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The journal article that I have selected to review is called Integrating Spirituality in
Marriage and Family Therapy Training, written by Suzanne M. Cole.
This article examines the role of religion/spirituality in training marriage and family
therapists in a clinical practice setting. There is an increasing interest in how to
implement integration into marriage and family therapy (Cole, 2017). The research in
this article is built on the feedback from thirty students from the Christian Theological
Seminary in Indianapolis, Indiana. These students were selected to join the American
Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Core Competencies Beta Test group
(Cole, 2017). The purpose of the study was to improve the effectiveness of teaching
and improve the quality of services delivered by marriage and family therapists (Cole,
2017, p. 145). The article highlights the experience of graduate students as they
experience spiritual training through foundational religion courses, supervision, and
various projects (Cole, 2017).
The purpose of the research was to gather feedback from students about whether
spirituality is considered to be important in clinical practice, and if there is a need
for increased training focused on integrative religion/spirituality in marriage and family
therapy (Cole, 2017). There were differing perspectives on these questions, however,
the majority of students indicated that spirituality was an important component to
include in training programs, however, students also indicated that they had never
received this kind of training (Cole, 2017).
Over the course of the study, feedback was collected from faculty, supervisors,
students, and graduates to evaluate the effectiveness of the program (Cole, 2017). It
was determined that more points of intersection were needed to integrate spirituality
into marriage and family therapy (Coles, 2017, p.145). The study supports that content
regarding spirituality is equally as important as other diversity matters such as race,
class, and gender (Coles, 2017, p. 146). In order to support integrating spirituality into
clinical practice, trainees should identify and consult with spiritually/theologically
trained individuals (Coles, 2017). Another consideration to facilitate integration involves
utilizing resources to network and connect with other family therapists with training in
spiritual and theological disciplines (Coles, 2017).
It was enlightening to view spiritual integration through the experience of graduate
students. The article states that a well-trained family therapist is both spiritually
sensitive and spiritually literate (Coles, 2017, p. 147). This places responsibility on the
students, who are potential therapists, to practice self-evaluation and introspection.
Before committing to work with religious/spiritual clients it’s important to be aware of
our religious position and our religious dilemmas (Coles, 2017, p. 145).
I believe that the recommendations in this article support the Allies model, in that
Christians can benefit from insights of secular individuals, there are practices
suggested that are applicable and beneficial to both Christians and non-Christians
(Entwistle, 2015, p. 194). This article shines a positive light on the concept of
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spiritual integration into marriage and family therapy which is ideal as family and
marriage are important facets of our lives.
Reference
Coyle, S. M. (2017, March 22). Integrating spirituality in marriage and family therapy
training. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/anzf.1195/full.
Entwistle, D. (2015). Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: An
Introduction to Worldview Issues, Philosophical Foundations and Models of Integration. 3rd
edition. Cascade Books.
