This text is intended to help counselors and other mental health practitioners make informed and effective interventions with clients for whom religion and spirituality are significant concerns. It is comprehensive, providing information on religious systems and spiritual beliefs as well as clinical strategies and interventions. Throughout the text, the author weaves the theme in of understanding how the counselor's own worldview and values impact working with clients and offers activities and cases for exploring this further.

"How would I describe the text to a colleague: thorough, helpful learning activities and case examples, monumental!"

"This author has a gift for writing both from a personal and professional perspective. The writing is clear and easy to follow; the chapters flow easily into the case illustrations and suggested activities. She integrates culture, family, special population issues into her themes; advocating the generalizability of the inclusion of these constructs in a wide range of counseling services."

"The author writes in a manner that is professional, appealing and at a pace that typically holds the reader?s attention. This text is packed with accurate and recent information that reflects the author?s diligence in considering the essentials for such a text."

Includes bibliographical references (p. 299-327) and index.

Marsha Wiggins Frame is currently Chair for the division of Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education at the University of Colorado at Denver. Over the years, she has taught courses such as Foundations of Guidance, Counseling and Personnel Services, Human Sexuality, Spiritual Issues in Counseling and Psychotherapy, Practicum, Internship, and Ethics and Legal Issues. She has won awards from her profession and university for excellence in teaching.

Religion and spirituality in counseling. Spirituality, religion, and transpersonal psychology — Understanding the relationship between spirituality and religion — Neglect of religion and spirituality in clinical practice — Religion and spirituality in counseling and psychotherapy — Person-of-the-therapist issues — Models of religious and spiritual development. Gordon Allport — James Fowler — Fritz Oser — Vicky Genia — Michael Washburn — Limitations of the models of religious/spiritual development — Varieties of religious systems and spiritual beliefs. Western religions — Eastern religions — Spiritual traditions — Assessing religious and spiritual beliefs and values. Purposes of assessment — Aspects of assessment — Assessment methods — Assessing harmful or pathological religion or spirituality — Cults — Intersection of religion, spirituality, ethnicity, and culture. European Americans and Anglo Americans — African Americans — Latinos/Latinas — Asian Americans — Native Americans — Implicit strategies for working with clients' religious and spiritual issues. Grappling with the thorny issues — Implicit approaches to religious and spiritual issues : theoretical integration — Explicit religious and spiritual strategies for counseling. Guidelines for using spiritual interventions — Prayer and meditation — Keeping a spiritual journal — Bibliotherapy — Forgiveness and repentance — Surrender — 12-step programs — Contraindications for spiritual interventions — Seeking appropriate consultation and referral — Using religious and spiritual strategies in couple and family counseling. Religion, spirituality, and the family — Couple and family therapy : a systems approach — Implicit strategies for couple and family therapy — Explicit religious and spiritual strategies in couple and family counseling — Religious and spiritual applications to special groups. Women and spirituality — Spirituality and gays, lesbians, and bisexuals — Children, adolescents, and spirituality — Death, dying, and spirituality — Ethical considerations. Welfare of the client — Informed consent — Competence and training — Person-of-the-therapist issues — Imposition of values — Dual relationships — Work-setting boundaries — Consultation and referral.