The development of spiritual interventions has the potential to enhance the impact of current treatments on outcomes associated with psychological and spiritual functioning. Researchers of grace have posited that, for the Christian, one’s understanding and experience of grace can facilitate personal and interpersonal transformation, resulting in improvements in both spiritual and psychological well-being. This study investigated a grace-focused group intervention aimed at increasing awareness and experience of grace among graduate counselors in training. Results of objective and projective assessments indicated that participants’ experience of grace improved over the course of the intervention. Implications are discussed in light of these findings.
This article describes the spiritual formation training program for counseling students at Richmont Graduate University, an evangelical institution providing Master’s-level instruction for counselors and ministers. This model of spiritual formation has a dual foundation which includes the centrality of love to the Christian life and the importance of attachment to the development of persons. The training is intentionally designed to invite students to pursue a more secure attachment to God, healthier relationships with others, and a more grace-based self-awareness. Integrative and clinical instruction, and experiences that foster establishment of secure attachment are described. Co-curricular efforts in research and student advisement focus on grace and wellness, as well as opportunities for service, and these serve to further contribute to a supportive environment for spiritual formation.
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