Religious and spiritual issues in group counseling: Beliefs and preferences of university counseling center clients and therapists

Abstract

Regression Analysis for Variables Predicting Client Ratings of the Appropriateness of the Use of Religious and Spiritual Interventions 9 Regression Analysis for Variables Predicting Client Preferences to Discuss Religious and Spiritual Issues 10 Descriptive Statistics and Correlation Matrix for Therapist Variables 11 Descriptive Statistics for Therapist Ratings of the Appropriateness of Discussing Religious Concerns in Counseling 12 Descriptive Statistics for Therapist Ratings of the Appropriateness of the Use of Religious and Spiritual Interventions 13 Descriptive Statistics for Therapist Ratings of the Usage of Religious and Spiritual Interventions 14 Regression Analysis for Variables Predicting Therapist Ratings of the Appropriateness of the Use of Religious and Spiritual Interventions 15 Regression Analysis for Variables Predicting Therapist Ratings of the Usage of Religious and Spiritual Interventions 16 Summary Table of Hypotheses and Results for Clients and Therapists v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Numerous individuals advised, supported, and inspired me throughout the process of writing this dissertation. First, I would like to thank the university counseling center therapists that took the time and energy to coordinate data collection at their sites. If not for their generous spirits this project truly would not have been possible. Second, I am grateful for the collective insights and suggestions offered by the members of my committee. I hope they will agree that the final version of this document has been vastly improved by their helpful feedback. Third, I cannot begin to express my thanks to my advisor, Dr. Nathaniel Wade. Throughout my time as a graduate student at Iowa State University he has always been there to support me in my professional and personal endeavors. I have deep admiration for him as a model scientist-practitioner, gifted mentor, and overall generous human being. I also want to express an enormous amount of thanks to my family. My mother and father, Peter and Mary Post, have supported me through a windy road that has included adventures through journalism, spiritual theology, and now counseling psychology. Thank you for being so interested and supportive throughout my quest to discover my vocation. Lastly, I am thankful for my wife, Valerie. She is the most amazing person I know. vi ABSTRACT Over the past three decades research on addressing religious and spiritual issues in individual counseling has blossomed, but group counseling has been virtually ignored. The main purpose of the present study was to examine the beliefs and preferences of group counseling clients and therapists regarding the discussion of religious and spiritual concerns, and the appropriateness of religious and spiritual interventions. Participants were 164 clients and 54 therapists participating in counseling groups at nine university counseling centers nationwide. The majority of clients and therapists indicated that religious concerns are an appropriate topic for group counseling, and the majority of clients reported a pre...

Developing the Counselor Attitude Scale for Spirituality in Counseling: A Validity and Reliability Study

“…In addition, the counseling approaches regarding spirituality have also been examined (eg., Curtis & Davis, 1999;Elkins, 2015;Elkins, Hedstrom, Hughes, Leaf, & Saunders, 1988;Hodge, 2006;Richards & Bergin, 2004;Rizzuto & Shafranske, 2013;Sperry & Shafranske, 2005;Pargament, 2011;Tan & Johnson, 2005;Tan, 2013;Thorne, 2012;White, 2000). Next, the data collection tools were examined that had been used in studies examining counselors' views on integrating spirituality during the counseling process (Adams, 2012;Bluemlein, 2003;Brown et al, 2013;Burke, 2001;Chou & Bermender, 2011;Cornish et al, 2012;Francis, 2011;Henriksen et al, 2015;Hickson et al, 2000;Jenkins, 2009;Quillin, 2003;Lemkuil, 2007;Martinez, 2004;Matthews, 2004;Morrison et al, 2009;Plumb, 2011;Post, 2013;Shafranske & Malony, 1990;Shuler, 2009;Smith, 2006;Weiss, 1999). Data was also collected at the same time by having the counselors write compositions.…”

Manevi İçerikli Gelişim Destek Programının Otizm Spektrum Bozukluğu Olan Çocuk Sahibi Ebeveynlerin Umutsuzluk, Dini Başa Çıkma ve Psikolojik İyi Oluş Düzeylerine Etkisinin İncelenmesi

“…Manevi İçerikli Gelişim Destek Programı'nın otizmli çocuk sahibi ebeveynlerin umutsuzluk, dinî başa çıkma ve psikolojik iyi oluş düzeyleri üzerinde etkili olduğunu ortaya koyan bu sonuç, maneviyatı temel alan çalışmaların bireylerin umutsuzluğa ilişkin düşüncelerini azalttığı, ruhsal rahatlamalarını sağladığı, mücadele azimlerini güçlendirdiği ve psikolojik sağlıklarına destek olduğunu gösteren literatür bulgularıyla (Doğan, 1997;Cole -Pargament, 1999;Ekşi, 2001;Francis -Kalder, 2002;Yapıcı, 2007;Williams vd. 2008;Breitbart vd., 2010;Schreiber, 2011;Kızılgeçit, 2011;Rosmarin vd., 2011;Post, 2012;Ayten, 2012;Christmas -Horn, 2012;Göcen, 2013;Şirin, 2013;Kaya, 2014;Turgut, 2017;Kara, 2018;Erdal, 2019;Taşan, 2020;Karagöz, 2020;Kim, 2020;Kasapoğlu, 2022;Perez, 2022;Sharifi vd., 2023) tutarlılık göstermektedir. İlgili çalışmaların bulgularından yola çıkarak manevi içeriklerin bireylerin umutsuzluklarını azaltmaya, kriz ve belirsizlik durumlarını aşmalarına, çok güç yaşamsal durumlarda huzur ve güvenlik kaynağı bulmalarına ve çaresizlik bunalımından kurtularak yaşamlarına umutla bakabilmelerine katkı sağladığı söylenebilir.…”