Abstract
This study assessed the perceptions and practices of a national sample of university counseling professionals (n = 306) regarding their provision of guidance on the health effects of religious/spiritual involvement. Relatively few (21%) discussed the physical health effects of religiosity/spirituality with their clients. The majority (52%) were unsure that such discussions would result in lower health risks; however, nearly half (48%) indicated that these would promote recovery. Almost two-thirds (64%) indicated that discussions of religious/spiritual involvement and health “should occur only with clients who indicate that religion/spirituality is important to them.” A plurality (36%) of the respondents had received no formal training on this topic. Implications for clinical training, university counseling centers, and future research are discussed.
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Notes
Religion and spirituality reflect the “feelings, thoughts, experiences, and behaviors that arise from a search for the sacred” (Larson et al. 1998, p. 21). Although the terms are presented jointly in this manuscript to ensure that terminology is not used in an overly restrictive manner, religion and spirituality are conceptually distinct. Therefore, the constructs will be measured separately in this study as recommended in the literature (Fetzer/NIA 2003; Hill and Pargament 2003). “Religious/spiritual involvement” entails variables such as religious service attendance, prayer, meditation, religious coping, the provision and receipt of social support in a religious/spiritual context, and attitudes of compassion, forgiveness, gratitude, hope, optimism, etc.
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Mrdjenovich, A.J., Dake, J.A., Price, J.H. et al. Providing Guidance on the Health Effects of Religious/Spiritual Involvement: A National Assessment of University Counseling Professionals. J Relig Health 51, 198–214 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9345-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-010-9345-8