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Spirituality & Mental Health: Effective Strategies to Integrate Faith in Clinical Treatment
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Historically, there has been a rift between psychology and religion, but as helping professionals we need to recognize the significant contribution of religion and spirituality to an individual’s overall wellbeing. There are numerous studies providing empirical evidence suggesting a strong link between a person’s spiritual and religious beliefs and their physical and mental health. If a client is receptive, spirituality can be identified as a resource to complement psychological interventions which enhance coping during times of losses, conflicts, disappointments, and health issues. It is often in situations of strain and tension that the greatest relevance of religion may be found. As therapists, we must be respectful of all faith traditions and our client’s personal spiritual beliefs, while also creating a safe place for our clients to preserve, evaluate, question, and revise their beliefs.
This seminar explores the impact of spirituality and faith on wellbeing, insight into the major spiritual traditions and Great World Religions, and ways to integrate spirituality into your personal counseling orientation. Attendees will discover the power of combining faith, nature, meditation, mindfulness, and prayer into the therapeutic process for improved treatment plans and outcomes.
Course Outline
Integrating Spirituality in Client Care
- Defining spirituality and religion
- Benefits of including spirituality in therapy
- Important factors of physical and mental health
- Faith
- Spirituality
- Meditation
- Prayer
- Mindfulness
- Nonreligious or nonspiritual clients
- Utilize nature/Green Therapy
- Incorporate research-based forgiveness and gratitude practices
- Enhance spiritual harmony for LGBT clients
- Know when and to whom to refer
- Christian counseling
- Pastoral counseling
- Spiritual direction
Spiritual Development and Assessing Spiritual/Religious identity:
- Fowler’s theory of Faith Development
- Kohlberg’s levels of Moral Development
- Examine a client’s spiritual/religious journey and its role in treatment
- Discerning between life-giving vs. life-draining practices
- Appreciate the contributions of various faith traditions
- Hinduism
- Daoism
- Buddhism
- Judaism
- Christianity
- Others
- Lessons from teachers of the great world faith traditions
- Buddha
- Jesus
- Mohammed
- And others
integrate spiritual care with your counseling approach
- Cognitive-Behavioral
- Humanistic
- Interpersonal Psychotherapy
- Experientially Focused
- Jungian
- The Twelve Step Program
Practicing Self-care for the Therapist
- Find your spiritual and ethical core
- Discover and connect with your True Self
- Spiritual practices to prevent burnout
Esther Williams, MEd, LPC
Esther Williams, MEd, LPC, is a nationally known educator, author, presenter, and licensed professional counselor. Ms. Williams received a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Education degree in Counseling from Auburn University, and is also a trained Spiritual Director. After retiring from the Alabama public school system, she founded Positive Paths, Inc. and still consults with schools and other helping professionals throughout the U.S. She has been presenting for over 15 years and, because of her unique background in education, counseling, and spiritual direction, she is an especially effective trainer and therapist. She has a very common sense approach and her presentations are high energy, educational, entertaining, and inspiring. Ms. Williams has published two books, Breaking Down the Wall of Anger and The Bully, The Bullied and Beyond.
