Abstract
Religion and spirituality (RS) are integral to counseling and health but their incorporation into the curricula of these professions is still lacking. Limited literature is available on how to effectively teach such courses. This article presents a promising experiential, interactive model for an RS course designed for undergraduate students pursuing careers in addictions counseling, therapeutic recreation, and public health. An online course conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic adopted a social constructivist framework that encompassed four key components in its design and delivery: assessing prior knowledge, creating cognitive dissonance, applying new knowledge with feedback, reflecting on learning. Students’ feedback in the course indicated their broadened understanding of the plurality of RS orientations and their acquisition of foundational skills with an increased confidence in bringing RS conversations into their practice. This article provides a conceptual and practical framework for educators to develop an RS course for a diverse representation of students and encourages further evaluation of the proposed model to assess its impact on learning outcomes.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abdulla, A., Hossain, M., & Barla, C. (2019). Toward comprehensive medicine: Listening to spiritual and religious needs of patients. Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, 5, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333721419843703
Barak, M., & Green, G. (2021). Applying a social constructivist approach to an online course on ethics of research. Science and Engineering Ethics, 27(1), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-021-00280-2
Baviskar, N. S., Hartle, T., & Whitney, T. (2009). Essential criteria to characterize constructivist teaching: Derived from a review of the literature and applied to five constructivist-teaching method articles. International Journal of Science Education, 31(4), 541–550. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690701731121
Best, M., Butow, P., & Olver, I. (2015). Do patients want doctors to talk about spirituality? A systematic literature review. Patient Education and Counseling, 98(11), 1320–1328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2015.04.017
Borras, L., Khazaal, Y., Khan, R., Mohr, S., Kaufmann, Y. A., Zullino, D., & Huguelet, P. (2010). The relationship between addiction and religion and its possible implication for care. Substance Use & Misuse, 45(14), 2357–2410. https://doi.org/10.3109/10826081003747611
Briggs, M. K., & Rayle, A. D. (2005). Incorporating spirituality into core counseling courses: Ideas for classroom application. Counseling and Values, 50, 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-007X.2005.tb00041.x
Cheadle, A. C. D., & Schetter, C. D. (2017). Untangling the mechanisms underlying the links between religiousness, spirituality, and better health. Social and Personal Psychology Compass. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12299
Coleman, S. B., Kaplan, J. D., & Downing, R. W. (1986). Life cycle and loss—the spiritual vacuum of heroin addiction. Family Process, 25(1), 5–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1986.00005.x
Crozier, D., Greene, A., Schleicher, M., & Goldfarb, J. (2022). Teaching spirituality to medical students: A systematic review. Journal of Health Care Chaplaincy, 28(3), 378–399. https://doi.org/10.1080/08854726.2021.1916332
Daniels, C., & Fitzpatrick, M. (2013). Integrating spirituality in counseling and psychotherapy: Theoretical and clinical perspectives. Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 47(3). Retrieved from https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/article/view/60807
de Diego-Cordero, R., Ávila-Mantilla, A., Vega-Escaño, J., Lucchetti, G., & Badanta, B. (2022). The role of spirituality and religiosity in healthcare during the COVID-19 pandemic: An integrative review of the scientific literature. Journal of Religion and Health, 61(3), 2168–2197. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-022-01549-x
Faigin, C. A., Pargament, K. I., & Abu-Raiya, H. (2014). Spiritual struggles as a possible risk factor for addictive behaviors: An initial empirical investigation. The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 24(3), 201–214. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2013.837661
Ferrer, J. N. (2002). Revisioning transpersonal theory: A participatory vision of human spirituality. Suny Press.
