Filipino psychologists and counselors experience of integrating spirituality in psychotherapy and counseling

• Main Author: Voloso, Indira Grace P.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2021
• Subjects: Psychologists > Philippines; Counselors > Philippines; Spirituality; Psychotherapy; Counseling; Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdm_psych/16; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdm_psych/article/1011/viewcontent/Filipino_psychologists_and_counselors_experience_of_integrating_s.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Spirituality was recognized as an important factor in the psychotherapeutic process. Various literature presented the benefits of using spirituality in counseling and psychotherapy in client’s mental health and healing process. Despite the significance of this domain, the available literature in the Philippine context regarding the integration of spirituality in counseling and psychotherapy has been few. The present study aimed to explore the Filipino psychologists and counselors experience of integrating spirituality in psychotherapy and counseling. Seven psychologists and counselors who have experience in integrating spirituality in their practice participated in the study. Qualitative inquiry was conducted using thematic analysis and discovered that spirituality can be supplementary in their therapeutic process such as establishing a safe environment, conceptualization and treatment planning, conducting religious and spiritual assessment, effective spiritual interventions, inclusions of R/S in termination and evaluation of spiritually oriented therapy. Challenges and ethical issues in the inclusion of spirituality were highlighted in this research. It is vital in ethically decision-making process that counselors and psychologists distinguish the spiritual and religious dimension of each client. It was also recognized that spirituality can serve as a positive psychological resource such as hope, courage and strength which can be utilized in client’s life journey. Moreover, Filipinos religiosity and profound sense of spirituality were perceived as susceptible in this type of approach and intervention. Implications of the study were further discussed.