The experience of trainees and newly qualified counselling psychologists on the education of religion and spirituality: a thematic analysis

Abstract

Background
In recent decades, research began to emphasise the role and benefits of healthy religious and spiritual functioning and its relatedness to physical and mental health. It has increased the quest for an understanding of the place of religion in the professional training of practitioners who provide psychological services to clients (Daniels and Fitzpatrick, 2013). Evidence suggests counselling psychology training programmes have begun integrating religion and spirituality as aspects of diversity and multiculturalism training. However, there have been concerns about the specific contents of and the delivery of the education in religion and spirituality (Saunders, Petrik and Miller, 2014).

Aims
This research aimed to undertake a qualitative study with U.K-based trainees and 3-year post- qualified counselling psychologists. The research question aimed to explore the experience of the education of religion and spirituality (R/S) on the counselling psychology doctorate programme. The study had two main objectives: 1) to make sense of and interpret their experience of the R/S aspects of their training 2) to understand if the education in (R/S) prepared them to work with clients’ religion and spirituality.

Methods
The research question required an interpretative stance that allowed for the exploring of participant experiences on their respective programmes. Eight trainees and one newly qualified counselling psychologist were recruited to participate in this study via purposive sampling. Participants were invited to participate in a 45–60-minute semi-structured interview. Interview transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.

Findings and conclusions
The analysis of the dataset generated three overarching themes: 1) Situating diversity, 2) Delivery and content of diversity training, 3) Lacking clinical relevance to work with diversity. These overarching themes captured 11 subthemes that emphasised how the participants made sense of themselves in relation to religion and spirituality, the diversity aspects of their training, and their assessment of the clinical work they completed with clients who identify with religion and spirituality. These findings were discussed in terms of their clinical and theoretical implications. Most notably, the findings added new insights to the experience of the education on religion and spirituality in the professional training in counselling psychology. Also, the findings have aided in providing recommendations to the programme directors of university training programmes. Such recommendations include requesting that universities intentionally raise awareness of the perceived benefits of religion and spirituality to clinical practice. Further, that universities consider incorporating specialised training in multiculturalism for faculty members so they can, in turn, support trainees to develop cultural competence.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Supervisor	Rachel Davies (Supervisor) & Shelley Gait (Supervisor)