The issue of addressing spiritual issues when working with clients/patients is a topic that often sparks passionate discussions among counseling professionals. The driving factor behind one's position on this issue is frequently their definition of spirituality and how they interpret this question. The efficacy of addressing spiritual issues in counseling is also a key consideration, as it relates to the impact on the client/patient experience.
This issue surfaced when my students would submit essays in my addictions counseling classes. As I read their opinions questioning spirituality’s place in the counseling relationship, I would comment that addressing it adds an extra dimension to the delivery of services, allowing for a richer and more complete understanding of their situation. It's like the difference between looking at a two-dimensional photograph of a site and being at the site, experiencing its three dimensions and all the sensory input that comes with it.
Addressing spiritual issues in counseling allows the practitioner to immerse clients in their own experience, providing more than insight and understanding in the process. It highlights the importance of clients empathizing with their own experiences.
Viewing spirituality as a condition of connectedness to life, rather than merely participating in it, opens a third dimension in counseling and enhances a client's development. Recognizing that one is a participant in life rather than an observer of it akin to being a film's director rather than its critic in a darkened theater.
Although practitioners of counseling and therapy appreciate the importance of helping clients grow by identifying and removing obstacles, there has been some hesitancy, even in Counselor Education, to pursue spiritual issues in counseling services. However, there is an increasing recognition of their importance.
It is my belief that an appreciation for these issues, especially from a worldview perspective, often comes later in one's counseling career. Younger students pursuing counseling degrees are genuinely interested in helping, but a deep understanding of the human spirit and its role in self-actualization is born from life experiences. As we mature, physical strength and endurance may wane, but wisdom and an appreciation for the resilience and importance of the human spirit grow. Something my grandfather used to say was that knowledge is the accumulation of facts; wisdom is knowing which facts are important.
In my personal experience, the individuals I have encountered, including clients, acquaintances, family members, mentors, and professors, have shown me the importance of a higher power in finding meaning in life and having faith in the inherent dignity of all creation. Whether the "H" & "P" in higher power require capitalization is a matter of legitimate discussion. That said, a belief in a power greater than oneself seems to involve more than taking a simple leap of faith. Assessing someone’s—a client's—sense of connectedness to this higher power by addressing spirituality in the counseling relationship would seem at least appropriate if not necessary; what do you think?
