LIBERTY UNIVERSITY JOHN W. RAWLINGS SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Discussion on Religious Practice in Counseling
A Paper Submitted to
the Faculty of the School of Divinity
in Candidacy for the Degree of
Doctor of Education in Christian Leadership (Ed. D) Department of Christian Leadership and
Church Ministries
By
Mary Gracias
Lynchburg, Virginia
10/2022
Discussion on Religious Practice in Counseling
Addressing spirituality and religion in counseling may have therapeutic value in the
extent that incorporation helps counselors to support clients connecting to others, moving
outside of themselves, and contributing to the common good (Blando, 2006). Those who hold
religious beliefs also participate in positive social relations as well as social and community
service activities. Alternatively those who are spiritual seek involvement in personal growth
activities, creative activities, and knowledge-building activities (Wink & Dillon, 2003).
Counselors who recognize the role of religion in clients’ lives are better able to encourage these
positive pursuits, contributing to the overall health of clients.
Religion and Spirituality positively correlate with coping with stress (Graham, Furr,
Flowers & Burke, 2001). Clients’ level of religion and/or spirituality, religion or spirituality, or
lack thereof affects how they assess distressful situations in their life by offering a meaning to
life, by providing individuals with a greater sense of control over situations and by building self-
esteem (Spilka, Shaver & Kirkpatrick, 1985). Religious institutions serve as resources clients can
utilize in times of stress through the provision of community and a sense of identity. Other
religious resources identified as commonly used in times of stress include prayer, solitary
activities, faith in God, and guidance from clergy, which are representative of the spiritual,
cognitive, behavioral, and social aspects of faith (Hathaway & Pargament, 1992). Evidence
suggests that these multiple and varied coping resources provided by religion and spirituality
aid diverse groups. In looking at religion and spirituality’s impact across economic lines, Koch
(2008) found that religiosity is a health resource for those whose income is below the national
average. Clients with psychiatric diagnoses reported religion was a source of comfort and
strength by providing resources to cope with stress, increase social support, and find a feeling
of being complete (Blando, 2006).
Individuals who have a healthy spiritual identity heal at faster rates and are able to
establish healthier lifestyles (Richards & Potts, 1995). A healthy spiritual identity involves
feeling connected to God’s love, feeling self-worth, having meaning and purpose in life, and
being better able to fulfill one’s greatest potential (Richards & Potts, 1995). In a study done by
Graham et al (2001), counseling students who were religious and spiritual had greater overall
health than those who were only spiritual, indicating that institutionalized beliefs, morals,
values, and community are more connected to health than spiritual practice alone. Involvement
in religion has also been found to reduce the likelihood of disability in adults who live in
community settings in some circumstances, suggesting religiosity may play a role in helping
people cope with physical disabilities (Kilpatrick & McCullough, 1990).
Client Religiosity
It is difficult to conclude what common factors contribute to influencing clients’ decisions
to choose secular counseling versus religious or spiritual counseling because religion and
spirituality may be incorporated into secular counseling. Across all types of counseling, 60%
of clients in use religious language to describe their personal experiences, (Shafransky &
Malony, 1990) blurring the line between what is defined exclusively secular and exclusively
religious or spiritual counseling. In looking at both Christian and secular counseling practices,
Morrison, Clutter, Pritchet, and Demmitt (2009) found that 68.5% of clients reported that
religiosity had been included in their counseling with current counselors.
Of those receiving Christian counseling, 93.2% reported that religiosity was included in
counseling, while 31% of those seeing a secular counselor indicated that religiosity was
integrated into their counseling sessions. Researchers also found that in counseling sessions in
which spiritual discussions occurred, the client was most often responsible for initiating these
conversations. Of those who were seeing a counselor who was incorporating religiosity into
counseling, 16.7% of clients wanted religiosity to be included more, 72.9% wanted
implementation of religiosity to stay at the level it had been at, 4.2% desired spirituality to be
incorporated less, and 6.3% had no preference (Morrison, Clutter, Pritchett & Demmitt, 2009).
The majority of clients who were receiving counseling with elements of religiosity included
indicated that it had been very helpful in making progress toward goals (73.5%), while 16.3%
reported the integration of religiosity had been moderately helpful, and 10.2% indicating it was
neither helpful nor unhelpful. No respondents reported that the integration of religiosity in
counseling was unhelpful.
