In order to be competent to help clients address the spiritual dimension of their lives, a counselor should be able to:
1. explain the relationship between religion and spirituality, including
similarities and differences,
2. describe religious and spiritual beliefs and practices in a cultural
context,
3. engage in self-exploration of his/her religious and spiritual beliefs
in order to increase sensitivity, understanding and acceptance of
his/her belief system,
4. describe one's religious and/or spiritual belief system and explain
various models of religious/spiritual development across the lifespan,
5. demonstrate sensitivity to and acceptance of a variety of religiojs
and/or spiritual expressions in the client's communication,
6. identify the limits of one's understanding of a client's spiritual
expression, and demonstrate appropriate referral skills and general
possible referral sources,
7. assess the relevance of the spiritual domains in the client's
therapeutic issues,
8. be sensitive to and respectful of the spiritual themes in the
counseling process as befits each client's expressed preference, and
9. use a client's spiritual beliefs in the pursuit of the client's
therapeutic goals as befits the client's expressed preference.
from: Miller, Geri
"The Development of the Spiritual Focus in Counseling and Counselor
Education"
Journal of Counseling and Development
Vol. 77; No. 4. (Fall, 1999) - p. 500.
