Running head: SCHOLARLY ARTICLE REVIEW ON INTEGRATION c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c c
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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 spiritual integration into marriage and
family therapy which is ideal as family and marriage are important facets of our lives.
SCHOLARLY ARTICLE REVIEW ON INTEGRATION
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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.