Client Beliefs and Preferences
Most potential clients believe religious issues are generally appropriate in the counseling
session and even display a preference for discussing spiritual and/or religious concerns (Rose,
Westefield & Ansley, 2001) evidenced by the finding that 81% of respondents wanted
counselors to integrate beliefs and values into therapy (Kelly, 1995). Several factors contribute
to clients’ beliefs and preferences in including spirituality and religion in their counseling
sessions.
Clients with higher levels of past spiritual experiences believed discussing religious
concerns was more appropriate than those with lower levels of past spiritual and/or religious
experiences (Rose et al., 2001). Rose, Westefeld, and Ansley (2001) surveyed 74 individuals who
were receiving counseling and found that 55% of them wanted to discuss religious/spiritual
issues because they believed religion and spirituality were essential for healing and growth
(27%), were personally important (22%), were central to human personality, behavior, and
worldview (15%), were relevant to problems (5%). Some of the respondents felt their
preference would change throughout different contexts, indicated by 22% of respondents
reporting that their preference in discussing religion and/or spirituality was dependent on other
factors such as relevance to problems (10%), only if it was a spiritual issue, but not religious
(8%), or depending on the qualities of the counselor (5%). Eighteen percent reported not
wanting to discuss religious or spiritual issues because religious or spiritual issues are not
currently important or relevant to problems (11%), they prefer to discuss religious issues with
clergy (4%), or they are unsure of their own beliefs (3%).
While evidence suggests the majority of potential clients prefer to discuss religion and
spirituality, many clients who prefer not to discuss spiritual and religious issues in the
counseling office identify fear as a factor limiting their ability to openly discuss religious and
spiritual issues. Some clients are concerned about how therapists may respond to their beliefs,
likely affecting client willingness to discuss spiritual issues (Rose et al., 2001). Of those who had
spiritual or religious discussions in counseling, most clients report that they were responsible
for initiating these conversations (Morrison et al., 2009). Because of this current lack of
addressing religion and spirituality by counselors, clients were less willing and less likely to find
it appropriate to discuss religion and spirituality in counseling sessions (Richards & Bergin,
1997).
Clients seem more likely to have fears when a counselor’s beliefs are different from their
own. Christians and non-Christians prefer counselor beliefs to be similar to their own (Guinee &
Tracey, 1997), believing that counselors with similar beliefs are more likely to support their
beliefs, rather than challenge those beliefs. Fear of existing beliefs being challenged appears to
contribute to discontinuing counseling. Morrow, Worthington, and McCullough (1993) reported
that clients are more willing to return to a counselor who ignores beliefs than one who
challenges them. Challenging produces fear because clients are worried psychotherapists will
try to alter beliefs and convert to their own religion (Quackenbos, Privette & Keintz, 1985). In
some cases, this fear is focused specifically toward Christian counselors, who are reported as
been seen as less flexible, less likely to stick to doing only what the client has agreed to, more
likely to influence clients’ thoughts/behaviors, more likely to encourage clients to accept
counselors’ values (Lewis & Epperson, 1991).
As is common with research about religion in the United States, there is much
information about specific to Christian counseling. Highly religious Christians prefer religion
play bigger part in the counseling process than less highly religious Christians (Morrow,
Worthington, & McCullough, 1993). Christians tend to have higher expectations of counselors
than non-Christians (Lewis & Epperson, 1991). Christians have more fears about therapy and
are more likely to see secular counseling as incompatible with faith (Keating & Fretz, 1990).
When asked about secular counselors, Christians report fearing that they will be less sensitive
than Christian or spiritual counselors, (Guinee & Tracey, 1997) and fear secular
psychotherapists will misunderstand, erode, ridicule, or ignore their religious faith (Keating &
Fretz, 1990).
Belaire and Young (2000) studied the influences of spirituality on counselor selection and
found that while client spirituality may have less influence over counselor selection, counselor
ability to effectively implement religion and spirituality into counseling has an effect on client
preference of counselors. They also found that high, moderate, or low levels of spirituality had
no effect on counselor preference quantitatively, however counselors described as competent
in working with spiritual issues influenced some respondents to prefer that counselor
qualitatively.
Additionally, their results showed that clients who did not want a counselor who would
address spirituality often claimed that they wanted counseling to be a time to address changing
patterns, setting goals, and personal growth, and that religious or spiritual issues could be
handled on their own time. Prospective clients who wanted a counselor who would address
religious/spiritual issues preferred counselors with competency in implementing religion and
spirituality because these skills promoted exploration of personal beliefs, growth and
spirituality (Belaire and Young, 2000).
