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Peer reviewed Peer reviewed
ERIC Number: EJ699234
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2004-Oct-1
Pages: 12
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0160-7960
EISSN: N/A
Therapists' Integration of Religion and Spirituality in Counseling: A Meta-Analysis
Walker, Donald F.; Gorsuch, Richard L.; Tan, Siang-Yang
Counseling and Values, v49 n1 p69 Oct 2004
Religion and spirituality are important aspects of multicultural competency for therapists to consider given the religious culture in America. Researchers have found that more than 90% of Americans claim either a Protestant or Catholic religious affiliation (Keller, 2000), 40% of Americans attend religious services on a weekly basis, and more than two thirds of Americans consider personal spiritual practices to be an important part of their daily lives (Hoge, 1996). Thus, it is important for counselors to understand how their own religious and spiritual culture may differ from that of the general populace and the clients whom they serve. This meta-analysis has several aims. One purpose of this study was to examine via meta-analysis the spiritual and religious culture and values of counselors. This information is used to suggest ways in which therapists' religious cultures may differ from those of their clients and to explore how such differences might be constructively approached in counseling. A second purpose of this study was to explore via meta-analysis links between the personal religiousness of counselors and therapists and several counseling-related variables. This information is also used to understand across studies how therapists' religiousness relates to their helping style with clients from varying religious and spiritual backgrounds. The authors conducted a 26-study meta-analysis of 5,759 therapists and their integration of religion and spirituality in counseling. Most therapists consider spirituality relevant to their lives but rarely engage in spiritual practices or participate in organized religion. Marriage and family therapists consider spirituality more relevant and participate in organized religion to a greater degree than therapists from other professions. Across professions, most therapists surveyed (over 80%) rarely discuss spiritual or religious issues in training. In mixed samples of religious and secular therapists, therapists' religious faith was associated with using religious and spiritual techniques in counseling frequently, willingness to discuss religion in therapy, and theoretical orientation.
American Counseling Association, 5999 Stevenson Ave., Alexandria, VA 22304. Web site: http://www.counseling.org.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - General
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: Counselors
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A