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Spiritual lessons
Few psychology programs train students to consider clients' religious beliefs. There are
ways students can close that knowledge gap.
"For many people, religion is one of the biggest ways they cope."
Kenneth Pargament
Bowling Green State University |
A recent
Gallup poll found that 84 percent of Americans say religion or spirituality is an important part
of their lives. And, when it comes to working with a therapist, people with strong spiritual or religious
beliefs prefer to work with someone who will integrate their beliefs and values in therapy, according
to a recent study in APA's Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (Vol. 37, No. 3, pages
303–310).
But if your program is like most psychology programs, it hasn't taught you much about addressing
religion in therapy. According to a 2002 study in Professional Psychology: Research and Practice (Vol. 33, No. 2, pages 203–206), only 13 percent of a representative sample of graduate programs
included coursework addressing religion and psychology.
That's a significant problem, says Bowling Green State University professor Kenneth Pargament,
PhD, because, "for many people, religion is one of the biggest ways they cope." Indeed, 50 percent
of respondents in a 2004 survey by the National Opinion Research Center said that their religion
or spirituality provided them comfort at least once a day. Meanwhile, only about 11 percent said
they find comfort "once in awhile" and about 10 percent said "never or almost never."
In his private practice, Pargament has found that reminding religious clients of the resources
that have helped them previously—whether they be a formal observance such as going to a church,
synagogue or other place of worship, or informal methods such as meditation—can help enhance
their progress.
In fact, not understanding a client's religious background can lead to misunderstandings,
such as asking a person to do something that is against his or her beliefs, says William Hathaway,
PhD, head of an APA Div. 36 (Psychology of Religion) working group that is developing practice guidelines
for religion.
Some practices may even seem strange or troubling out of the context of a client's faith, Hathaway
adds. To help psychologists with that context, Hathaway and the group started working on the guidelines—which
are modeled after APA's diversity guidelines—in 2003 and hope to get them to APA's Council
of Representatives for consideration in 2009.
So—regardless of whether you consider yourself religious—how can you prepare
for treating religiously diverse clients? A few tips:
 Overcome "religious myopia." Pargament says that a frequent mistake practitioners
make is to misattribute religious problems—such as a crisis of faith or guilt over not following
religious values—to other causes such as family or work. For example, marital conflicts
about other issues are often rooted in religious differences, he adds. It's also important to understand
how a client's religion or spirituality affects his or her daily life, says Edward Shafranske,
PhD, a psychology professor at Pepperdine University who has studied religion and psychology.
Is it a positive or negative force? Does it give them hope? Or are they weighed down by sense of guilt?
Discussing a client's religious beliefs may also bring negative coping skills to light, says Pargament.
Sometimes clients may pray for a miracle when they really need human intervention—such as
a woman who finds a lump in her breast and prays for it to go away instead of praying and going to the
doctor, he explains.
Teach yourself. Seek out information on your own, whether through extra classes such
as a basic introduction to religion, workshops or just talking to psychologists who have worked
with religious clients or study religion and psychology, says Patrick Bennett, PhD, a social psychologist
who does research on religion at Indiana State University. Pargament suggests visiting churches,
synagogues and mosques to talk to congregants and get an idea of what the services are like. APA also
offers resources: Div. 36 publishes articles in its quarterly newsletter Psychology of Religion
and sponsors APA convention presentations and occasional research conferences, says Shafranske.
For more, see the division's Web site at www.apa.org/divisions/div36. There are also videos and
books for psycyhologists, he adds (see box).
Break through bias. You may have more in common with your religious client than you think.
"Whether we are explicitly religious or not, each of us is trying to make sense of our world and asking
ourselves ontological questions such as 'What is the meaning of life?'" argues Shafranske. His
research has found that statistics indicating that psychologists are less religious than the
general population don't tell the whole story. Although psychologists are less likely to participate
in organized religion than the general public, many find spirituality to be personally relevant,
he found in a 2000 study published in Psychiatric Annals (Vol. 30, No. 8, pages 525–532).
Recognize when you need help. You are not your client's religious adviser, emphasizes
Shafranske. If you feel like you need an additional perspective, try consulting someone—without
breaking confidentiality—who is more familiar with your client's religious practices,
he adds. With your client's permission, you may also want to work with his or her priest, rabbi, pastor
or imam to address religious issues, says Bennett. After all, the patient's religious community
is often an important source of social support, adds Hathaway. For example, enlisting the help
of the religious community could help a bereaved client having trouble going on with his or her life
reengage, he notes.
And like any other personal issue or set of beliefs, if you honestly cannot remain objective
with your religious client, refer him or her to another practitioner, agree experts.
By Laurie Meyers
gradPSYCH Staff
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