Abstract
Several decades ago Bergin promoted the then-controversial idea of considering religious values in psychotherapy. Much has changed in the intervening years; psychotherapists now have numerous resources available to help them in considering religious and spiritual issues in psychotherapy. In addition to considering values, we suggest there is a place to consider religious virtues in psychotherapy. Virtues are distinct from values in that the former assume a telos (created purpose or end). Whereas values focus on who we are, virtues also focus on who we are becoming. Using the three primary values from the Christian religion— faith, hope, and love—we illustrate how a virtue-based psychotherapy might consider the person of the psychotherapist and the transformational process of psychotherapy. In each case we offer potential research questions, as Bergin did in his landmark publication.
References
Aquinas, Thomas. Light of Faith: The Compendium of Theology. Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 1993. Search in Google Scholar
Benner, David G. “Intensive Soul Care: Integrating Psychotherapy and Spiritual Direction.” In Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy, edited by Len Sperry and Edward P. Shafranske, 287-306. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2005. Search in Google Scholar
Bergin, Allen E. “Psychotherapy and Religious Values.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48 (1980), 95-105. Search in Google Scholar
Bergin, Allen E. “Religious and Humanistic Values: A Reply to Ellis and Walls.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48 (1980), 642-645. Search in Google Scholar
Castonguay, Louis G., and Clara E. Hill. “Corrective Experiences in Psychotherapy: An introduction.” In Transformation in Psychotherapy: Corrective Experiences across Cognitive Behavioral, Humanistic, and Psychodynamic Approaches, edited by Louis Castonguay and Clara E. Hill, 3-9. Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association, 2012. Search in Google Scholar
Catholic Church. “Catechism of the Catholic Church.” Vatican City: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994. Search in Google Scholar
Delaney, Harold D., William R. Miller, and Ana M. Bisono, “Religiosity and Spirituality among Psychologists: A Survey of Clinical Members of the American Psychological Association.” Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 1 (2013), 95-106. Search in Google Scholar
Duncan, Barry L. “The Person of the Therapist. One Therapist’s Journey to Relationship.” In The Handbook of Humanistic Psychology: Theory, Research, and Practice (2nd ed.), edited by Kirk J. Schneider, J. Fraser Pierson, and James F. T. Bugental, 457-472. Los Angeles: Sage, 2015. Search in Google Scholar
Ellis, Albert. “Psychotherapy and Atheistic values: A Response to A. E. Bergin’s ‘Psychotherapy and Religious Values’.” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48 (1980), 635-639. Search in Google Scholar
Emmons, Robert A. Gratitude Works! San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2013. Search in Google Scholar
Greenberg, Leslie S. and Robert Elliott (2012). “Corrective Experience from a Humanistic–Experiential Perspective.” In Transformation in Psychotherapy: Corrective Experiences across Cognitive Behavioral, Humanistic, and Psychodynamic Approaches, edited by Louis Castonguay and Clara E. Hill, 85-101. Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association, 2012. Search in Google Scholar
Harrington, Daniel and James Keenan. Jesus and Virtue Ethics: Building Bridges Between New Testament Studies and Moral Theology. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2002. Search in Google Scholar
Hayes, Steven C., Kirk D. Strosahl, and Kelly G. Wilson. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: The Process and Practice of Mindful Change (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford, 2012. Search in Google Scholar
Hook, Joshua. N., Everett L. Worthington, Jr., Don E. Davis, David J. Jennings, Aubrey L. Gartner, and Jan P. Hook, “Empirically Supported Religious and Spiritual Therapies.” Journal of Clinical Psychology, 66 (2010), 46-72. Search in Google Scholar
Hummer, Robert A., Richard G. Rogers, Charles B. Nam, and Christopher G. Ellison, “Religious Involvement and U.S. Adult Mortality.” Demography, 36 (1999), 273-285. Search in Google Scholar
Johnson, W. Brad, and Mark R. McMinn, “Thirty Years of Integrative Doctoral Training: Historic Developments, Assessment of Outcomes, and Recommendations for the Future.” Journal of Psychology and Theology, 31 (2003), 83-96. 10.1177/009164710303100201Search in Google Scholar