Geertz, C. (1973). Religion as a cultural system. In Geertz, C. (Ed.), The interpretation of cultures: Selected essays (pp. 87–125). Basic Books. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb01005.0001.001
Green, L. L., Fullilove, M. T., & Fullilove, R. E. (1998). Stories of spiritual awakening: The nature of spirituality in recovery. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 15(4), 325–331. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0740-5472(97)00211-0
Gonçalves, J. P. B., Lucchetti, G., Menezes, P. R., & Vallada, H. (2015). Religious and spiritual interventions in mental health care: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials. Psychological Medicine, 45, 2937–2949. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291715001166
Grim, B. J., & Grim, M. E. (2019). Belief, behavior, and belonging: How faith is indispensable in preventing and recovering from substance abuse. Journal of Religion and Health, 58, 1713–1750. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-019-00876-w
Harris, K. A., Randolph, B. E., & Gordon, T. D. (2016). What do clients want? Assessing spiritual needs in counseling: A literature review. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 3(4), 250–275. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000108
Hickey, W. S. (2010). Meditation as medicine: A critique. CrossCurrents, 60(2), 168–184. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-3881.2010.00118.x
Hodge, D. R. (2005). Developing a spiritual assessment toolbox: A discussion of the strengths and limitations of five different assessment methods. Health & Social Work, 30(4), 314–323. https://doi.org/10.1093/hsw/30.4.314
Hodge, D. R. (2015). Spiritual assessment in social work and mental health practice. Columbia University Press. https://doi.org/10.7312/hodg16396
Hogg, M. A., Adelman, J. R., & Blagg, R. D. (2010). Religion in the face of uncertainty: An uncertainty-identity theory account of religiousness. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 14(1), 72–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868309349692
Joakim, E. P., & White, R. S. (2015). Exploring the impact of religious beliefs, leadership, and networks on response and recovery of disaster-affected populations: A case study from Indonesia. Journal of Contemporary Religion, 30(2), 193–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/13537903.2015.1025538
Jones, J., Topping, A., Wattis, J., & Smith, J. (2016). A concept analysis of spirituality in occupational therapy practice. Journal for the Study of Spirituality, 6(1), 38–57. https://doi.org/10.1080/20440243.2016.1158455
Kvarfordt, C. L., & Herba, K. (2018). Religion and spirituality in social work practice with children and adolescents: A survey of Canadian practitioners. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 35, 153–167.
Kebritchi, M., Lipschuetz, A., & Santiague, L. (2017). Issues and challenges for teaching successful online courses in higher education: A literature review. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 46(1), 4–29. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047239516661713
Kurenlahti, M., & Salonen, A. O. (2018). Rethinking consumerism from the perspective of religion. Sustainability, 10(7), 2454. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10072454
Lee, B. K. (2017). Congruence couple therapy: Concept and method workbook. OpenHeart Couple and Family Therapy.
Lee, B. K., Ofori Dei, S. M., Brown, M. M., Awosoga, O. A., Shi, Y., & Greenshaw, A. J. (2023). Congruence couple therapy for alcohol use and gambling disorders with comorbidities (part I): Outcomes from a randomized controlled trial. Family Process, 62(1), 124–159.
Lee, B. K., Ofori Dei, S. M., & Isik, E. (2023). Congruence couple therapy for alcohol use and gambling disorders with comorbidities (part II): Targeted areas and mechanisms of change. Family Process, 62(2), 534–556.
Litalien, M., Atari, D. O., & Obasi, I. (2022). The influence of religiosity and spirituality on health in Canada: A systematic literature review. Journal of Religion and Health, 61(1), 373–414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01148-8
Long, K. N. G., Gregg, R. J., VanderWeele, T. J., Oman, D., & Laird, L. D. (2019). Boundary crossing: Meaningfully engaging religious traditions and religious institutions in public health. Religions, 10(7), 412. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10070412
Lucchetti, G., Koenig, H. G., & Lucchetti, A. L. G. (2021). Spirituality, religiousness, and mental health: A review of the current scientific evidence. World Journal of Clinical Cases, 9(26), 7620–7631. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v9.i26.7620
Lyons, K. J., & Lopez, K. J. (2015). Re-imagining inclusive, existential approaches to spirituality in therapeutic recreation. Leisure, 39(2), 215–234. https://doi.org/10.1080/14927713.2015.1086586
Magaldi-Dopman, D. (2014). An “afterthought”: Counseling trainees’ multicultural competence within the spiritual/religious domain. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 42(4), 194–204. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1912.2014.00054.x
Matise, M., Ratcliff, J., & Mosci, F. (2018). A working model for the integration of spirituality in counseling. Journal of Spirituality in Mental Health, 20(1), 27–50. https://doi.org/10.1080/19349637.2017.1326091
Myers, E. J., & Williard, K. (2003). Integrating spirituality into counselor preparation: A developmental, wellness approach. Counseling and Values, 47(2), 142–155. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-007X.2003.tb00231.x
Naifeh, S. (1995). Archetypal foundations of addiction and recovery. Journal of Analytical Psychology, 40(2), 133–159. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-5922.1995.00133.x
Oxhandler, H. K., & Giardina, T. D. (2017). Social workers’ perceived barriers to and sources of support for integrating clients’ religion and spirituality in practice. Social Work, 62(4), 323–332. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swx036
Oxhandler, H. K., & Parrish, D. E. (2018). Integrating clients’ religion/spirituality in clinical practice: A comparison among social workers, psychologists, counselors, marriage and family therapists, and nurses. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 74(4), 680–694. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22539
Oxhandler, H. K., Moffatt, K. M., & Giardina, T. D. (2019). Clinical helping professionals’ perceived support, barriers, and training to integrate clients’ religion/spirituality in practice. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 6(4), 279–291. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000189
Pearce, M. J., Pargament, K. I., Oxhandler, H. K., Vieten, C., & Wong, S. (2019). A novel training program for mental health providers in religious and spiritual competencies. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 6(2), 73. https://doi.org/10.1037/scp0000195
Pearce, M. J., Pargament, K. I., Oxhandler, H. K., Vieten, C., & Wong, S. (2020). Novel online training program improves spiritual competencies in mental health care. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 7(3), 145.
