Psychological therapists' narratives of spirituality within the context of their clinical practice (original) (raw)
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Carstens, declare that this research project entitled: A qualitative exploration of clinical psychologists' understanding of spirituality in psychotherapy is my own unaided work. All of the sources I have used or cited are indicated and acknowledged, using the American Psychological Association (6th edition) referencing guidelines. This research project is submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Clinical Psychology at the University of Pretoria, Gauteng. It has not been submitted before for any degree or examination at any other university.
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Many in the caring professions consider spirituality to be a fundamental dimension of human experience and identity. Consequently, some claim that this dimension cannot be ignored in disciplines such as psychotherapy that deals with the human being and with human experience. Moreover, the increase in secularisation and the emphasis on the subjective and the personal in people's experience of spirituality and religion, have led to an increased interest in psychotherapy, counselling and other forms of activities and professions that deal more closely with the personal and subjective. Other themes that connect spirituality and psychotherapy include: spirituality is related to a person's mental health; people make meaning which assumes that they are spiritual beings; and spirituality and psychotherapy both involve enlightenment and meaning-making. For some, spirituality is manifest in psychotherapy either because of spiritual concerns that are raised by clients in the psychother...
ABSTRACT There is a continuing interest in spirituality, a fact that seems to fly in the face of claims that UK society is becoming more secularized. Although there has been increased interest and research in spirituality in counselling, there is little specifically concerned with psychodynamic counselling. This thesis argues that incorporating spirituality into psychodynamic practice, in response to client demand, may be harder than for many other counselling approaches. This is because of its roots in psychoanalysis, a field that has been consistently resistant to validating the spiritual dimension. This study explores how counsellors understand spirituality within the theoretical framework of psychodynamic counselling, and employs a narrative methodology to consider how they understand their attitude to impact on their practice. A key finding of the study is that there is an absence of spirituality within the psychodynamic profession, whose structures and training provides little impetus or encouragement to explore it. This research shows the complexities in working with spirituality and the need to work at the boundaries of practice. Because of the complementary nature of spirituality and psychodynamic counselling, this study demonstrates that spirituality is always a possibility in the work. As a result, the research identifies the need to increase professional discourse, from the start of counsellor training, in an area consistently important to clients, so that understanding can be shared and counselling practice in this area more fully understood.
A qualitative study exploring how occupational therapists address spirituality in their practice
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I would like to thank my husband Nick for his support throughout this PhD, without his enthusiasm and belief in me this thesis would not have been completed. Many thanks to my family who have supported me and provided technical advice, Issy and Lucy, and my grandchildren Jake, Toby, Phoebe and Esme who provided welcome diversions throughout my studies. Grateful thanks go to my participants, Patsy, Julie, Phoebe and Mark (pseudonyms), for enthusiastically allowing me to observe their practice, and sharing their experiences with me. I would like to acknowledge the patients who were willing to let me observe their therapy sessions, and offered such a rich context to enhance my study findings. I am indebted to my supervisory team, Dr Joanna Smith, Professor John Wattis and Professor Annie Topping for their patience, guidance, challenges and support throughout the undertaking of this study. In particular, thanks to Professor Annie Topping for inspiring me to enrol for this PhD in the first place. Finally, my thanks go to my colleagues and friends who have kept me going with their encouragement and inspiration, especially
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PERCEPTIONS OF PSYCHOLOGISTS REGARDING THE USE OF RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY IN THERAPY
Religion and spirituality are acknowledged coping resources, yet for many years, the use of religion and spirituality was not practiced in therapy. Psychologists were once branded the least religious of all academicians; however there is evidence of an integration of psychology with religion and spirituality. Recently, studies have been conducted to prove the success of using religion and spirituality to cope with psychological disorders, prevent unhealthy behaviours and promote resilience. Despite this, no research to date has determined South African psychologists’ perceptions on this matter. This study aimed to explore the perceptions of psychologists in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipality about the use of religion and spirituality in therapy. Purposive sampling was employed in order to obtain a sample and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. Data was analyzed using Tesch’s model of qualitative content analysis and the final results were compiled into a treatise format.
Addressing spirituality in therapy is not only important for a substantial number of clients but many therapists also regard it as potentially valuable. However, practitioners report difficulties and confusion regarding how to work with spiritual difference, especially when clients’ spiritual beliefs are perceived as undermining their psychological well-being. The current study aimed to explore this challenge through the use of a qualitative design. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 11 practitioners and the transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three superordinate themes were discerned in the data: ‘therapists’ perception of clients’ spiritual beliefs: psychological understanding and impact’, ‘therapists’ aims and responsibilities: (in)compatibility with clients’ spiritual beliefs’ and ‘therapists’ practice responses to psychologically unhelpful spiritual beliefs: explicit and implicit approaches’. When clients’ spiritual beliefs were perceived as psychologically unhelpful, therapists experienced a conflict between their ethical stance to respect clients’ beliefs and their aim to enhance psychological well-being. This conflict presented the greatest challenge for therapists working with different spiritual beliefs. Implications and recommendations for practice are considered and avenues for future research are highlighted. In particular, it is recommended for therapists to recognize this challenge as an ethical dilemma, to develop an ethical analytic framework and to reflect on their own beliefs within this framework.