Keywords
spirituality, religious interventions, psychotherapy, highly religious clients
Abstract
Spiritual and religious interventions in psychotherapy have increasingly received research attention, particularly with highly religious clients. This study examined client opinions about and experiences with religious interventions in psychotherapy. A sample of 152 clients at a counseling center of a university sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) completed a survey with ratings of specific religious interventions with regards to appropriateness, helpfulness, and prevalence. Out-of-session religious interventions were considered more appropriate by clients than in-session religious interventions, but in-session interventions were rated as more helpful. Specific interventions considered both appropriate and helpful by the LDS participants included referencing scriptural passages, teaching spiritual concepts, encouraging forgiveness, involving religious community resources, and conducting assessments of client spirituality. Some religious interventions were perceived as inappropriate or not helpful, and clients provided explanations for why religious interventions can be either effective or ineffective in psychotherapy.
Original Publication Citation
Martinez, J. S., Smith, T. B., & Barlow, S. H. (2007). Spiritual interventions in psychotherapy: Evaluations by highly religious clients. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 63, 943-960.
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Martinez, Jennifer S.; Smith, Timothy B.; and Barlow, Sally H., "Spiritual interventions in psychotherapy: Evaluations by highly religious clients" (2007). Faculty Publications. 2025.
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/facpub/2025
Document Type
Peer-Reviewed Article
Publication Date
2007-10-22
Permanent URL
http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/3979
Publisher
John Wiley & Sons
Language
english
College
David O. McKay School of Education
Department
Counseling Psychology and Special Education
Copyright Status
© 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. The final published version of this article can be found: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.20399/full. DOI: 10.1002/jclp.20399
Copyright Use Information
http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/