Pentaris, P. (2020) Integrating religion and belief in social work practice: an exploratory study. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/15313204.2020.1855493
Plumb, A. M. (2011). Spirituality and counseling: Are counselors prepared to integrate religion and spirituality into therapeutic work with clients? Canadian Journal of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 45(1), 1–16. https://cjc-rcc.ucalgary.ca/article/view/59300
Schreiber, L. M., & Valle, B. E. (2013). Social constructivist teaching strategies in the small group classroom. Small Group Research, 44(4), 395–411. https://doi.org/10.1177/1046496413488422
Singer, J. (2011). Meaning, spirituality, and growth: Protective and resilience factors in health and illness. In A. Baum, T. A. Revenson, & J. Singer (Eds.), Handbook of health psychology (pp. 431–456). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203804100
Statistics Canada. (2022). (table). Census Profile. 2021 Census of population. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 98-316-X2021001. Ottawa. Released August 17, 2022. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/index.cfm?Lang=E. Accessed September 13, 2022.
Timmins, F., & Caldeira, S. (2017). Understanding spirituality and spiritual care in nursing. Nursing Standard, 31(22), 50–57. https://doi.org/10.7748/ns.2017.e10311
Vieten, C., Scammel, S., Pilato, R., Ammondson, I., Pargament, K. I., & Lukoff, D. (2013). Spiritual and religious competencies for psychologists. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 5(3), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0032699
Wortham, S. (2001). Social construction and pedagogical practice. In K. J. Gergen (Ed.), Social construction in context (pp. 115–136). SAGE Publications Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446219645.n8
Funding
This work was supported by a Chinook Summer Research Award for JG. NM's contribution was supported by a post-doctoral fellowship from the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
BL conceptualized this article, developed the featured course and collected the students’ feedback. She and JG, a student in the course, analyzed the data. Together they co-wrote the first drafts of the article. NM contributed to refining the conceptualization and writing. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Ethical Approval
The University of Lethbridge Office of Research Ethics has confirmed that no ethical approval is required.
Consent to Participate
Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study,
Consent to Publish
The authors affirm that the participants provided informed consent for publication.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Appendices
Appendix 1
Religion/Spirituality Eco-map Role-Play Interview and Reflection Paper
The Role-play Interview
This assignment gives you an opportunity to interview another learner and practice your skills in reflective listening, highlighting key words, paraphrasing, asking questions and summarizing.
-
1.
Before the interview, the client will first draw an eco-map (Hodge, 2015) to depict the influences in their present life or lifestyle that nourish or deplete their spirituality and spiritual resources.
-
2.
The client and counsellor will pick a medium to meet. It can be Zoom or Skype or phone.
-
3.
Each interview will be 45 minutes in duration. The counselor will help the client discuss what they have drawn on the eco-map and deepen the client’s understanding of these positive and negative influences on their spirituality using the counseling skills they learned in earlier courses and labs.
If you have not had training with interview and reflective listening skills, set up 2 sessions with a counseling student to practice and obtain feedback.
-
4.
At the end of the interview, the counselor will provide a succinct summary of what they heard from the client.
-
5.
After the interview, the client will provide feedback to the counselor on what was helpful and what could have added to the effectiveness of the interview.
-
6.
Both client and counsellor will express appreciation to each other for what was shared.
Written Assignment on the Role-Play Interview
The student will reflect on the interview in the roles of both counselor and client:
As client:
-
What did you learn from being interviewed by someone about your spirituality?
-
What did the counselor do that facilitated/impeded your process and learning?
As counselor:
-
What did you learn from the content of what the client shared?
-
What did you learn from the process of the interview and the way it was conducted?
-
What did you learn from your experience of the relationship between client and counsellor?
-
How has the interview expanded your comfort level and the value/relevance you see in exploring spirituality with a client?
-
Identify areas for you own growth as a counselor and what has changed for you as a result of this role-play interview.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Lee, B.K., Groenenboom, J. & Miftari, N. Teaching a Canadian Experiential Course in Religion and Spirituality for Undergraduates in Addiction Counseling and Health Sciences: A Social Constructivist Framework. J Relig Health 63, 595–618 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01960-y
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-023-01960-y