Inclusion of Religious Behaviors and Attitudes in Counseling: Expectations of Conservative Christians

In this study of 118 religiously conservative Christians' expectations of counseling, participants were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment conditions: a Christian counselor or a counselor whose religious beliefs were unknown. Participants rated their expectations for the counselor's attitude toward their religious beliefs and use of religious behaviors in counseling using the Behavior and Attitude Expectancies scale (C. Belaire & J. S. Young, 2002). Participants also rated their general expectations for counseling using the Expectations About Counseling: Brief Form (H. E. A. Tinsley, 1985). Results showed that participants expected both a Christian counselor and a counselor whose religious beliefs were unknown to be respectful and accepting of conservative Christian religious beliefs and values and to include multiple religious behaviors in counseling sessions. Participants had overall positive expectations of the counseling process.     

Observers' Perceptions of a Counselor's Treatment of a Religious Issue

How a counselor treats a client's religious beliefs may affect perceptions of the counselor. Participants (N =102) of either high or low Christian commitment rated a videotaped excerpt from counseling in which a client's religious belief was either supported, ignored, or challenged. Participants' religious beliefs did not affect participants' ratings of the counselor. Results suggested, however, that most college students expect counselors to support a client's religious beliefs or attend to psychological (rather than religious) beliefs rather than challenge a client's religious beliefs.     

Conservative Christians' Expectations of Non‐Christian Counselors

In this study of conservative Christians' expectations of counseling, 100 participants rated their expectations of the behaviors and attitudes of a non‐Christian counselor. Results suggest that highly religious Christians expected more in‐session religious behaviors from a non‐Christian counselor than did moderately religious Christians. Both moderately and highly conservative Christians expected a non‐Christian counselor to display attitudes of acceptance and tolerance for Christian beliefs.     

Chronic pain conceptualization and religious interpretation

The pastoral counselor often interviews patients suffering from chronic pain. Many of them express religious notions about their suffering. This article examines some traditional concepts of pain and types of religious interpretations, and proposes appropiate roles for the pastoral counselor.     

Stories Matter: Narrative Themes of Counselor Educators' Religious and Spiritual Competency

Using narrative inquiry, the author explored the multicultural aspects of religious and spiritual experiences, assumptions, and patterns of 9 counselor educators to understand the impact that experiences and beliefs have when supervising and teaching counseling students. A gap exists between counselor standards, ethics, competencies, and practice, because counseling students receive mixed messages about addressing spiritual and religious concerns. Through hermeneutic analysis, 6 themes emerged: (a) religious and spiritual journeys, (b) religious and spiritual practices, (c) relationships, (d) marginalization, (e) modeling, and (f) risk and taboo. Trustworthiness strategies, implications for counselor education, limitations, and directions for future research are described.     

Religious Diversity From a Jewish Perspective

The exploration of spiritual and religious diversity may receive less attention in counselor education than is warranted, resulting in counselors who are unprepared to deal with spiritual and religious issues in counseling. This trend could have a negative impact on Jewish clients, as well as on other religious clients, who feel that issues related to their identity are ignored. The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (2001) has recognized that religious diversity is an integral component of the multicultural counseling movement, but counselor education and training programs, as a whole, still need to embrace this standard.     

Personal and Professional Discord: Examining Religious Conservatism and Lesbian‐, Gay‐, and Bisexual‐Affirmative Counselor Competence

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) orientations can evoke strong reactions that are often based on personal beliefs that seemingly conflict with professional standards calling for LGB‐affirmative counseling. This study examined the relationship between religious conservatism and LGB‐affirmative counselor competence. Controlling for education level, political conservatism, and LGB interpersonal contact, the results indicate that, as religious conservatism increased, LGB competency significantly decreased. The strongest predictor of LGB‐affirmative counselor competency was religious fundamentalism, whereas multicultural course work was not a significant predictor.     

Affirmative Lesbian,Gay, and Bisexual Counselor Education and Religious Beliefs: How Do We Bridge the Gap?

The position held by the American Counseling Association, reflecting acceptance, affirmation, and nondiscrimination of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals, has created conflicts for some trainees who hold conservative religious beliefs about sexual orientation. This article explores the counseling profession's evolution regarding LGB‐affirmative counseling and examines the potential conflict this evolution can create for counselor educators who are training students with conservative religious viewpoints about sexual orientation. Recommendations for counselor educators to manage this dilemma are offered.     

Religion and anxiety treatments in primary care patients

Earlier data suggested that religious physicians are less likely to refer to a psychiatrist or psychologist. This follow-up study measures how religious beliefs affect anxiety treatments in primary care. We surveyed US primary care physicians and psychiatrists using a vignette of a patient with anxiety symptoms. Physicians were asked how likely they were to recommend antianxiety medication, see the patient for counseling, refer to a psychiatrist, refer to a psychologist or licensed counselor, encourage meaningful relationships and activities, and encourage involvement in religious community. We experimentally varied symptom severity, whether the patient was Christian or Jewish, and whether she attended religious services. Physician attendance at religious services was assessed in the survey. The response rate was 896 out of 1427 primary care physicians and 312 out of 487 psychiatrists. Religious physicians were more likely to promote religious resources. There was no statistically significant difference between physicians' recommendations for religious and nonreligious patients. There was no statistically significant difference in religious and nonreligious physicians' referrals to a psychologist, licensed counselor, or psychiatrist. Ultimately, we did not find a difference in religious and nonreligious physicians' support for mental health referrals, however, religious physicians were more likely to encourage using religious resources.     

