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Hunt, Jane (2024) Religion and spirituality in therapeutic training in the UK: a survey of current and recent trainees. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research. ISSN 1473-3145 (In Press)
Research indicates counsellors and psychotherapists receive little training around working with clients who present with religious or spiritual issues and feel unprepared to work with these clients. This research explored how trainee and newly qualified counsellors and psychotherapists, who identify as religious or spiritual, experienced undertaking therapeutic training in the UK. The survey collected data on how much training participants received on their courses in religion/spirituality, how this training was delivered, how satisfied they were with their training, their knowledge base and skills around religion/spirituality, and what areas relating to religion/spirituality participants would like to see incorporated into therapeutic training. Data was collected via an online survey and was analysed using descriptive statistics. Over half of the participants received no training in this area with a further third receiving minimal input. Participants reported low satisfaction rates with training received unless integrated throughout their course and identified specific knowledge gaps round religious/spiritual literacy, therapeutic skills, and awareness of religion and mental health research. Participants wanted more input on religion/spirituality in the training syllabus to increase their knowledge base and therapeutic competences. This research employed a non-randomised sample which limits the generalisability of these findings to a wider training population. Survey participants were also a highly religious/spiritual group with 87% indicating they engaged in weekly religious/spiritual practices, and identified as Christian and White, and on a Person-Centred or Integrative training.
Implications for Policy
The absence of training on religion/spirituality in the therapeutic curriculum does not reflect a full commitment to the spirit of the UK Equality Act (2010) or the educational standards laid down by professional bodies. Given the low satisfaction rates with training evidenced in these findings, further discussion at policy level about what should be included on religion and spirituality in the curriculum to work competently in this area is required. There is also a need to review why religion/spirituality are largely absent in the therapeutic curriculum, as well as giving consideration as to how to equip trainers to deliver high quality training in this area.
Implications for Practice
These findings point to the importance of religion/spirituality being included at key points across the training curriculum to equip trainees with the necessary knowledge base and skills to work competently with clients presenting with religious or spiritual issues in clinical settings.
Key words: religion/spirituality (R/S), therapeutic training, competency.
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