What is Spiritually-Informed Psychotherapy?

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By Nino Winterbottom

Quite simply, spiritually-informed psychotherapy means that the therapist pays attention not only to the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of the client, but to their spiritual wellbeing as well. Many spiritually-informed therapists believe a holistic view of the client includes mind, body, and spirit.

Like many therapists, those who are spiritually-informed follow the lead of the client. An ethical spiritually-informed therapist will never push a client to talk about religion. You may not even notice much difference between them and any other therapist, as all licensed therapists have certain standard training.

One of the key benefits of a therapist trained in spiritually-informed counseling or psychotherapy, however, is that they are specifically taught how to work with spirituality and religion if they arise. You can and should expect a spiritually-informed therapist to be respectful, non-judgmental, and curious about your beliefs.

While there are therapists who specialize in working with specific religions, spiritually-informed therapists can be of any (or no!) religious persuasion, and can work with clients across the spectrum from atheists to the highly devout.

There are even some benefits for atheists, agnostics, and other non-religious people in working with a spiritually-informed therapist. They might find that the work clarifies their values, deepens their sense of meaning, and helps them tackle difficult existential questions they rarely get to explore in busy day-to-day life.

Strengths of a spiritually-informed approach include:

• A holistic view of people (mind, body, spirit)
• Compassion and curiosity for the unknown
• Respect for diverse religious and spiritual beliefs
• Deep understanding of the complex positive, negative, and mixed roles of religion and spirituality in people’s lives
• Awareness of the relationship between religion, culture, and community
• Similarly, attentiveness to the significance of identity, including but not limited to race, sexuality, gender, and ability
• A focus on existential issues of meaning, death, justice, etc.

Spiritually-informed psychotherapy can also have specific benefits for different age groups and areas of focus.