Continuing Education Workshop Description:

Religion and spirituality can profoundly influence how individuals understand themselves, navigate life's challenges, and find meaning, purpose, and connection. Yet these important dimensions of human experience are often overlooked or inadequately addressed in psychotherapy.

This engaging and thought-provoking continuing education workshop explores the role of religion and spirituality in counseling, offering clinicians practical strategies for integrating clients' beliefs, values, and spiritual experiences into treatment in ethically responsible and culturally sensitive ways.

Participants will examine how religious and spiritual frameworks can serve as sources of resilience, healing, and belonging, while also recognizing their potential contributions to shame, internal conflict, religious trauma, and psychological distress. Special attention will be given to spiritual assessment, religious diversity, therapist self-awareness, and the ethical challenges of navigating differences between clients' beliefs and clinicians' personal worldviews.

 Through discussion, experiential exercises, and opportunities for self-reflection, participants will develop greater confidence in addressing spiritual concerns, supporting clients experiencing religious transitions or spiritual struggles, and fostering therapeutic conversations that honor each client's unique relationship with religion, spirituality, and meaning-making.

Continuing Education Workshop Objectives:

Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the ways religion and spirituality can influence psychological well-being, identity development, coping strategies, and the therapeutic process.
2. Identify clinically relevant religious and spiritual concerns, including spiritual struggles, religious trauma, faith transitions, and the role of spiritual beliefs in resilience and healing.
3. Examine ethical and multicultural considerations when addressing religion and spirituality in psychotherapy, including therapist self-awareness, professional boundaries, and respect for clients' diverse belief systems.
4. Apply spiritually sensitive assessment strategies and therapeutic interventions to explore clients' religious and spiritual experiences while supporting autonomy, meaning-making, and psychological well-being.