994) poll statistics suggest that about eight out of ten clients assert that religion is personally important. Further, 78% of American clients indicate that they prefer therapy to incorporate their belief systems (Privette & Klentz, 1985). Despite ethical requirements and cultural data supporting the incorporation of religious practices into therapy, the author suggests that psychology's historical bias against religion hinders development of clinical models and training that would equip therapists to engage clients' religiosity re·li·gi·os·i·ty n. 1. The quality of being religious. 2. Excessive or affected piety. Noun 1. religiosity - exaggerated or affected piety and religious zeal religiousism, pietism, religionism to the same degree as other ethnocultural areas. The therapeutic appropriateness of the disciplines is determined by assessing various factors involving the client, therapist, and clinical setting. To ensure congruence con·gru·ence n. 1. a. Agreement, harmony, conformity, or correspondence. b. An instance of this: "What an extraordinary congruence of genius and era" of spiritual interventions with clients' beliefs and practices, assessment would likely include familial religious history and the current nature of the clients' religious involvement. Spiritual interventions must also be consistent with clients' goals and diagnoses and the therapists' modalities Modalities The factors and circumstances that cause a patient's symptoms to improve or worsen, including weather, time of day, effects of food, and similar factors. and scope of training. If not explicitly used in session, therapists can implement spiritual interventions outside of sessions (prayer for clients) or implicitly (challenging misconceptions of God). Spiritual interventions may not be appropriate in publicly funded agencies or fall within the parameters of third party reimbursement contracts. Selection of spiritual disciplines for therapeutic use is based on the presenting problem and client needs. The author categorizes the disciplines into those that address cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal problems. Cognitively oriented disciplines address disordered thoughts. Behaviorally oriented disciplines address both excessive and inadequate activities. Interpersonal disciplines help repair and create relationships. The author cites research revealing an inverse relationship A inverse or negative relationship is a mathematical relationship in which one variable decreases as another increases. For example, there is an inverse relationship between education and unemployment — that is, as education increases, the rate of unemployment between education level and association to professional organizations with use of spiritual disciplines. The author advocates for increased education on the effectiveness of spiritual interventions with religious clients and the development of treatment models that incorporate the disciplines into the major modalities. The author also emphasizes the need for research to determine the disciplines that are the most effective in treating specific disorders. ALSO OF INTEREST Abernethy, A. D., Chang, H. T., Seidlitz, L., Evinger, J. S., & Duberstein, P. R. (2002). Religious coping religious coping, n means of dealing with stress (which may be a consequence of illness) that are religious. These include prayer, congregational support, pastoral care, and religious faith. and depression among spouses of people with lung cancer lung cancer, cancer that originates in the tissues of the lungs. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States in both men and women. Like other cancers, lung cancer occurs after repeated insults to the genetic material of the cell. . Psychosomatics: Journal of Consultation Liasion Psychiatry, 43(6), 456-463. Brown, W. S. (2002). Nonreductive physicalism phys·i·cal·ism n. Philosophy The view that all that exists is ultimately physical. phys  i·cal·ist n. and soul: Finding
resonance between theology and neuroscience. American Behavioral
Scientist, 45(12), 1812-1821.
Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. , M. (2002). Convergence: Maturation and integration in the course of a religious conversion. Journal of the American Academy The American Academy in Berlin is a non-partisan academic institution in Berlin. It was founded in September 1994 by a group of prominent Americans and Germans, among them Richard Holbrooke, Henry Kissinger, Richard von Weizsäcker, Fritz Stern and Otto Graf Lambsdorff and opened in of Psychoanalysis, 30(3), 383-400. Cox, D. (2002). The physical body in spiritual formation: What God has joined together let no one put asunder a·sun·der adv. 1. Into separate parts or pieces: broken asunder. 2. Apart from each other either in position or in direction: The curtains had been drawn asunder. . Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 21(3), 281-291. Hill, P.C., & Hall, T. W. (2002). Relational schemas in processing ones image of God and self. Journal of Psychology & Christianity, 21(4), 365-373. Larimore, W. L., Parker, M. U., & Crowther, M. (2002). Should clinicians incorporate positive spirituality into their practices? What does the evidence say? Annals of Behavioral Medicine behavioral medicine n. The application of behavior therapy techniques, such as biofeedback and relaxation training, to the prevention and treatment of medical and psychosomatic disorders and to the treatment of undesirable behaviors, such as overeating. , 24(1), 69-73. Larmer, R. (2000). Christian anthropology This article is about Christian anthropology. For other uses, see Anthropology (disambiguation). In the context of Christian theology, theological anthropology refers to the study of the human ("anthropology") as it relates to God. : Saving the soul? Philosophia-Christi, 2(2), 211-226. Love, P. G. (2002). Comparing spiritual development and cognitive development. Journal of College Student Development Journal of College Student Development is an academic journal founded in 1959 and is the official publication of the American College Personnel Association. The journal publishes scholarly articles and reviews from a wide variety of academic fields related to college , 43(3), 357-373. Rayburn, C. A., & Richmond, L. J. (2002). Theobiology: Interfacing theology and science. American Behavioral Scientist, 45(12), 1793-1811 Stewart, D. L. (2002). The role of faith in the development of an integrated identity: A qualitative study of Black students at a White college. Journal of College Student Development, 43(4), 579-596. Throckmorton, W. (2002). Initial empirical and clinical findings concerning the change process for ex-gays. Professional Psychology: Research & Practice, 33(3), 242-248. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion