Gordon (2018) explores the use of intellectual humility for better integration
of spirituality and counseling as it allows the therapist to provide a more
honest, appropriate, and comprehensive treatment to the client. Spirituality is
an essential part of personhood and influences one’s understanding of self,
his expectations of how people and society operate, and the clash between
the former and the latter that has created problems to which he is seeking
resolution for in therapy.
d d d d d d d d d d d d Surprisingly, many therapists lack or have limited
professional training on the basics of spirituality (Gordon, 2018). These
therapists tend to avoid incorporating the counselee’s spiritual view during
therapy sessions as to not betray their own ignorance. Invoking intellectual
humility will lead the therapist to broaden his knowledge. He will come to
recognize when to refer his client to a more suitable clinician. Intellectual
humility is important for spiritually minded counselors too.
d d d d d d d d d d d d Therapists need intellectual humility to remain open-minded
in order to test currently held assumptions and to maintain relational
connection especially when spirituality of the therapist and client greatly
differ. An arrogant counselor stops listening to his client because he either
assumes he understands his client's view through projection of his own
spirituality or he dismisses the validity of the client’s perspective in
preference for his beliefs (Gordon, 2018). When the counselor owns his
limitations, it leads to thoughtful questioning. This invites the client to open
up, build rapport, own his problem, and create his solution.
Article Response
d d d d d d d d d d d d Entwistle (2015) says to foster intellectual humility, “we
need to recognize the limits of our intellectual abilities and our knowledge
base. We need to admit that our own biases and fallibility can skew our
conclusions” (p. 100). I find Gordon’s (2018) paper not only insightful but
practical as it details some ways a therapist can critically assess and
strengthen intellectual humility. To apply this to my counseling, I will pay
close attention to detect defensiveness or feelings of insecurity as these are
indicators that the client’s view on spirituality opposes my beliefs. I will
strengthen my intellectual humility by probing the client to elaborate, using
open ended questions rather than trying to move off the topic with “yes-no”
questions. I will analyze the reasoning behind the client’s thought process
under his spiritual assumptions to test for logical consistency within his
worldview framework. This truly puts me in his shoes and allows me to
connect with him without imposing my own beliefs.
References
Entwistle, D. N. (2015). Integrative approaches to psychology and Christianity:
An introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations, and models of
integration (3rd ed.). Wipf and Stock Publishers.
