Spirituality and the therapeutic process: A comprehensive resource from intake to termination.

This book is for therapists who want to enhance their effectiveness with clients whose spirituality is a salient part of their worldview. Whether or not the therapist has a spiritual background, the authors demonstrate that it is possible to honor clients' spiritual experience from the beginning to the end of the therapeutic process. Practical strategies, techniques, and examples are used to show how spirituality can influence each stage of treatment from before the clinical intake, starting with an understanding of ethical practice guidelines and therapist self-awareness, through termination. Self-reflection questions, diverse case examples, and a multiple session case study chapter are provided to build readers' understanding and ability to incorporate spirituality into counseling and psychotherapy. Practitioners in a broad variety of fields, including counseling and clinical psychology, counselor education, and marriage and family therapy will find this book to be a rich source of ideas for examining and modifying their practice. The authors discuss therapist self-awareness tools such as genogram, autobiography, journaling, and mindfulness; recommendations for overcoming biases toward spirituality; and how an agency's climate, referral sources, and intake forms can discourage or set the stage for discussing the spiritual. Chapters provide example probing questions and assessment instruments for exploring how spirituality can be a source of strength or confound problems, and present sample treatment plans that address various encounters with clients' spirituality. Authors demonstrate how meaning systems theory can inform case conceptualization and how spiritual discussions and interventions can be part of cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, psychodynamic, and humanistic therapies. The book also prepares readers for spiritual issues that frequently arise in termination, even if spirituality had not been a focus in previous sessions. This book is for therapists who want to enhance their effectiveness with clients whose spirituality is a salient part of their worldview. Whether or not the therapist has a spiritual background, the authors demonstrate that it is possible to honor clients'spiritual experience from the beginning to the end of the therapeutic process. Practical strategies, techniques, and examples are used to show how spirituality can influence each stage of treatment from before the clinical intake, starting with an understanding of ethical practice guidelines and therapist self-awareness, through termination. Self-reflection questions, diverse case examples, and a multiple session case study chapter are provided to build readers'understanding and ability to incorporate spirituality into counseling and psychotherapy. Practitioners in a broad variety of fields, including counseling and clinical psychology, counselor education, and marriage and family therapy will find this book to be a rich source of ideas for examining and modifying their practice. The authors discuss therapist self-awareness tools such as genogram, autobiography, journaling, and mindfulness; recommendations for overcoming biases toward spirituality; and how an agency's climate, referral sources, and intake forms can discourage or set the stage for discussing the spiritual. The chapters provide example probing questions and assessment instruments for exploring how spirituality can be a source of strength or confound problems, and present sample treatment plans that address various encounters with clients'spirituality. The authors demonstrate how meaning systems theory can inform case conceptualization and how spiritual discussions and interventions can be part of cognitive behavioral, interpersonal, psychodynamic, and humanistic therapies. The book also prepares readers for spiritual issues that frequently arise in termination, even if spirituality had not been a focus in previous sessions. "This book is for therapists who want to enhance their effectiveness with clients whose spirituality is a salient part of their worldview. Whether or not the therapist has a spiritual background, the authors demonstrate that it is possible to honor clients' spiritual experience at each stage of the therapeutic process, from clinical intake through termination. Practical strategies, techniques, and examples are used to show how spirituality can influence each stage of treatment, and the authors describe the importance of ethical practice guidelines and therapist self- awareness when considering matters of spirituality. Self-reflection questions, diverse case examples, and a multiple-session case study chapter are provided to build readers' understanding and ability to incorporate spirituality into counseling and psychotherapy. Practitioners in a broad variety of fields, including counseling and clinical psychology, counselor education, and marriage and family therapy, will find this book to be a rich source of ideas for examining and modifying their practice. The contributors discuss therapist self-awareness tools such as genograms, autobiography, journaling, and mindfulness as well as recommendations for overcoming biases toward spirituality. They also demonstrate how meaning systems theory can inform case conceptualization and how spiritual discussions and interventions can be part of cognitive-behavioral, interpersonal. psychodynamic, and humanistic therapies. The chapters provide examples of probing questions and assessment instruments for exploring how spirituality can be a source of strength or can confound problems, along with sample treatment plans that address various encounters with clients' spirituality"--Jacket. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved) A Primer On Spirituality And Mental Health / Jamie D. Aten And Mark M. Leach -- Ethical Concerns Around Spirituality And Religion In Clinical Practice / William L. Hathaway And Jennifer S. Ripley -- Therapist Self-awareness Of Spirituality / Marsha I. Wiggins -- Noting The Importance Of Spirituality During Clinical Intake / Mark M. Leach ... [et Al.] -- Clinical Assessment Of Clients' Spirituality / Kenneth I. Pargament And Elizabeth J. Krumrei -- Including Spirituality In Case Conceptualizations : A Meaning-systems Approach / Crystal L. Park And Jeanne M. Slattery -- Integrating Spirituality With Clinical Practice Through Treatment Planning / Brian J. Zinnbauer And John J. Barrett -- How Spirituality Can Affect The Therapeutic Alliance / J. Scott Young, Sondra Dowdle, And Lucy Flowers -- Implementing Treatments That Incorporate Clients' Spirituality / Lewis Z. Schlosser And David A. Safran -- Spirituality In Therapy Termination / Jamie D. Aten ... [et Al.] -- Case Study Showing Inclusion Of Spirituality In The Therapeutic Process / Kari A. O'grady And P. Scott Richards -- Training Therapists To Address Spiritual Concerns In Clinical Practice And Research / Everett L. Worthington Jr. ... [et Al.]. Edited By Jamie D. Aten And Mark M. Leach. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Spirituality and mental health research in context Ethical concerns around spirituality and religion in clinical practice Therapist self-awareness Noting the importance of spirituality during clinical intake Clinical assessment of clients' spirituality Including spirituality in case conceptualizations: a meaning systems approach Integrating spirituality with clinical practice through treatment planning How spirituality can affect the therapeutic alliance Implementing treatments that incorporate client spirituality Spirituality in therapy termination Case study showing inclusion of spirituality in the therapeutic process Training therapists to address spiritual concerns in clinical practice and research.