The Psychology of Religion and Spirituality for Clinicians. Using Research in Your Practice

Jamie D. Aten, Kari A. O’Grady and Everett L. Worthington, Jr, Eds.: The Psychology of Religion and Spirituality for Clinicians. Using Research in Your Practice. Routledge, New York, 2012, 422 pp., $49.95, ISBN 978-0-415-87343-7

The editors of this book must be commended for piecing together an invaluable clinical tool, useful in practice regardless of one’s religious or spiritual orientation. The information they provide is not only thorough, but also maintains its objectivity.

The book is written and edited by authorities in the field, and their collaboration in this volume documents a nationwide understanding of the advancement of empirical research in the field of religion and spirituality (R/S). The editor Jamie D. Aten, PhD is the Dr. Arthur P. Rech and Mrs. Jean May Rech Associate Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of the Humanitarian Disaster Institute at Wheaton College. He has published many articles and is the co-editor of three other books. Kari A. O’Grady, PhD is an assistant professor at Loyola University, is the co-author of several publications on spirituality and psychotherapy and also has a faith-based private practice. Everett L. Worthington, Jr., PhD is a professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has authored over 20 books, edited four scholarly volumes, has published more than 250 articles and chapters, and won numerous awards for his role in research, teaching and service.

The editors have created a collection of the analysis of the current research on each subject as it pertains to the clinical application of R/S. Experts in each area were given the task of providing a meta-analysis of the available research, and compose the information within a uniform framework.

The timeliness of the book’s publication is emphasized throughout the volume, as the increased amount of attention that is being given to R/S research is evident in the statistics provided.

Each of the 15 chapters presents current data, provides historical information, and combines them with ways to use the research in clinical practice. The chapters are rounded out with case examples, easy to use summary sections, clinical application questions targeted for the clinician to ask themselves, as well as a wealth of references.

The introductory chapter is written by the editors, and provides comparisons of prominent clinicians throughout history, illustrating the shift from Freud, Skinner’s and Ellis’ negative views of religion in therapy, to the significant contributors to the field of R/S in psychology including Jung, Frankl, Allport and Emmons. The second chapter discusses religious and spiritual development across the life span, cognitive models of spiritual development, women’s faith development, and attachment therapy. Numerous studies are referenced, and while at times the clinical implications of some of the findings are over generalized by the author, she does note that the “findings should be interpreted judiciously” (p. 22). During the review, I found that I needed to go back to the source material to clarify questions I had regarding the statements made in the chapter. One such example is the over generalization of the protective effects of religiosity against substance abuse. She does later on discuss other studies that contrast those findings. The chapter serves as a great reference for clinical assessments of spirituality, and gives brilliant examples of intake interview questions and treatment strategies. The author encourages the clinician to be mindful and receptive to one’s patients’ experience of R/S.

The third chapter compares operational definitions of spirituality and its varying implications for therapy. The chapters in the book can easily be used as standalone tools, and also expertly build up on one another, as this chapter goes in significantly more depth of stages of development. The chapter on motivation emphasizes the therapists’ need to come to grips with their own biases, and appropriately acknowledge that these issues can bear prejudice, shame, guilt and anxiety, and the authors are able to balance the research without a judgmental tone. The chapter on personality and R/S was fascinating, although the technical terminology used made following the subtleties between personality factors difficult. This is a minor issue that I hope will be remedied in future editions. The case studies at the end add a clinical framework to the jargon used earlier.

Chapter 6 defines god images and concepts within the framework of psychoanalytic, object relations and attachment theories, and includes a table of cognitive behavioral therapy techniques on recording automatic thoughts. Spiritually transcendent experiences in psychotherapy are addressed in chapter 7. The authors promotes open mindedness and suggest that the goal is not to assess if a report is valid per se, but rather to “assess whether or not the experience is conducive to health or illness” (p. 167). Psychotherapeutic interventions are masterfully provided in the chapter discussing the positive and negative influences of religious and spiritual beliefs.

The ninth chapter heavily draws from existential psychotherapy as it delves into issues relating to spiritual struggles. The obvious advertisement for the authors’ own manualized interventions for negative religious coping is initially distasteful, although the great case study and process notes at the end of the chapter allows the reader to continue to appreciate the material presented.

While the authors in chapter 10 acknowledge that many studies presented “have not been conducted among samples of psychotherapy clients,” and “it is unclear how well we can generalize the findings to those who seek treatment for psychological disorders” (p. 249), they offer a framework to process religious and spiritual coping. The examples of coping scales and clinical questions are excellent resources for students and seasoned practitioners alike.

One of the best written chapters of the book presents strategies for working with couples and families with religious and spiritual differences. Techniques on creating a spiritual genogram are provided, and work with children and adolescents is explored. Subsequent chapters discuss the impact of R/S on physical and mental health and provide detailed tables of outcomes of empirical studies. The role of the therapist is defined as being there to “provide a safe, professional, and empirical psychotherapeutic environment to facilitate mental health and emotional healing, while also ethically, competently, and appropriately incorporating the religiousness and spirituality of the client” (p. 344).

This book marvelously complements existing similar books and articles, by integrating the research of psychology of religion and spirituality into clinical practice.