The Psychology of Religion and Spirituality for Clinicians: Using Research in Your Practice

Many therapists and counselors find themselves struggling to connect the research on the psychology of religion and spirituality to their clinical practice. This book will address this issue, providing a valuable resource for clinicians that will help translate basic research findings into useful clinical practice strategies. The editors and chapter authors, all talented and respected scholar-clinicians, offer a practical and functional understanding of the empirical literature on the psychology of religion and spirituality of, while at the same time outlining clinical implications, assessments, and strategies for counseling and psychotherapy. Chapters cover such topics as religious and spiritual identity, its development, and its relationship with one’s personality; client God images; spiritually transcendent experiences; forgiveness and reconciliation; and religion and spirituality in couples and families. Each concludes with clinical application questions and suggestions for further reading. This book is a must-read for all those wishing to ground their clinical work in an empirical understanding of the role that religion and spirituality plays in the lives of their clients.