The Importance Of Religion And Spirituality

Biblical Applications in Counseling One of the most difficult aspects of counseling is accepting when boundaries can be crossed for the betterment of a client and knowing when those boundaries should be respected no matter the outcome. Incorporating religion and spirituality into counseling can often be problematic in the sense that not everyone has the same views on the matter. In fact, not all therapists in the field of counseling agree that blending therapy and religion is effective or appropriate. However, for Christians who seek assistance, gaining knowledge on their situation, learning new coping mechanisms, and still incorporating the Bible as a reference tools serves a an excellent therapeutic method. Summary The journal article reflected on different ideas that arise in counseling, such as combining the Bible in therapy.

These are open-ended questions that ask the patients about their personal spiritual beliefs. These questions are as follows: F-"What do you believe in that gives meaning to your life?" This is a broad open-ended question that has no correct answer, just what that patient believes it to be. Whereas, "Do you consider yourself to be a religious or spiritual person?” has both religious and spiritual undertones. Patients may relate to one and take offense to the other.

This then results in a significant portion of therapist and counselors who are not prepared to address the issue of spirituality and religion with their clients. One would think that with the value many Americans place on the topic of religion and spirituality that there would come a time when a client would want to address this topic during his or her session. Now in order to fully understand the importance of addressing the topics of religion and spirituality into therapy as well as with grasping the importance of becoming skilled at integrating these issues into counseling, it is of great importance to distinguish between spirituality and religion and knowing how a client identifies with each one. And with religion and spirituality playing significant roles in aiding emotional well-bein... ... middle of paper ... ...ned religion and spirituality are oftentimes rooted in the issues that clients bring with them into counseling. With further review of the effectiveness of spirituality and religion in the counseling process, it is apparent that this is a trend that can be instrumental with respect to the existential perspective.

Abstract: In today’s society the field of psychology and the study of religion have hardly ever set will with one another. New information is being composed about the two fields working together, this paper is a brief description of those ideas and thoughts. The psychological study of religion in the United States illustrates tensions and opportunities that exist between psychology and religion. It also demonstrates the multifaceted views taken by psychologists as they address areas of living that have personal implications. Following the early period, American psychology’s push toward behaviorism resulted in the neglect of spiritual matters.

By understanding our own values and beliefs, we are more equipped to help clients with borderline personalities who encounter spiritually distress. There are many different types of spirituality such as believing in oneself, transcendent forces, or other people. Many authors define spirituality differently, according to Merriam-Webster Online dictionary(2013) spirituality is defined as the quality or state of being concerned with religion or the quality or state of being spiritual. As nurses, we know that spirituality and religion are not the same and one can be spiritual without being religious. When we encounter clients who have borderline personaliti... ... middle of paper ... ... spirituality when they are at risk for developing spiritual distress, I may potentially save my clients life, decrease their emotional instability and help them develop their own abilities to cope.

This conflict is old, but to be specific, this conflict between people of faith and the scientific community, is centered on prayer, and the use of prayer as a supplement to, or as a replacement for, medical treatment. Should prayer be used as the only means of healing? Should people that keep their children from medical assistance, resulting in the worsening of their condition, be punished? Are parents that do the things mentioned above, in fact, making martyrs for faith out of their children? As research on this topic is done and new facts are found eyes are opened to things such as these, and the conflict is becoming more and more prevalent and urgent.

Religion and spirituality are often entrenched within the issues that clients convey in the counseling office; regrettably, the ethical principles of the vocation have yet to attend to unambiguous concerns that materialize as counselors make the endeavor to augment understanding and responsiveness to religious and spiritual issues in their work. The need for counselors to respect clients’ decorum, to promote positive development and maturity, to respect multiplicity in terms of religion and to attempt to comprehend the diverse cultural backgrounds of clients is addressed in the code of ethics. These responsibilities propose that counselors must regard religious and spiritual aspects of client’s welfare and may observe them as assets for endorsing remedial change. The DSM- IV added “religious or spiritual problems” to its inventory of issues a client may perhaps convey in counseling, generating a need for counselors to have the required abilities to deal with clients suffering from religious or spiritual issues. Religion and spirituality debatably stand out as cultural and indiv... ... middle of paper ... ...heme.

With that being said the therapist must be open and understanding of the clients views and beliefs. The therapist may not always share the same religious views as their client but that doesn’t mean that they cannot use religion in therapy. If a therapist is not capable of allowing a client to worship without imposing his or her own religious views then religion cannot be used in therapy. Limit and boundaries must be set to avoid causing more harm. Standard 1.08 Unfair Discrimination Against Complainants and Respondents (Fisher, 2013) is in places to ensure that clients aren’t going to be discriminated against, especially in any form of religious belief.

Furthermore, a respect for diversity is a concern that this guideline is addressing. It is very important that counselors not discriminate based on race, culture, sexual orien... ... middle of paper ... ...s affect the client’s daily life. This will help the counselor properly diagnose and treat the client. However, it is still important for the counselor to be aware of his or her own religious/spiritual values because self-disclosure may be of some importance to client in therapy. In addition, there are criticisms of this approach that include unconditional acceptance of client’s viewpoint that might blur the lines between mental illness and religious belief.

Assessing the Spiritual REBT counselors perform assessments with religious clients for determining whether to retain them in therapy. These assessments also determine the set of therapeutic strategies for clients. Furthermore, REBT counselors must consider their ability to ethically offer services to religious clients (Nielsen, Johnson, & Ellis, 2001). It is essential that REBT counselors understand that religion is multidimensional in the degree of expression. In the initial assessment, the REBT counselors need to address the degree in which clients are connected with their religion and the degree in which religious commitment and practice may be connected to the presenting problem(s).