I read the article "Clients' Willingness to Incorporate Religion or Spirituality
in Counseling: A Brief Report" by Diallo (2013). This article talked about
eight-four individuals dealing with addictions relating to weight, sex, food,
drugs, and codependency. They were asked whether they were willing to
add religion or Spirituality in their counseling sessions. Consequently, they
agreed, but they had to know their religion or Spirituality. The aspect to
agree on was based on the client's age and religious background.
According to (Diallo 2013), religion and spirituality play a significant role in
our lives. Whether people would admit or express it fluently. Spirituality is
an awareness of a force that gives a sense of connectedness to the
universe.
Therefore, “Every client wants to be part of something greater than
themselves”(Diallo, 2013). Many scholars agree that religion and
Spirituality are essential to counseling sessions. Moreover, clients tend not
to express their acceptance of incorporating religion in their sessions,
which falls on the counselor knowing how to include it. Religion can be a
tool to help clients find their purpose and have meaning in life. Religions
will help the client see the purpose and plan God has for them.
Furthermore, training for counselors is imperative to learn about religion
and spirituality to serve the client better. The article explained most of the
clients preferred counselors who had the same faith as theirs. The real
issue would be whether there is a counselor with the same religion as
every client they serve. The counselor should keep in mind and be aware
of various faiths, customs, spiritual journeys, and beliefs. I believe that
psychologists and theologists should learn each other's professions.
Therefore, to better serve the clients in the article, the counselor had to
know various religions and spiritualities for the eight-four clients. This
article was insightful and informative due to the demand for Christian’s
preference for their counselors to have a Christian background. This
article could be seen as a teaching tool to handle non-believers because
the strength and guidance of God will help me serve an unbeliever to the
fullest of my faith and ability.
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Diallo, A. (2013). Clients’ Willingness to Incorporate Religion or Spirituality
in Counseling: A Brief Report. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 56(2),
120–122. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034355212439425
