Spiritual Interventions in Psychotherapy

Effective counseling addresses the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual components of being human. The counseling field is widely known for its work addressing mental, emotional, and physical concerns, and the implementation of spirituality in evidence-based counseling is on the rise as many clients still find themselves in need of help after exhausting all cognitive and emotional interventions. 

Spirituality and religion can be sources of strength for many clients. Please refer to my previous post about how the “search for the sacred” can be instrumental in promoting healing and well-being. For some clients, however, harmful spiritual and religious involvement is the source of some of their pain. In both scenarios, tending to one’s spirituality is essential in the therapeutic process.  

Here are a few practical, evidence-based spiritual interventions that are becoming more widely incorporated into therapy: 

Values Clarification: Counseling can help clients gain insight into the ways their core beliefs and values are reflected in their behavior. Through values clarification exercises, clients are able to live intentional lives that are in alignment with what matters most. 

Practicing Compassion: Compassion is an essential part of spiritual development. It is caring about another’s suffering and doing something about it. This involves deepening one’s self-awareness and social awareness, and learning how to turn those insights into actions. 

Mindfulness: Part of embracing spirituality means also embracing what it means to be human, both the good and the bad. Mindfulness is the practice of orienting to the present moment instead of the pain of the past or the fear of the future. 

Meaning Making: Searching for the significance in suffering is perhaps the most painful, yet most powerful, spiritual intervention. This involves constructing, or re-constructing, a new orientation to the world. It is the process of turning your grief into growth.    

These are just 4 of the many spiritual interventions I, among others, are incorporating into therapeutic services. If you are interested in learning more or exploring this further with a professional, call Resolve and book today. 

-Jeri Sullivant, LSCSW, LCSW

Sources

Cashwell, C. S., & Young, J. S. (2005). Integrating spirituality and religion into counseling: A guide to competent practice. Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association. 

Frame, M. W. (2003). Integrating religion and spirituality into counseling: A comprehensive approach. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. 

Gonçalves JP, Lucchetti G, Menezes PR, Vallada H. Religious and spiritual interventions in mental health care: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Psychol Med. 2015;45(14):2937-49. doi:10.1017/S0033291715001166 

Gillies, J., & Neimeyer, R.A. (2006). Loss, grief, and the search for significance: Toward a model of meaning reconstruction in bereavement. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 19, 31-65.