Qualitative Investigation of Student Reflections on a Spiritual/Religious Diversity Experience

Twenty‐six master's‐level counselor education students participated in a spiritual and religious diversity assignment, which involved participation in a spiritual or religious activity for 5 weeks. Participants then discussed these experiences in reflection papers. After analysis of the student papers, the authors identified the following themes: (a) discomfort related to the experience, (b) initial assumptions regarding spirituality and religion, (c) movement toward appreciation of spiritual and religious diversity, (d) increases in self‐understanding, (e) the value of experiential learning, and (f) motivation for additional learning. The authors provide suggestions for counselor training on spirituality and religion.     

Risk Assessment of the Suicidal Religious Person: Some Suggestions

For appropriate intervention, the counselor should gain an understanding of the individual's perspective of religious values and attitudes, which at the moment of suicidal crisis may or may not be consonant with his or her previously held religious tenets.     

Religion and Spirituality in Variously Accredited Counselor Training Programs: A Comment on Pate and High (1995)

Accreditation standards for counselor preparation have the potential for bringing appropriate consideration of religious and spiritual issues into the training of counselors. This article extends Pate and High's (1995) study of CACREP-accredited programs and includes data comparing the attention given to religion and spirituality in programs accredited by several different counselor and therapist-training accrediting bodies.     

Incorporating Spirituality Into Core Counseling Courses: Ideas for Classroom Application

Recently, spirituality has received increased attention in the counseling field, and both spirituality and religion have been acknowledged as important aspects of multiculturalism. The role of spiritual and religious beliefs is mentioned throughout the Standards of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), and guidelines for working with spiritual issues within various cultural paradigms are emerging. Nevertheless, many counselor educators seem unsure about how to infuse spiritual issues into courses. This article presents a rationale for inclusion of spiritual issues in counselor education curricula and provides activities to incorporate knowledge and skills for dealing with spiritual and religious diversity in CACREP core courses.     

Working With the Sacred: Four Approaches to Religious and Spiritual Issues in Counseling

This article examines the advantages and disadvantages of 4 helping orientations of the counselor to religious and spiritual issues in psychotherapy: rejectionism, exclusivism, constructivism, and pluralism. The constructivist and pluralist approaches are advocated as those orientations best suited to work with diverse clients and religious beliefs, and flexible enough to deal respectfully, ethically, and effectively with a variety of religious and spiritual issues in counseling.     

Counselor Responsiveness to Client Religiousness

An understanding of the degree and Quality of client religiousness and the connections between client issues and religion can enhance counselor resposiveness to the potentially religious dimension of client issues.     

Muslims in the United States: An Exploratory Study of Universal and Mental Health Values

The authors surveyed the universal and mental health values of 121 Muslims in the United States and their counseling preferences. The respondents were generally well educated and highly religious. They responded high in the universal values of benevolence and conformity; low in power, hedonism, and stimulation; and high in many humanistic mental health values. A comparison with typical counselor values showed both similarities and differences. A substantial minority indicated a willingness to go to a non-Muslim counselor but most would want a counselor with an understanding of Islam. Implications for counseling practice and future research are discussed.     

Therapist Spiritual and Religious Values in Psychotherapy

In training and in supervision, counselors learn to be cognizant of personal values (e.g., spirituality, religiosity), yet they are enjoined to except them from practice. This article examines the nature of therapist spiritual and religious values and the impact of these values on the practice of psychotherapy. A goal of effective treatment should be the integration of therapist spiritual and religious values with therapist epistemic values in order to accommodate the spiritual and religious needs of both client and counselor. Counselor spiritual and religious values can contribute to therapy, even when the therapist is engaged in a dialectic involving personal and epistemic values.     

Secular Psychotherapists and Religious Clients: Professional Considerations and Recommendations

Traditional psychotherapy has often failed to meet the needs of religiously committed clients. Because many potential clients have religious as well as secular concerns, secular psychotherapists must become more empathic and competent in treating religious individuals. In this article the author argues that efforts toward consciousness raising as well as fundamental changes in professional training programs are necessary to accomplish this goal. Recommendations are offered for counselor educators and mental health service providers.     

Multicultural Training in Spirituality: An Interdisciplinary Review

Is spiritual diversity a neglected dimension in preparation for multicultural competency? The authors present an interdisciplinary overview of research related to multicultural training in spirituality and religion to address this issue. Findings indicate that counseling program leaders have minimal preparation in spiritual and religious diversity and interventions. In addition, spiritual and religious themes appear to be minimally included in counseling program curricula. Some evidence also indicates that religious and spiritual diversity is not considered as important in multicultural training as are other kinds of diversity. A movement to include spirituality and religious content in accreditation guidelines, however, points to a possible shift to expand preparation for religious and spiritual competency. The article concludes with implications for counselor preparation and supervision.