Issues of spirituality and religion in psychotherapy supervision

We note gaps between the basic science of psychotherapy and the spiritual dimensions of religious life; between the beliefs and practices of patients and those of therapists; and between evidence for the influence of spirituality on health and the lack of its integration into psychotherapeutic training. We attempt to provide a framework to bridge this gap in supervision.

We reviewed the literature on the roles of spirituality and religion in mental health and illness; on the place of religion in psychotherapy; and on the pedagogy of spirituality.

Issues requiring attention include definitions of terms; awareness of personal beliefs; consideration of the boundaries between religiosity and pathology; and distinction between religious structures and personal beliefs. A format for addressing these issues in supervision includes: assisting the trainee with self-awareness; providing tools for spiritual assessment of the patient; providing developmental schema for spirituality; and maintaining awareness of the intersubjectivity of the patient-therapist field and the trainee-supervisor field.

Existing literature provides usable frameworks for integrating religion and spirituality into psychotherapy supervision. We offer suggestions on how this may be accomplished.