Handbook of Psychotherapy and Religious Diversity

Many religious people distrust the idea of psychotherapy because they fear mental health professionals will misunderstand and pathologize their beliefs. This book provides concrete guidance on how therapists can work effectively with clients from a variety of religious backgrounds. Each chapter is devoted to a different religious denomination and is written by an author who is both a mental health professional and an expert on the tradition described. The contributors provide information on the central beliefs and practices of the faith, describe how spiritual concerns may emerge in therapy, and offer guidelines for promoting trust and positive outcomes. "The recognition that an understanding of religious diversity is an important aspect of multicultural competency continues to spread throughout the mental health professions. Awareness is growing that there is a strong ethical imperative for psychotherapists to develop competency in religious and spiritual aspects of diversity. Professionals want information that will help them integrate spirituality into treatment in ethical and effective ways with clients from diverse religious traditions. The second edition of the Handbook of Psychotherapy and Religious Diversity can help all of us succeed at this quest. This volume presents detailed information about the beliefs, practices, and clinical issues of clients from many of the Western and Eastern religions that are influential in the world and in North America, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, as well as some racial and ethnic traditions (e.g., African American and Asian American religions). It will help psychotherapists more fully honor and incorporate the unique religious beliefs and spiritual resources of clients who belong to a particular religious denomination or spiritual tradition. The chapters herein can serve as a primary text in courses on religious and spiritual issues in psychotherapy and as a supplemental text in graduate courses on human diversity and multicultural counseling. This book is also a valuable desktop resource for the many practitioners who encounter clients from diverse religious traditions in their daily psychotherapy practices. The second edition of this book has been updated in a number of important ways. It provides current information about (a) religious demographics, organization, doctrine, culture, immigration, and globalization; (b) mental health implications of religious theology and culture; (c) religious views of the mental health professions and of current social and moral issues; (d) guidelines and recommendations for clinical practice; and (e) published and online resources. The authors also provide new case examples that illustrate clinical issues and intervention approaches with clients from their spiritual traditions. Finally, it provides updated citations and references to the scholarly and clinical literature. The first edition of this book was widely read by mental health practitioners and researchers. We are hopeful and optimistic that our colleagues in the mental health professions throughout North America will find this, the second edition of the Handbook of Psychotherapy and Religious Diversity, a valuable resource in their clinical practices and research"--Preface. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved) Contents Contributors Preface Acknowledgments Part I Introduction and Overview Chapter 1 Toward Religious and Spiritual Competency for Mental Health Professionals Chapter 2 Religious Diversity in North America Part II Christianity Chapter 3 Psychotherapy With Roman Catholics Chapter 4 Psychotherapy With Members of Eastern Orthodox Churches Chapter 5 Psychotherapy With Mainline Protestants: Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopal/Anglican, and Methodist Chapter 6 Psychotherapy for Evangelical and Fundamentalist Protestants Chapter 7 Psychotherapy With Pentecostal Protestants Chapter 8 Psychotherapy With Latter-Day Saints Chapter 9 Psychotherapy With Seventh-Day Adventists Part III Judaism Chapter 10 Psychotherapy With Orthodox Jews Chapter 11 Psychotherapy With Conservative and Reform Jews Part IV Islam Chapter 12 Psychotherapy With Muslims Part V Eastern Traditions Chapter 13 Psychotherapy With Hindus Chapter 14 Psychotherapy With Buddhists Part VI Ethnic-Centered Spirituality Chapter 15 Psychotherapy With Members of African American Churches and Spiritual Traditions Chapter 16 Psychotherapy With Members of Latino/Latina Churches and Spiritual Traditions Chapter 17 Psychotherapy With Members of Asian American Churches and Spiritual Traditions Chapter 18 North American Indian and Alaska Native Spirituality and Psychotherapy Part VII Afterword Chapter 19 Religious Diversity and Psychotherapy: Conclusions, Recommendations, and Future Directions Index About the Editors This book provides psychotherapists both background knowledge and clinical guidelines for working effectively and sensitively with clients from the major religious faiths in the U.S. Many religious people distrust the process of psychotherapy because they fear that helping professionals will misunderstand and pathologize their spiritual beliefs. This book provides concrete guidance for working effectively with clients from a wide range of religious backgrounds, including all of the main Christian denominations found in the United States as well as Judaism, Islam, Eastern traditions, and the ethnic-centered spirituality of African-American, Latino, and American Indian populations. Each of the 16 core chapters is written by a contributor who is both a mental health professional and an expert in the religious tradition described. After providing key information on the history and practices of the faith, authors describe how spiritual concerns may interact with common presenting problems in clients who practice the tradition and offer guidelines for promoting trust and positive outcomes. Rich in clinical examples, the book is an ideal training resource for both graduate students and experienced practitioners. Many religious people distrust the idea of psychotherapy because they fear mental health professionals will misunderstand and pathologize their beliefs. This book provides concrete guidance on how therapists can establish rapport and work effectively with clients from a variety of religious backgrounds. Each chapter is devoted to a different religious denomination and is written by a mental health professional who is an expert in that tradition. The contributors provide information on the central beliefs and practices of the faith, describe how spiritual concerns may emerge in therapy, and offer guidelines for promoting trust and positive outcomes. This edition has been significantly updated with information about religious demographics, organization, doctrine, culture, immigration, and globalization. Rich in case examples, this book fills an important gap in the training of graduate students and experienced practitioners alike. (Publisher)