Knabb, Joshua J., Faith-Based ACT for Christian Clients. New York: Routledge, 2016. 10.4324/9781315670744Search in Google Scholar
Kreeft, Peter. Fundamentals of the Faith: Essays in Christian Apologetics. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1988. Search in Google Scholar
Larsen, Denise J., and Rachel Stege. “Client Accounts of Hope in Early Counseling Sessions: A Qualitative Study.” Journal Of Counseling and Development, 90 (2012), 45-54. Search in Google Scholar
MacIntyre, Alasdair. After Virtue. Notre Dame: IA: University of Notre Dame Press., 1981. Search in Google Scholar
McMinn, Mark R., William L. Hathaway, Scott W. Woods, and Kimberly N. Snow. “What American Psychological Association Leaders Have to Say about Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.” Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 1 (2009), 3-13. Search in Google Scholar
McMinn, Mark R., Ryan C. Staley, Kurt C. Webb, and Winston Seegobin, “Just What is Christian Counseling Anyway?” Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 41 (2010), 391-397. Search in Google Scholar
Miller, Scott. D., Barry L. Duncan, and Mark A. Hubble. Escape from Babel: Toward a Unifying Language for Psychotherapy Practice. New York: Norton, 1997. Search in Google Scholar
Miller, William. R., and Carl E. Thoresen. “Spirituality, Religion, and Health: An Emerging Research Field.” American Psychologist, 58 (2003), 24-35. Search in Google Scholar
Nieuwsma, Jason A., Robyn D. Walser, and Steven C. Hayes (Eds.). ACT for Clergy and Pastoral Counselors: Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Bridge Psychological and Spiritual Care. Oakland, CA: Context Press/New Harbinger Publications, in press. Search in Google Scholar
Peterson, Christopher, and Martin E. P. Seligman. Character Strengths and Virtues: A Handbook and Classification. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Search in Google Scholar
Richards, P. Scott, and Allen E. Bergin (Eds.). Handbook of Psychotherapy and Religious Diversity. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2000. 10.1037/10347-000Search in Google Scholar
Richards, P. Scott, and Allen E. Bergin. Casebook for a Spiritual Strategy in Counseling and Psychotherapy. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2004. 10.1037/10652-000Search in Google Scholar
Richards, P. Scott, and Allen E. Bergin. A Spiritual Strategy for Counseling and Psychotherapy (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2005. 10.1037/11214-000Search in Google Scholar
Scioli, Anthony, Michael Ricci, Than Nyugen, and Erica R. Scioli. “Hope: Its Nature and Measurement.” Psychology Of Religion And Spirituality, 3 (2011), 78-97. Search in Google Scholar
Sisemore, Timothy. A. “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Christian Translation.” Christian Psychology, in press. Search in Google Scholar
Snyder, C. R. “Hope Theory: Rainbows in the Mind.” Psychological Inquiry, 13 (2002), 249. 10.1207/S15327965PLI1304_01Search in Google Scholar
Snyder, C. R., Lori M. Irving, and John R. Anderson. “Hope and Health.” In Handbook of Social and Clinical Psychology: The Health Perspective, edited by C. R. Snyder and Donelson R. Forsyth, 285-305. Elmsford, NY: Pergamon Press, 1991. Search in Google Scholar
Strupp, Hans H., and Suzanne W. Hadley. “A Tripartite Model of Mental Health and Therapeutic Outcomes: With Special Reference to Negative Effects in Psychotherapy.” American Psychologist, 32 (1977), 187-196. Search in Google Scholar
Vogel, Michael. J., Mark R. McMinn, Mary A. Peterson, and Kathleen A. Gathercoal. “Examining Religion and Spirituality as Diversity Training: A Multidimensional Study of Doctoral Training in the American Psychological Association.” Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 44 (2013), 158-167. Search in Google Scholar
Walls, Gary B. “Values and Psychotherapy: A Comment on ‘Psychotherapy and Religious Values.’ ” Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48 (1980), 640-641. Search in Google Scholar
Wood, Alex M., Jeffrey J. Froh, and Adam W. A. Geraghty, “Gratitude and Well-being: A Review and Theoretical Integration.” Clinical Psychology Review, 30 (2010), 890-905. Search in Google Scholar
Yalom, Irvin D., and Molyn Leszcz. “The Theory and Practice of Group Psychotherapy” (5th ed.). New York: Basic Books, 2005. Search in Google Scholar
Zheng, Xue, Ryan Fehr, Kenneth Tai, Jayanth Narayanan, and Michele J. Gelfand, “The Unburdening Effects of Forgiveness: Effects of Slant Perception and Jumping Height.” Social Psychological and Personality Science, 6 (2015), 431-438. Search in Google Scholar
©2016 Mark R. McMinn et al.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.
