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Can Spirituality Be Encompassed in Rehabilitation?
Counseling has traditionally focused on four forces: psychodynamics, behaviorism, humanism, and multiculturalism, but spirituality is becoming the fifth force (Sandhu, as cited in Stanard, Sandhu, & Painter, 2000). To speak about spirituality is to speak about an individuals value system and it is evident that a clients values enter into counseling. Concerns about client values, beliefs and attitudes have long been considered a central part of the rehabilitation process (Patterson, 1959; Jenkins, Patterson & Szymanski, 1992; Wright, 1983) and western Christian religious practices are arguably at the core of early rehabilitation philosophy (Kilpatrick & McCullough, 1999; Patterson, 1960; Rubin & Roessler, 1995). Traditionally, rehabilitation practice articulates the importance of addressing a clients values, beliefs and attitudes, therefore examining how rehabilitation counseling integrates spirituality as a central theme is important. However, incorporating spirituality into rehabilitation counselor training programs may create conflict for counselor educators and counselors because of differing views of the importance of spirituality and even differing perceptions on the nature of spirituality. In order to recognize the value differences between clients and counselors, four types of helping orientations to spiritual and religious natures have been identified: rejectionism, exclusivism, constructivism, and pluralism (Zinnbauer & Pargament, 2000). ... While each of these methods differ slightly in their approach, they all combine spirituality with religion. Spirituality can be expressed as an internal component of an individuals perception of reality, whereas religion is its external manifestation with practices and rituals shared with like-minded people (Hodge, 2000). Spirituality can be defined as: A relationship with a Transcendent Being that fosters a sense of meaning, purpose, and mission in life. In turn, this relationship produces salutary change such as an increased sense of altruistic love, which has a discernible effect upon ones relationship to creation, self, others, and the Most High Religion and spirituality may sometimes be used interchangeably.
Approximate Word count = 1415
Approximate Pages = 5.7
(250 words per page double spaced)
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