The Challenges of Integrating Religion and Spirituality into Psychotherapy: Integrity, Competence, and Cultural Pluralism in Clinical Practice (Advances in Mental Health Research)

This book examines personal and professional understandings of religion in psychotherapy and advocates for integrity, competency, and cultural pluralism in clinical practice. A major feature of this book is that it confirms the massive proliferation of religion-oriented approaches to counseling and therapy in recent years.It attributes this rise to opportunism and exaggerated individualism among therapists and to the frequent failures of professional associations, clinical preparation programs, and other influences.In response to these influences, it identifies the need for guiding principles for integrating religion into therapy, discusses the religious issues that clients bring to therapy, and advocates for major changes in clinical practice, with emphasis on integrity and competence.Building on a large volume of research and using evidence-based conclusions, it clarifies how these two major features of contemporary life can be integrated with integrity and competence.The author main